Welcome from the Head

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Message from the Department Head

Welcome to the Department of Modern Languages, Literatures and Cultures at The Citadel, a college committed to preparing our young men and women for the language demands of a world made increasingly smaller by technology, the global economy and immigration. Whether they pursue civilian or military careers, our graduates are finding that proficiency in a foreign language means increased opportunities, and in turn greater income-earning potential (click here for benefits). Following similar trends at colleges and universities across the country, Citadel students are now declaring language majors and minors in record numbers (over 200 as of April 2009), thereby driving our department to broaden its program offerings.

The Citadel's student of language (Chinese, French, German and Spanish) benefits from an ensemble of some of the Southeast's elite faculty, many of whom have earned international acclaim in their respective fields (faculty webpage). As distinguished scholars, our professors still focus on the most important aspect of teaching at a small, liberal arts college: our students. Such devoted faculty coupled with the impressive academic efforts of our undergraduates have resulted in some of the following student accomplishments:

eight Fulbright scholars in the past eight years;
numerous acceptances—many with fellowships—into some of the country's most prestigious graduate programs in languages, law, business and international studies;
two national Phi Kappa Phi graduate fellowships since 2002;
17 national "Honor Chapter" awards (1993-2009) for our chapter of Sigma Delta Pi, the National Collegiate Hispanic Honor Society;
nine student recipients (since 1993) of the national Gabriela Mistral Award, granted annually to an outstanding chapter member of Sigma Delta Pi.

Beyond the knowledge of language and corresponding literature, culture and history gained in our diverse course offerings, our students have access to a wealth of language-related opportunities to complement and enhance their studies.

Our three Citadel summer study abroad programs and the Goethe-Institut offer qualifying students language immersion experiences in France, Germany, Mexico and Spain. Due to the generosity of the American Society of the French Legion of Honor, scholarships totalling $5,000 will be awarded to qualified French majors and minors participating in The Citadel's program in France in 2010. Additional summer scholarships are provided yearly by the German Studies Summer Stipend (established by The Citadel's German faculty), the Deutscher brüderlicher Bund Sommer-Stipendium (German), the Olmsted Cadet Travel and Cultural Immersion Program (for sophomore and/or junior contract cadets), and Citadel Summer Stipends. A 2009 Department of Defense grant has made available study abroad scholarships for ROTC-contract cadets who study Chinese. Our undergraduates also have a distinguished record in their admission into such prestigious semester-long programs as those at Wake Forest University (Salamanca, Spain), the University of Virginia (Valencia, Spain), and the Goethe-Institut (Germany).

During the academic year and for college credit, qualifying Spanish majors and minors may participate in local internships in Hispanic language and culture to obtain practical experience with the Spanish language while learning various aspects of Hispanic culture. Past internships have included the Medical University of South Carolina, real estate companies, elementary schools and local television.

Although accomplished majors and minors may earn membership in one or more of our three honor societies—Pi Delta Phi (French), Delta Phi Alpha (German) and Sigma Delta Pi (Spanish)—, ALL interested students may join our language clubs.

Our department also showcases our students' editorial and creative writing skills through our very own national, refereed journal El Cid (Spanish) and our campus publication Le Gaulois Littéraire (French).

Finally and on behalf of the Department of Modern Languages, Literatures and Cultures, I cordially invite all our Citadel students to enjoy a tremendous professional advantage by learning a foreign language and its respective history and culture. Many employers today downplay the need of a specific undergraduate major while emphasizing three critical qualifications for the highly marketable college graduate of the 21st century:

grade point average;
ability to multi-task successfully;
foreign language proficiency as acquired with a Modern Languages degree.

Let our department's faculty assist you in bolstering your future graduate school and employment opportunities.

Sincerely yours,

Mark P. Del Mastro, Ph.D.
Professor of Spanish

The Citadel - Modern Languages, Literatures & Cultures
171 Moultrie St. Charleston, SC 29409-6430
Tel.: 843.953.5065 | Fax: 843.953.7257

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