Welcome to the Department of Languages and Literature! The Department is the largest and most diverse in the College, culturally and programmatically. Our programs and courses offer multiple opportunities for undergraduate and graduate study in language, literature, culture, and language education. All foreign languages and their respective literatures at the University of Utah are taught in the Department, which provides students with a forum for research and education in more than 19 linguistic and literary traditions.

We are one of six departments in the College of Humanities and are affiliated with other programs in the college including Asian Studies, International Studies, Latin American Studies, and the Middle East Center as well as other programs of study such as Honors, Gender Studies, and Ethnic Studies.

We are committed to fostering a critical and comprehensive understanding of diverse cultures through the study of their literature, language, film, art, history, and socio-political contexts.  In the Department, we also aim to help students develop an analytic understanding of the structure of language and communicative competence in a wide range of languages.  In all these endeavors we strive to train students to think independently and critically in order to function effectively in a contemporary global environment.

Department Administration

Co-Chair: Dr. Jane Hacking

Co-Chair: Dr. Fernando Rubio

Dirctor of Graduate Studies: Dr. Christine Jones