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World Languages & Literatures
Mission: The Department of World Languages and Literatures plays a central role in preparing the students of Portland State University to function in the global community.

Because we believe that language is central to that ability, we offer instruction in American Sign Language, Arabic, Chinese (Mandarin), Danish, Finnish, French, German, Ancient and Modern Greek, Modern Hebrew, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Latin, Norwegian, Persian, Portuguese, Russian (regular and heritage), Spanish (regular and heritage), Swahili, Swedish, Turkish and Vietnamese (heritage). On occasion, we also offer Hindi (heritage), Kurdish, Pashto (heritage) and Tagalog (heritage). The Department is committed to teaching for proficiency. All of our language classes are designed to develop functional skills in reading, writing, listening, and speaking for eventual use in a broad variety of real-world settings.

Programs:
We offer undergraduate majors in Arabic, Chinese, French, German, Japanese, Russian, and Spanish; minor programs in the above languages and in Italian, Turkish, and Classical Studies. We also have a Certificate in Advanced Proficiency in Russian and a Certificate in Teaching Japanese as a Foreign Language.

At the graduate level, we offer the M.A. in World Languages with a major in French, German, Japanese, or Spanish; the M.A.T. in French, German, or Spanish; and the M.A. in World Literature and Language, with a concentration in two foreign languages.


A Special Thank You:

  • A warm thank you to the Scandinavian Heritage Foundation, a long-time contributor to our Scandinavian language programs. This year, our Norwegian and Danish programs will benefit from its generous support. We are looking forward to a good year!
  • Tack så mycket ! to the Barbro Osher Pro Suecia Foundation for its support of two years of Swedish instruction through the Department of World Languages and Literatures. Instructor Christina (Tina) Kreft-Tengblad has been teaching Swedish at PSU since 2007 and actively participates in Scandinavian events in the Portland area.

 

    Department of World Languages & Literatures
    Phone: 503-725-3522
    Fax: 503-725-5276
    Email: wlldept@pdx.edu
    Street Address: Neuberger Hall, Room 491
    Portland State University
    724 SW Harrison St.
    Portland OR 97201
    Main Office Hours: 8am-5pm, Monday through Friday