Modern and Classical Languages and Literature
Sarah Lawrence College offers five modern languages and their literatures. Students can take Classics (Greek & Latin), French, German, Italian, Russian, and Spanish from beginning to advanced levels that equally stress the development of communicative skills such as speaking, listening comprehension, reading, and writing, as well as the study of literature.
In addition to the regular seminar with the language faculty, students will work closely with language assistants in individual or small group meetings to practice their language skills and make further progress.
Some departments also offer literature courses in translation in which students are introduced to the cultural and historical contexts of the modern languages taught at the College.
In an attempt to encourage students to study more than one foreign language at the same time, Sarah Lawrence College offers sophomores, juniors, and seniors the option of taking a Language Third. This allows students to continue a language on a more advanced level while at the same time enrolling in a beginner's class in a different language. Students taking a Language Third will earn ten credits for the combined study of the two languages of their choice at no extra cost.
An excellent option offered by the Modern Languages departments is the Lecture Language Third. This interdisciplinary link affords students the great opportunity of meeting the lecture requirement while fully benefiting from studying the foreign language of their preference at any level of proficiency, also at no extra cost. Students taking this option are not required to do conference work in their language course.
Sarah Lawrence College offers the possibility of total language immersion through a variety of international programs. In addition to our own long-established programs in Florence and Paris for students of Italian and French, students of German, Russian, and Spanish can also study abroad through programs in conjunction with other institutions.