Modern Languages and Literatures
Study in the Department of Modern Languages and Literatures aims to deepen the understanding of other languages and cultures and is characterized by its immersive approach. Students may major or minor in Arabic, Chinese, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Russian and Spanish. An innovative curriculum of introductory courses in American Sign Language (ASL) is also offered.
Chart a new path
Learn how MLL students are using the department's interdisciplinary and cross-cultural focus to plot courses of study that speak to their interests and career goals.
The Department of Modern Languages and Literatures celebrates an exceptional class of 2023-24 majors and minors across eight languages, seen here with Professor of Italian Simone Dubrovic and Associate Professor of Russian James McGavran. Learn how students are crafting their MLL major.
Featured Courses
Romantics and Realists
Read major novels and plays produced during one of the most turbulent eras of French history, from the wake of the French Revolution to the establishment of France's first viable democratic regime, the Third Republic. Works by Hugo, Balzac, Flaubert, Zola and more provide perspective on the social and political upheavals of the time.
Vienna 1900: The Joyful Apocalypse
At the turn of the 20th century, Vienna was home to figures as diverse as Freud, Klimt, Mahler, Trotsky and more. How do we explain the extraordinary cultural energy of the capital of the Austro-Hungarian Empire on the verge of disintegration? The course examines the tensions that characterized “fin-de-siècle” Vienna.
Manga, Anime and Beyond
Explore the visual culture of Japan, covering not only manga, anime and contemporary films, but also tracing back to premodern times, examining illustrated handscrolls, picture books and various forms of performing arts. The course is conducted in English with no prior knowledge of Japanese language required.
Cultural Productions of the Borderlands
Chicana/o culture in the U.S. is a vast yet underrepresented field. This absence is symptomatic of a history of oppression that results in silencing the “other” America. In this course, offered in both Spanish and English, you’ll gain deep understanding of borderlands within the context of their colonial legacies.
Student Spotlight: Hayden Toftner '22
Toftner is the most recent recipient of the Gutekunst Translation Prize, awarded by the Goethe Institute New York, for his translation of an excerpt from the novel "Betrachtungen einer Barbarin" by Asal Dardan.
Award-Winning Translation
A translation of Venezuelan poet Juan Calzadilla's "Roof of the Whale Poems" by Professor of Spanish Katherine Hedeen and with Olivia Lott '15 has received the Wisconsin Poetry Series' Inaugural Translation Prize. The prize includes $1500 and the publication of the book in fall 2023.
Ascension Hall
Kenyon College
Gambier, Ohio 43022