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The Department of Modern Languages, Literatures and Cultures sets goals that reflect the commonalties as well as the divergences between the different language sections. The goals of the department are consonant with its own mission statement, and can be identified within the College mission statement, since the department plays a vital role in the fulfillment of the college's mission of education.

The MLLC Department's philosophy is to help students prepare for an interconnected world by promoting intercultural competence through language learning, Literatures study, and cultural education. We use diverse teaching methods, including technology, study abroad, and service learning, with the goal of emphasizing the importance of language in the study of culture and lifelong learning.

Since the Department is officially called the Department of Modern Languages, Literatures, and Cultures the definition of these domains and their relationships define the scope and content of our discipline.

We live in a world in which nations are increasingly interdependent, and in a country that is becoming increasingly diverse linguistically and culturally. The Department is committed to helping its students to prepare for this interconnected world by fostering the development of intercultural competence through the study of languages, Literatures and cultures of the world.

Learning a new language gives us a distinct point of view from which we can evaluate and understand our own language, as we acquire linguistic and cultural competence in that language. Language learning is the discovery of a new world and a new self. Therefore language study has intrinsic value in and of itself.

Literatures has traditionally been the main material and vehicle for language learning. Indeed, Literatures is an ideal medium for exploring the possibilities of language. Through the study of Literatures, speakers and readers new to the language discover narrative structure, character development, and literary forms, conventions and values.

The study of Literatures involves analyzing literary texts, film and digitally produced materials and learning to appreciate their formal structures and aesthetic elements. The skills acquired by analyzing and understanding these works give students greater sophistication and add to their critical thinking. Moreover, the discipline and work required in learning to appreciate literary works enriches students’ lives beyond their academic career.

Although we affirm the centrality of language learning in one’s development of intercultural competence, we also recognize the importance of culture education. In this context, we define culture in broad terms to include, for example, rhetorical traditions, nonverbal communication styles, and cultural values that guide such communicative behavior, We believe that culture should be taught in both “culture-specific” courses within each language section and “culture-general courses that cut across language sections Just as learning a new language allows us to understand and evaluate our own language, so too does the understanding of another culture enable us to define our own culture.

As a department we do not advocate one single method of teaching. Our pedagogical practices vary according to the given language, the instructor's pedagogical training, preferences, course material, and the needs of students. The Department is thus committed to incorporating diverse approaches in our teaching. Such commitment is also reflected in our emphasis on the use of technology, study abroad and service learning. Such diversity of approaches, however, is grounded in the Department’s central goal: to instill in our students the basic principle that language is essential to the study of culture, intellectual inquiry, and life-long learning.

The Department of Modern Languages, Literatures, and Cultures at �鶹��Ƶs publicly expresses its commitment to combat those systemic inequalities and to support those at a higher risk of being exposed to such precarities. We, as members of an academic community, recognize that we can make this statement from a place of privilege. Our goal is to positively impact historically disenfranchised individuals and communities. We further recognize that race particularly exacerbates vulnerabilities associated with different forms of minority status (citizenship status, sexual orientation, religious belief, gender identity, disability, and different ethnic backgrounds). We understand the murder of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police in the summer of 2020 as an egregious event that prompts us to recognize the way the system targets segments of the population, our fellow citizens, in a way that denies them of the right to live. As George Floyd struggledto breathe, as disadvantaged BIPOC communities struggle to survive the health and financial impacts of COVID19, we should all strive to combat practices that oppress our fellow humans within the United States and across the globe.

The Department of Modern Languages, Literatures, and Cultures proposes the following:

Teaching: We commit to make our teaching as inclusive as possible. This entails both looking into our pedagogy, selection of materials, and assessment tools. 
Advising: We commit to making sure every one of our students feels welcomed, and, furthermore, to valuing the contributions of our diverse student body to our community.
Research: Our academic inquiry is rooted in building intercultural understanding, so that as a society we develop a better understanding of justice. We commit to be active voices on this topic both in our campus and in our fields.
Service: We encourage our administration to continue to develop initiatives to attain the goal of being a more diverse and just community, where people of color view themselves as integral to the community. We commit our time and ideas to contributing with committees and with programming that is in line with this goal. 
Community engagement/outreach: We encourage the administration to enhance the role of community engagement as a fundamental tool to embody the way in which justice can be achieved through academic and extracurricular activities.
Curricular development: We commit to continue developing our curricula where our students can find ways to identify and analyze the relationship between power and diversity, as well as to consolidate that knowledge through arguments and to create alternatives for the future.

The �鶹��Ƶ Department of Modern Languages, Literatures and Cultures (MLC) seeks to inculcate in students, at beginning and advanced levels, the ability to use language to both appreciate other cultures and to negotiate the complexities of an increasingly intercultural world. The department's vision places particular emphasis on the teaching of culture in all its forms: seeking to instill the idea that while the understanding of language has practical benefits, the study of literary and cultural traditions in a broad context will bring further rewards. The tradition of social justice is an important one, and we incorporate it into our courses, whenever appropriate, at home and abroad. As a Modern Languages department in a state that is rapidly becoming more international, both culturally and economically, the Department aims to develop citizens with a sophisticated understanding of intercultural communication.

