Welcome to UMSL and to the Department of Language and Cultural Studies! My colleagues and I are proud to be a part of this international campus community. We’re here to help you whether you are continuing on your language-learning journey or just looking for a new language and culture to explore. Please take a few moments to watch our video and see where languages can take you!
I look forward to answering any questions you may have!
Our students’ success is our first priority. With clearly-articulated learning outcomes for programs and courses, and frequent interaction with faculty both in and out of the classroom, students know what to do, where to go, and how to pull it all together. We build a foundation of trust in the classroom, whether in person or online, by creating lively spaces where students become comfortable making the mistakes that are a necessary part of the language learning process and free to express themselves in more complex ways. We are dedicated to helping students develop the linguistic and cultural competence expected of informed global citizens.
We proactively and judiciously use technology to provide students with a broad range of opportunities to build language proficiency. These tools allow all students to access course content from wherever they are and better connect classroom activities with real-world applications.
Our dedicated faculty work within their disciplines, across departments, and with the local community to give students a chance to apply their language and culture skills in a variety of professional, social, and creative settings. We also facilitate various Study Abroad experiences - from short-term faculty-led programs to year-long programs - that students regularly describe as “life-changing”.
The combined effect of our efforts empowers students with the ability to communicate cross-culturally and inspires in them a lifelong interest in the study of languages and cultures.