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Your Passport to Global Citizenship

Collage of photos from study abroad programs

The Department of Languages and Cross-Cultural Studies at Augsburg University contributes in many ways to realizing the university’s mission of providing liberal arts education for service in today’s world. The department is committed to the view that education should go beyond career preparation and that familiarity with the language and culture of another people is an essential step in the development of a truly global perspective.

The department offers language, literature, and culture courses leading to a major in Spanish, an interdisciplinary major in Cross-Cultural Studies, and minors in French, German, or Spanish. Introductory courses in Latin, Dakota, Ojibwe, and American Sign Language are offered at Augsburg, and courses in Ancient Greek, Arabic, Chinese, Japanese, and Portuguese are available to Augsburg students through Augsburg’s four partner institutions in the Associated Colleges of the Twin Cities (ACTC) consortium.

Knowledge of several languages, perhaps combined with the study of linguistics, is essential in preparing for careers in second-language education and translation, but also represents a valuable special qualification in many other professions. Students anticipating careers in international business, law, social work, the diplomatic corps, the health professions, or the ministry may wish to take a second major or minor in languages. In addition, a minor in languages is a valuable research tool for those intending to pursue graduate study in most academic disciplines.