About Us

The School of International Letters and Cultures developed out of the former Department of Languages and Literatures in response to changing educational needs. In addition to its very extensive traditional strengths in languages, literatures and cultures, the school also emphasizes making interesting new transdisciplinary opportunities available to undergraduate and graduate students alike. It also encourages transdisciplinary cooperation among faculty members across ASU.

The study of other languages and cultures has always been one of the most rewarding of human activities—one that is replete with intrinsic interest, practical value and insights into one’s own culture and behavior. But in today’s increasingly global environment, intercultural and interdisciplinary communication and knowledge have unprecedented value. ASU, under the leadership of President Michael Crow, recognized this early on, and the establishment of the School of International Letters and Cultures anticipated an important report from the Modern Language Association calling for “a broader and more coherent curriculum in which language, culture and literature are taught as a continuous whole, supported by alliances with other departments and expressed through interdisciplinary courses.”

The school is organized into five faculties—Classics and Middle Eastern Letters and Cultures; East and Southeast Asian Letters and Cultures; French and Italian Letters and Cultures; German, Romanian and Slavic Letters and Cultures; and Spanish and Portuguese Letters and Cultures. In addition, a branch of the school called Linguistics and Languages for Professional Purposes is charged with ensuring the quality of language instruction and with managing language and linguistics-related graduate and undergraduate degrees and certificates.

Students are provided a variety of educational experiences that will prepare them for life and citizenship in the modern world. For those seeking further study, whether the goal is a certificate or graduate degree, the School of International Letters and Cultures provides the route to an abundance of professional and intellectual knowledge about languages and cultures of the world, both ancient and modern.