The �鶹��Ƶ Department of Modern Languages, Literatures and Cultures (MLC) seeks to inculcate in students, at beginning and advanced levels, the ability to use language to both appreciate other cultures and to negotiate the complexities of an increasingly intercultural world. The department places particular emphasis on the teaching of culture in all its forms: seeking to instill the idea that while the understanding of language has practical benefits, the study of literary and cultural traditions in a broad context will bring further rewards. The tradition of social justice is an important one, and we incorporate it into our courses, whenever appropriate, at home and abroad. As a Modern Languages department in a state that is rapidly becoming more international, both culturally and economically, the Department aims to develop citizens with a sophisticated understanding of intercultural communication.

Languages

Currently, all �鶹��Ƶ students take a minimum of two semesters of language, or demonstrate that they have attained an equivalent level. The Department hopes that all students will take four semesters of language, in order to reach a level of proficiency that will allow them to function in real-life situations in the target language.

Placement

Most students entering the program are tested to determine the proper level at which to enter the program. This placement test allows students to be placed in the correct level. Students in the correct level are appropriately challenged in order to enable them to gain the greatest benefit from the course.

Major/Minor

Student majors and minors are given the opportunity to develop depth within an area of study in the target language. Through the advanced study of language, Literatures, and culture, students are able to attain linguistic and cultural proficiency, while gaining an understanding of the history and peoples associated with each language. In particular, the Departments hopes that students will graduate with the cultural knowledge that enables them to spread this awareness to others, thereby increasing cultural understanding, intercultural communication, and an appreciation for the valuable artistic and social traditions that are a part of each language.

Advising

Students select an advisor from among the tenured or tenure-track faculty in each language section. In some cases, Spanish, for example, this selection may occur based on an area of interest within the program, i.e., linguistics, Peninsular or Spanish-American studies. Students work with the advisor to plan a program of study, select a study abroad site, seek graduate studies advising, or other academic topics.

Study abroad

The Department seeks to have all majors and minors spend one year abroad studying in an approved program that the student selects in consultation with his/her advisor and Center for International and Cultural Education. Currently, most majors spend one-semester abroad, and many minors do as well. Students choose their study abroad program based on academic interests, internship possibilities, and program reputation. Courses are selected in consultation with the advisor, and some of these courses assist students in progressing toward successful completion of the major. In addition, the abroad experience is envisioned as a rich cultural component in the student's study program at the College. Students are expected to take full advantage of the abroad program. Upon returning, students are asked to share the knowledge/experiences with the �鶹��Ƶ community of students/faculty through presentations, portfolios, and course participation.

Teacher education program

The Spanish section works in connection with the Education department to prepare students for the teaching profession and certification by the State. Students in this program gain important linguistic and cultural expertise by studying abroad, in addition to completing the major. The Department oversees the instruction of the language teaching methodology course. Students gain additional experience by serving as language tutors in the Department and by working closely with faculty members in the student employment program. The Department hopes that, in the future, student interest in teaching will mean that all sections are able to participate in teacher education.

Tutorial program

Each language section runs an in-house tutorial program overseen by a faculty member and staffed by student assistants with the help of the language assistant. Here students can receive peer assistance, as well as have the opportunity to learn teaching skills by working with their peers in a tutorial situation. Faculty members conduct occasional tutorials for the tutors to offer help in explaining language topics.

Language assistant program

The Department recruits a native speaker from abroad who spends an academic year living among the student community and assisting each language program. Assistants oversee cultural activities such as film series, cultural talks, language tables, conversation periods, and work with the tutorial program to help language learners. In addition, assistants aid faculty in the classroom. Currently, the assistant rotates among languages so that only one section per year has an assistant. In the future, the departments seeks to have an assistant for each language, ever year.

Culpeper Language Learning Center

The Center unites students and faculty with the common goals of teaching, learning, and experiencing language and is key in helping to achieve many of the departmental goals.

Here students complete exciting and innovative foreign language projects using new technologies in areas such as: digital story telling, social media, audio and video creation, and text, audio or video conferencing with other students around the world. The Center also provides students with a number of materials to help in their language acquisition and retention process. These include print (magazines, newspapers, books, and other reference material) and electronic media (Online materials, DVDs, and Satellite TV) along with foreign language board games.

Each week faculty and students have the opportunity to participate in a wide variety of workshops put on by the Culpeper director and Culpeper student workers. These workshops train faculty and students in the use of new technology tools, peak interest in foreign languages within students across campus and help explore foreign language teaching and learning potential. The Center also sponsors a number of events and contests, which help students to actively use their foreign languages. Among these is a foreign language short-film competition, a photo and art contest, and a cross-disciplinary foreign language computer game creation contest.

The various resources provided by Culpeper help students prepare for study abroad experiences and help with retention of language and further development after they return. In addition, as they actively participate in all that Culpeper offers, students are prepared to participate in a global world through new technologies. The Culpeper center seeks to become a campus-wide resource for students in many disciplines.