Facilities
On-Campus Programming
The Language Learning Center has a wide variety of audio and video language-learning tapes, receives signals from four satellite dishes for international television 24 hours a day, and houses 14 Macintosh computers for the exclusive use of those studying languages. This facility, open approximately 60 hours per week, also coordinates special language-oriented activities, specifically encouraging students to share meals and spend time with resident native speakers.
Luther was one of the first schools in the Upper Midwest to make use of computers in language learning. Now with specially designed programs, all students of languages at Luther are able to utilize this motivating and effective learning tool in their studies. By means of satellite dishes and the campus cable network, language students are able to tune in to the world through programs from national and international sources. Assisted by state-of-the-art video recording and playback equipment, the language staff is able to access programming materials from around the globe.
An important resource for language and cultural exchanges on campus is the presence of 150 international students who come to Luther from more than 40 nations. As classmates and friends, these students add much to the social and cultural diversity enjoyed by the Luther community.
Off-Campus Opportunities
All language majors, minors, and others who plan to use French skills professionally are strongly urged to study abroad during their undergraduate years. The college is affiliated with the Institute of European Studies, a leader among study-abroad programs for American undergraduates. Under this program students spend a semester or a full academic year at a foreign university and receive credit at Luther. This intensive foreign study usually occurs during the junior year. For students interested in French, the institute has permanent centers in Paris, Nantes, and Dijon, France.
Other overseas experiences are available during Luther's January Term, with offerings such as Mass Media and Politics in France, Germany, and Austria; January In and Around Paris; and the Commerce and Culture of Europe. France Today: Society and Culture was a recent course that included special concerts and home stays in France.