Modern Languages & Cultures
French | German | Japanese | Spanish

French
Courses

Want to learn to speak French like a native? Then study at Adrian College with our highly qualified and experienced faculty. Professors Beatrice Mulala and Marianna Staples both have native-speaker fluency and first-hand knowledge of francophone cultures, as a result of studies and travel in France and other French-speaking countries on three continents. Their teaching methods reflect the best practices in foreign language pedagogy with emphasis on the communicative goals of language learning. Small classes help create a comfortable atmosphere in which you will very quickly feel free to express yourself in French. You will also be provided opportunities to use French outside the classroom, such as activities organized by the French Club or social occasions when the faculty invite students to their homes to enjoy conversation and “la bonne cuisine”. [more]

German top
Courses

The German program at Adrian College focuses on communicative competence. Students are expected to learn German by using German in everyday, professional, and academic contexts. Professor Seth Knox is dedicated to providing resources for student success in and out of the classroom. As Adrian students advance through the German curriculum, they refine and deepen their knowledge of German history, culture, literature, and art. They are also engaged with the present. Students regularly view and discuss current German video news and entertainment in their courses. Outside of class, Students may take advantage of the German-only Kaffeeklatsch (informal coffee hour) or enjoy a German-language film at a movie night (Kinoabend). On special occasions students are invited to a German or Turkish meal. All German majors (and education minors) benefit from living in a German-speaking country. Many students choose to study at Germany’s oldest university through our affiliate program with the Ruprecht-Karls-Universität Heidelberg. [more]

Japanese / minor top
Courses

Our Japanese program offers you a unique learning opportunity. One instructor is a native speaker of English who learned Japanese the same way his students do. He has extensive experience using his language by working in Japan as well in the United States. The second instructor is an exchange teacher from Adrian's sister city of Moriyama, Japan. Together, these teachers work to build students' understanding of the language, combining a native speaker's mastery of Japanese with the American teacher's understanding of the challenges facing a new student of the language. [more]

Spanish top
Courses

Imagine yourself snacking on antojitos or tapas in a cafe in Mexico or Spain. Imagine yourself spending a semester living with a Mexican family - completely immersed in their language and culture. Imagine using your ability to speak Spanish to interact with the world's 430 million Spanish speakers. Adrian's communication-focused Spanish curriculum prepares you to participate in one of a number of study abroad programs in locations like Cuernavaca or Merida, Mexico or Granada or Salamanca, Spain.

If you study Spanish at AC you won't be taught "from the book" but from the experiences of dynamic and culturally engaged professors like John Eipper and Don Cellini. Because of Professor Eipper's research in Latin American culture and literature, students in his Hispanic Literatures and Cultures course benefit from his first-hand experiences in Mexico, Chile, and Argentina. [more]