About the Department

Welcome

The faculty of the Department of International Literary and Cultural Studies are dedicated to teaching and researching world literatures, cinemas and cultures. Students may also study the following languages, from beginning to advanced levels: Arabic, Chinese, German, Hebrew, Japanese and Russian.

The department is the administrative home to the International Literary and Visual Studies (ILVS) program, which offers students opportunities to focus upon the comparative study of literatures, visual cultures, and cinema from around the world.

The Department offers ten majors: Arabic, Chinese, German Language and Literature, German Studies, Japanese, Judaic Studies, ILVS, Middle Eastern Studies, Russian Language & Literature, and Russian and East European Studies. Students can also minor in Arabic, Chinese, German, Hebrew, Japanese, Judaic Studies, and Russian.

All of the major programs in the department develop not only strong language skills but also those of critical analysis, research, interpretation and writing. These skills are applied to an understanding of global cultures within their historical and social contexts that equip students to engage with a wide variety of international and transnational issues in a critical and informed manner.

Graduates of the program go on to a wide range of careers, working in the cultural and arts fields, in journalism and think-tanks, in NGOs, in diplomacy and foreign service, and in education, to name a few examples.