School of Languages and Cultures
ABOUT US
The mission of the School of Languages and Cultures is to push the boundaries of discovery and expand knowledge through impactful cross-disciplinary research; to provide our students with learning opportunities of the highest quality and relevance through courses in languages, linguistics, world literature and cultures, and international film studies; and to engage with our local, regional, and global communities to support linguistic and cultural diversity. We equip students for success as responsible global innovators by fostering their linguistic abilities, critical thinking skills, and intercultural competence. In all our efforts, we promote the values of inclusivity, curiosity, and diversity across boundaries.
Our faculty and lecturers are campus leaders in promoting cultural, ethnic, and linguistic diversity, and our students become the ambassadors of these values. SLC faculty members cover a richly diverse range of research areas and have received international acclaim for their scholarship, as well as many prestigious teaching awards for their performance in the classroom. Explore the books and scholarly works authored by our faculty.
Building on this commitment to excellence, the School of Languages and Cultures established its Advisory Board in 2023. The Board supports the School by expanding its visibility, strengthening connections with alumni and students, and providing strategic guidance to advance its mission.
Less Commonly Taught Languages
Purdue partners with the Big Ten Academic Alliance (BTAA) Less Commonly Taught Languages (LCTL) CourseShare program. This allows students at BTAA universities to enroll in LCTL courses offered at other Big Ten schools — without leaving their home campus.
Students remain enrolled at their home university while expanding their language study opportunities.
Languages for Specific Purposes
One of SLC’s strengths lies in its offering of classes in languages for specialized purposes (LSP). These classes equip students with the practical communication skills they will need for using the target language while studying or traveling abroad, participating in internships, or preparing for globally oriented-career paths. Such classes include business and scientific language classes at various levels and languages and Medical Spanish and Spanish for the Professions. Certificates of achievement in languages for specialized purposes are in development and will give students tangible documentation of their practical language coursework.
In this era of world communications and cross-cultural interactions, students need to be ready for professions that require specific intercultural skills and language competencies.
SLC offers more than a dozen language courses (Classics, French, German, Russian and Spanish) in the area of Languages for Specific Purposes LSP. These courses address the needs of language students in specialized professional fields and focus on business, science, medicine, engineering, agriculture, and translation and interpreting.
Many of our LSP courses are approved courses for the Certificate in Entrepreneurship and Innovation or the CLA Science and Technology Studies Certificate
World Language Teaching Concentrations
This program meets state and national licensure standards and is accredited by the Council for the Accreditation of Education Preparation (CAEP) and the State of Indiana, State Board of Education.
Resources
Resources are available to provide quick access to tools our team uses regularly. This includes links for room scheduling, and ourSharePoint site.
SLC also maintains a list of qualified translators. These translators are considered private contractors and, although many of them are affiliated with Purdue, the School of Languages and Cultures is not responsible for the quality of their performance as translators or interpreters.