Languages
Languages
Applied language instruction at Georgia Tech
The School of Modern Languages prides itself on its unique model for teaching languages and cultural information geared towards helping students gain the professional proficiency they will need for the global marketplace after graduation. From day one in beginning and introductory courses, the language under study is the medium of communication in our classrooms. As students advance through the levels, the focus of instruction changes from a focuson structures and vocabulary to a focus on content: learning about topics of interest via the development of advanced communication skills and cultural understanding. In the advanced levels of instruction, students and instructors work to come to a better understanding of how their own cultures compare and contrast with those related to the language of study, and apply their studies in ways that promote creative thinking, open access to intercultural understanding, and develop professional competency in the language students select as their window to the world.
Arabic
The Arabic language has become very popular in recent times and speakers of the middle eastern language are always in high demand for many different types of work. Arabic language courses focus on all four skills- speaking, listening comprehension, writing and reading, supplemented with cultural readings and guided conversations in class.
Chinese
Mandarian Chinese has enjoyed an ever-increasing rise in popularity for Georgia Tech students. Over 1 billion people in this world speak Chinese as their native langauge; China is the world's second-largest economy and is the biggest trading partner with the United States. Students in a large number of majors at Georgia Tech look at studying Chinese as a tremendous way to enhance their skill set and market themselves as very-qualified candidates in myriad careers for the global marketplace.
French
The French Program attracts GT students with interests in French that can be applied to myriad cultural, political and business organizations throughout the world and in the Atlanta area. Three degree programs have the available cocentration in French: Applied Language and Intercultural Studies (ALIS), International Affairs and Modern Languages (IAML) and Global Economics and Modern Language (GEML). A summer LBAT program in Paris, France and one in Senegal offer students opportunities to experience real-world applications of their language skills and cultural understanding.
German
The German Program has a joint Bachelor of Science degree with International Affairs (IAML) and a joint Bachelor of Science degree with Economics (GEML) as well as the stand-alone Bachelor of Science degree in Applied Language and Intercultural Studies (ALIS). A summer LBAT program in Berlin provides students with the opportunity to gain a wider understanding of the impact of German culture throughout the worold. We also have team-taught courses in German with INTA faculty and work to maintain contact with German cultural, political and business organizations in the Atlanta area.
Japanese
The Japanese Program offers the BS in Appliced Language and intercultural Studies (ALIS) as well as the joint BS degrees with International Affairs (IAML) and with Economics (GEML) in addition to a minor or certificate in Japanese. Our 4-year program ranges from Elementary to Advanced Japanese courses including content-based courses in Japanese society and politics, literature and culture, technical and business translation, language proficiency test training, and Japanese linguistics, as well as the opporunity to study abroad in Japan via our LBAT summer program..
Korean
Korean has been offered in the School of Modern Languages since 2002. Korean began with a student initiaitive to raise funding, followed afterwards with the generous support of a grant from the Korean Foundation. Currently eight semesters of Korean are offered to advance students from introduction to fluency, guided by instructors who take great pride in their students' successes. The summer LBAT program in South Korea and a newly approved Minor in Korea combine to offer Georgia Tech students with opportunities to enhance their resumé for their future after graduation.
Russian
Georgia Tech has won a FIPSE U.S.-Russia Program grant for collaboration with Russia’s premiere engineering school, Bauman Moscow State Technical University. The grant provides very generous one-year stipends for undergraduate engineering students to spend the summer doing language preparation in Moscow and then study in their discipline at BMSTU as part of a two-way exchange.
Spanish
The School of Modern Languages offers three degree programs with concentrations in Spanish: a BS in Applied Languages and Intercultural Studies (ALIS); a joint BS with International Affairs (IAML); and a joint BS with Economics (GEML). Our faculty specialize in various parts of the Hispanic world, and offer a constantly-changing repertoire of advanced courses that focus on high-interest themes of study in advanced language acquisition, the arts and media, business and techonology as well as societies and cultures. Many GT students in other majors obtain a Minor in Spanish and participate in our multiple study-abroad programs that examine issues of importance in various Hispanic countries.
Linguistics Program
For students interested in learning more about how humans utilize language to communicate as well as how languages work as systems, the School of Modern Languages offers two certificates in Linguistics.