About the Department
An integrated department of literature, linguistics and languages, EML trains students in the academic disciplines dealing with language itself, the medium of all social and cultural life. Our literature programs feature English and American traditions, Spanish and Latin American traditions, and world traditions. Our modern languages programs include Chinese, French, German, and Spanish. We also offer programs in English Composition, English Education, and TESOL. Students learn to read analytically, write clearly, operate trans-linguistically in an interconnected world, think critically about linguistic and literary phenomena, and argue effectively. Graduates of our B.A. programs go on to careers in fields like law, management, translation/interpretation, marketing, digital media, teaching, and many others. Our M.A. program places students in Ph.D. programs nationwide.
Programs of Study
- B.A. in English (choose Applied Language Studies,Education, or Literary Studies)
- B.A. in Spanish
- M.A. in English (choose Literature, Rhetoric & Composition, or TESOL)
Minors & Certificates
- Chinese
- English
- French
- German (certificate)
- Spanish
- TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages)
- Writing Studies
Department Name Change
In Fall 2018, in addition to converting from quarters to semesters, we updated from English & Foreign Languages to English & Modern Languages.
Faculty, students, alumni, and other stakeholders supported this change because English & Foreign Languages does not reflect the reality of our teaching or scholarly practice in the department. In multilingual Southern California, languages like Mandarin and Spanish are not foreign languages. The change follows academic trends nationally and within California to adopt more accurate adjectives such as world languages or modern languages.
Our students and alumni support this change by a margin of 3 to 1.