Languages

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The Languages Department offers programs in the core languages representing the peoples, cultures and literatures of the Western World and in languages critical to an understanding of the present world beyond the West. Committed to the College’s promise to provide “open, rigorous intellectual pursuit” in the discipline of languages, the department seeks to develop in our students the expertise of our discipline: cultural literacy, language competencies and cross-cultural experiential skills through established majors and minors. The department recognizes student achievement by nomination to and induction into Phi Sigma Iota, the international foreign language honor society.

The department offers two majors, French and Spanish. Both majors lead to a Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree. Students who are interested in interdiscplinary studies in Classics or in Languages and International Business are invited to speak with the department chair about the process involved in creating a self-designed major. A grade of C- or higher is required in each course in all of the majors and minors.

Degree programs offered

• Bachelor of Arts:
  - French 
  - Spanish
  
• Minors:
  - Arabic Area Studies
  - Classical Humanities
  - French
  - Japanese Area Studies
  - Spanish

Distinctives
Study in another country: While much of your language work takes place in the classroom, Jewell’s language department encourages students to participate in one of our more than twenty foreign study programs. You can live in and learn about the cultures of France, Spain, Mexico, Argentina, Germany, Austria, Japan, China, Greece and Italy while studying at a prominent university for a semester or a full year. You experience the day-to-day life of another country firsthand while enhancing your language skills.

Combine your language with another field of study:

• The interdisciplinary International Business and Language program is a self-designed major to prepare students for a career in International Business and to develop proficiency in a foreign language.
• Study education and become certified to teach French or Spanish.
• Prepare to work in a not-for-profit organization through the Nonprofit Leadership Certificate program.

Serve others while you are learning a language: Students have opportunities through their coursework to apply their language skills at a local agency, serving a variety of needs in the Kansas City metropolitan area. This learning is incorporated into the classroom through discussion and reflection papers.

Are you ready to expand your horizons? Drop us an e-mail, schedule a visit, or call us toll free (1-888-2-JEWELL).

Languages Faculty
Susan Myers, Ph.D.
Professor of French, Chair 
Dr. Myers earned her Ph.D. from Indiana University.

John Westlie, Ph.D.
Professor of French
Dr. Westlie holds a Ph.D. from Yale University.

Jane Woodruff, Ph.D.
Professor of Greek, Latin and Ancient history
Dr. Woodruff received her Ph.D. in Ancient History and Classics from the University of Nebraska at Lincoln.

Jennifer Colón, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Spanish
Dr. Colón earned her Ph.D. from Florida State University.

Rima Jawhari, Instructor of Arabic

Ai Namima, Instructor of Japanese