About Us

We offer a wide variety of courses in Arabic, Chinese, French, German, Italian and Spanish. These courses can help students develop the linguistic skills necessary to transfer to a four-year institution, succeed in the job-market, communicate in another language, or simply better understand other peoples and cultures. The study of foreign languages is central to a liberal arts education. Learning a foreign language and understanding how it works makes the student aware of the phenomenon of language as a primary, uniquely human activity. As such, foreign language study belongs at the center of humanistic education.

As part of a major urban institution of public higher education, the department offers students, non-heritage and heritage speakers alike, the opportunity to learn and to improve their knowledge of foreign languages and literature. The language courses offered by the department meet both the requirements for the associate of arts degree awarded by Queensborough Community College and the requirements for junior-year standing at four-year colleges.

An important objective of the department is to prepare students linguistically for the new, global economy through the study of foreign languages, literatures, and civilizations. Courses are intended to benefit students who desire to broaden themselves intellectually as well as to experience personal enjoyment and satisfaction.

In the classroom and through its sponsorship of student language clubs, as well as study abroad programs of other CUNY colleges, the Department of Modern Languages and Cultures encourages students to fully participate in an increasingly multi-cultural society. In addition to language instruction, the department promotes cultural, racial and ethnic understanding of the countries whose language we teach. We believe that cross-cultural awareness and a positive attitude towards others fosters tolerance and a greater understanding among the peoples of the world.