The Department of International Language and Culture Studies at PFW

Mission Statement

The mission of the Department of International Language and Culture Studies encompasses teaching, research/creative endeavor, and service.

Teaching

The department aims to provide students with linguistic and critical thinking skills as well as cultural knowledge that will enable them to understand and appreciate the uniqueness of other language groups and prepare them to function in other language settings. Research/Creative Endeavor

The department embraces a broad understanding of scholarship/creative endeavor, consistent with Boy

er's view that knowledge is created through research, through synthesis, through practice, and through teaching (1990, p. 24). All of the department's faculty will contribute to knowledge in one or more of these areas. The work of the faculty is featured in Opus (link http://opus.ipfw.edu/ilcs/), IPFW’s institutional repository. Service

The department's faculty will contribute to the effective functioning of the campus through participation in faculty governance and through leadership on behalf of language and culture studies. The department's faculty will contribute to the community and to the profession through service that draws on their expertise in the discipline and/or the classroom. Goals for Student Learning

The department is committed to enabling students to become proficient speakers of the language(s) they study and sensitive to cultural differences. Rigorous study of literary and non-literary texts, including film and other media, is the basis for achieving these goals. Students who complete a four-semester language requirement (or equivalent) will have a basic functional knowledge and a solid basis for further study in the language. Majors will acquire a broad foundation in language, literature, and culture in preparation for graduate studies or for a career where proficiency in a foreign language and international perspectives are important assets. Language Proficiency

After completing the first four semesters of a language, students should demonstrate speaking proficiency at the survival level as defined by the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages. Majors are expected to achieve the intermediate-high level in speaking and to demonstrate the ability to recognize and analyze grammatical and usage errors in their own and others' writing. Cultural Knowledge

Students will develop:

Increased understanding of what it means to belong to a culture

Awareness of how culture affects other interconnected issues of identity such as gender, race, class, ethnicity and religion, and how these categories intersect and overlap

The ability to think critically about these issues and how they shape intercultural communication

Students who complete the first four semesters of a language will learn to examine stereotypes and to respond in culturally appropriate ways in everyday situations in the target culture. Majors will be prepared to participate in an educated non-specialist discourse regarding the history, geography, social institutions, politics, literary and other artistic traditions as well as popular culture of the language group(s) they study.

04/10/2026

One more of our Spanish majors hyping bilingual story time!

iqmediacorp.com

04/10/2026

Here is Dr. Clegg on the news talking about the bilingual story time project.

iqmediacorp.com

04/10/2026

Check out two of our Spanish majors hyping their bilingual story time on the news!

iqmediacorp.com

10/27/2025

Come join us for movie night! We will be watching the movie Coco, eating Mexican sweet bread, and drinking hot cocoa! October 30th at 5:00 pm in the language lab!

09/17/2025

Be sure to come to our upcoming event Oktoberfest! It is a chance to see other alumni and catch up with your old professors!

05/03/2025

What do professors do while you’re studying for finals?! College of Liberal Arts at Purdue University Fort Wayne

Make A Gift | Purdue Fort Wayne Day of Giving 2025

04/30/2025

🌍✨ Today’s the Day of Giving! ✨🌍

Did you know that most people in the world don’t speak English as their native language? At the Department of International Language and Culture Studies, we believe every new language learned is a new doorway opened-to opportunity, understanding, and a more connected world.

Your donation today helps fund scholarships for students mastering languages like Spanish, French, and German. You’re not just supporting classes-you’re empowering students to study abroad, broaden their horizons, and become global citizens.

Let’s keep those doors open! Give the gift of language and culture-because the world is bigger (and more interesting) when we understand each other.

Ready to make an impact? Click “Donate” on the link below and help us shape the next generation of world-changers! 🌎

Thank you for helping us connect more people!

College of Liberal Arts at Purdue University Fort Wayne
Purdue University Fort Wayne

Make A Gift | Purdue Fort Wayne Day of Giving 2025 Thank you for making a difference in our community!

04/30/2025

Today’s the day! Join the Big Give now, and help our Mastodons achieve their goals. Learn more at pfw.edu/dayofgiving.

Help support international languages by selecting College of Liberal Arts and the International Language and Culture Studies Fund!

04/21/2025

Congratulations to Suin Roberts, one of our German professors here in ILCS!✨📣

She was just announced as the 2025 Friends of the University Outstanding Teacher Award. This award acknowledges her exceptional teaching and ongoing positive impact on our students, our campus, and our community. Suin’s student-centered teaching strategies and intentional efforts to build community exemplify a deep commitment to every student and their lifelong success and provide safe spaces where students can engage deeply with her, the course content, and each other to experience impactful learning. This is the highest teaching award PFW offers. Great job Professor Roberts!

College of Liberal Arts at Purdue University Fort Wayne

Bonjour, hola: Exploratory course introduces Fort Wayne students to multiple languages

03/17/2025

✨ILCS alum Sheri Luvianos was featured in the Journal Gazette! She is teaching a course to introduce middle school students to French, German, Spanish, and Burmese. Check it out!

Bonjour, hola: Exploratory course introduces Fort Wayne students to multiple languages Fort Wayne Community Schools sixth graders are learning the basics of Spanish, French, German and Burmese through the Exploring World Languages course.

12/04/2024

Hallo! The Deutsch Klub is hosting a Christmas Party with the French Club on December 10, 2024, at 5:45pm in the LA Language Lab (LA 258). We ask everyone to join us, the event will also include food.
🇩🇪❄️🎄☃🎁🇫🇷

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Location

Fort Wayne

Website

https://www.pfw.edu/ilcs/

Address

2101 E Coliseum Boulevard
Fort Wayne, IN
46805

The Department of International Language and Culture Studies at PFW

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