BA in Japanese with Teaching Endorsement in Bellingham United States | Western Washington University

To achieve its goal of equipping students with deep cultural understanding, the Department of Modern and Classical Languages focuses on two key disciplines: linguistic structure and literary interpretation. Language structure is approached through both comprehensive and detailed methods. Immersive language acquisition is supported by contemporary teaching techniques, digital tools, and international study programs. For analytical language study, the department offers comprehensive skills courses along with extensive linguistics coursework. Literary interpretation plays a vital role in helping students appreciate a culture's most refined artistic expressions of its core values.

Students receive training in historical contexts, cultural studies, and literary criticism to engage with a culture's intellectual traditions. The department also prepares future language educators with techniques to introduce secondary students to global languages effectively.

Through its programs, the department enables direct engagement with significant global communities. Its philosophy maintains that language serves as the most authentic gateway to cultural comprehension. The modern languages taught represent the native tongues of approximately two billion people worldwide. With its diverse curriculum spanning language, literature, cultural studies, and civilization, the department creates pathways for global connection and serves as a hub for meaningful cultural exchange.