Students in the Department of Modern Foreign Languages at Augustana are enthusiastic participants in the study of world languages, cultures and literatures. Being able to communicate with people of different linguistic and cultural backgrounds is your passport to the world and can enable you to pursue travel and study abroad, to take advantage of global professional and service opportunities, and to gain an edge in your chosen career. Our department is full of passionate, imaginative, and well-rounded students and professors who explore more than just the language.

"We must encourage our citizens to engage the world to learn foreign languages,
to understand different cultures and to welcome others into their homes."
Former U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice

About

The Department of Modern Foreign Languages is located in the Humanities Center on the campus of Augustana College in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. We off majors and minors in French, German and Spanish, as well as a major and minor in Modern Foreign Languages (MFL), which combines the study of two different world languages. A member of the Association of Departments of Foreign Languages (ADFL), the Department promotes a comprehensive assessment plan, based in part on proficiency guidelines established by the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL), and follows an annual process in which the applicability of those guidelines are reviewed by the department.

Mission

It is the mission of the Department of Modern Foreign Languages to support and to strengthen a liberal arts education within a Christian context by providing a curriculum that enables majors in the department to continue their language study in graduate programs, to acquire a solid knowledge base and appreciation of a culture different from their own, to develop a reasonably critical view of their own culture, and to gain an astute international perspective and awareness.

Community

Alumni, current and future French, German, Spanish and MFL majors and minors, as well as friends of the Department, are invited to join our MDL Facebook group; a free Facebook account is required.