Overview

Faculty

John Bartle (on leave spring 2021)

Chris Burwick

Jason Cieply

Melissa Demos

Mireille Koukjian

Franziska Schweiger

Mary Sisler

The Department of German, Russian, Italian, and Arabic is committed to building bridges between cultures and to fostering a student-centered learning environment in its classrooms. First and foremost, this means a focus on individual student needs and learning outcomes that encourages engagement with the language and active development of reading, writing, speaking, and listening-comprehension skills. We are well versed in the latest methods of language instruction, which focus not only on proficiency, but also on cultural and digital literacy, and we strive to achieve outcomes that meet or exceed national standards. Through classroom instruction featuring culturally authentic materials, students will acquire a holistic understanding of the language, creating a long-lasting connection to the cultures that speak it.

German, Russian, Italian, and Arabic is not a concentration in and of itself, but the department houses interdisciplinary concentrations in German Studies and Russian Studies. Arabic language courses offered in our department count toward the minor concentration in Middle East/Islamic World Studies. Italian Studies courses can be taken for College credit and to prepare students to study abroad in Italy.