Languages Offered at IWU
Given all the advantages of being able to speak a second language, we hope that you will keep pursuing your language skills at Illinois Wesleyan. We offer language opportunities in the following:
- Hispanic Studies (Spanish)
- Japanese Studies
- French
- American Sign Language
Benefits of Learning a Second (or Third!) Language
Students who become fluent in a language that is not their native tongue experience a number of benefits.
Academic
Studies consistently show that bilinguals have increased cognitive skills and abilities to multitask and prioritize.
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In Praise of Languages for Internationalization - Read more from The Chronicle of Higher Education
- What does research show about the benefits of language learning? - Read more from the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages
- The Cognitive Benefits of Being Bilingual - Read more from The Dana Foundation
Cultural
Learning a second language enriches students' personal lives and increases their power to act as citizens of the world.
- Language Study in the Age of Globalization - Read more from Modern Language Association
Economic
Globalization is making it increasingly more common to do business with people who speak different languages. As a result, employers are constantly looking for people who are able to speak additional languages.
- Fortune 500 companies, hospitals, local courts, schools and the State Department can't get enough workers with this job skill. What is it? Fluency in a foreign language - Read more from the CNN-Money article
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What Business Wants: Language Needs In The 21st Century - Read more from Language Flagship
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Why MBAs Need to Be Bilingual - Read more from BusinessWeek
- Business Schools are Speaking the Language of Business - Read more from BusinessWeek