Department of World Languages and Cultures History
Foreign language programs have been in existence in the IU School of Liberal Arts since the early 1960s. They were initially part of a single foreign language program, administered by the first chair, Margaret A. Cook, a professor of French. Through the late 1960s, the foreign language department was quite small, with a total of four faculty: one faculty member in French, one in German, one in Spanish, and one joint appointment in German and French.
In the 1970s, each language program grew to degree-granting status, and split of into separate departments with four full-time faculty members in French, German, and Spanish. By 1989-1990, the school created new programs in Classical and Japanese Studies, with one tenure-line faculty in each. Both programs were administratively housed in the German Department. In 1995-1996, the chairs of the three separate language departments discussed the curricular and administrative impact of combining the programs into a single unit. In July 1996, the Department of French (comprised of French and Arabic) and the Department of German (comprised of German, Bahasa Malay, Classical Studies, Japanese and Russian) were united and formed the Department of Foreign Languages and Cultures, which later became World Languages and Cultures (WLAC). The word “cultures” was included in the departmental name to signal a move from the focus on literature toward the exploration of the broader cultural dimensions of language study. In July 1997, the Department of Spanish (which also housed Italian) joined the merged department.
The first chair of the new department was Larbi Oukada (1996-2002), followed by the second chair, Gabrielle Bersier (2002-2012) third department chair, Marta Antón (2012-2018), and the fourth department chair, Rosa Tezanos-Pinto (2018-2024). Professor Kate Miller is the current department chair (2024-)
Foreign language programs have been in existence in the IU School of Liberal Arts since the early 1960s. They were initially part of a single foreign language program, administered by the first chair, Margaret A. Cook, a professor of French. Through the late 1960s, the foreign language department was quite small, with a total of four faculty: one faculty member in French, one in German, one in Spanish, and one joint appointment in German and French.
In the 1970s, each language program grew to degree-granting status, and split of into separate departments with four full-time faculty members in French, German, and Spanish. By 1989-1990, the school created new programs in Classical and Japanese Studies, with one tenure-line faculty in each. Both programs were administratively housed in the German Department. In 1995-1996, the chairs of the three separate language departments discussed the curricular and administrative impact of combining the programs into a single unit. In July 1996, the Department of French (comprised of French and Arabic) and the Department of German (comprised of German, Bahasa Malay, Classical Studies, Japanese and Russian) were united and formed the Department of Foreign Languages and Cultures, which later became World Languages and Cultures (WLAC). The word “cultures” was included in the departmental name to signal a move from the focus on literature toward the exploration of the broader cultural dimensions of language study. In July 1997, the Department of Spanish (which also housed Italian) joined the merged department.
In 2024, Classical Studies moved to the Department of History to better align with current program offerings. In 2025, the French Program was renamed and expanded to include French and Francophone Studies, reflecting the faculty as both language experts and researchers in this field.
The first chair of the new department was Larbi Oukada (1996-2002), followed by the second chair, Gabrielle Bersier (2002-2012) third department chair, Marta Antón (2012-2018), and the fourth department chair, Rosa Tezanos-Pinto (2018-2024). Professor Kate Miller is the current department chair (2024-)
Program histories
The Department of World Languages and Cultures is composed of a number of individual programs, each with its own unique and rich history within the department and school.
The American Sign Language program context was established in May 1998, when the Commission on Higher Education approved the Bachelor of Science in American Sign Language-English Interpretation to be offered at Indiana University Indianapolis. It was originally intended to fully articulate with the American Sign Language associate degree program at Vincennes University. Furthermore, IU Indianapolis has come to recognize ASL for foreign language credit since that time, and as a result, students can enter upper-division coursework in interpreting either through articulation from Vincennes University or by completing the pre-requisite ASL 1-4 coursework, Deaf Culture coursework, and liberal arts foundation at IU Indianapolis.
Each semester, ASLIE serves approximately 300 students enrolled in ASL coursework. According to the program’s mission statement, the coursework “prepares students to enter the profession of interpreting as entry-level community interpreters who possess analytical skills, a broad breadth of knowledge, and the ability to combine and synthesize the diverse and complex aspects of human language behavior in contemporary society.” According to program staff, obtaining national certification from the Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf, Inc. is also a desired graduate outcome.
The Arabic and Islamic studies program, which now focuses on Arab and Muslim cultures, began as an Arabic language program in the 1990s, when it was taught in IUPUI’s Department of Foreign Languages & Cultures, housed in the Department of French.
In the fall of 2002, Dr. Amira Mashhour became leader of the Program in Arabic in the Department of World Languages & Cultures. Starting with one three-credit section, she oversaw the program’s expansion to include both intermediate and advanced levels of Arabic language classes. In 2008, Dr. Mashhour worked with Dr. Edward Curtis, the current director of the program, to create the Minor inArabic Language & Islamic Studies. In 2010, she began advising students who chose to participate in the Individualized Major Program (IMP), effectively creating an undergraduate major, until the IMP was discontinued in 2025.
Throughout the years the program has also relied on the hard work of many associate or adjunct faculty, including Dr. Mohy El-Din Ahmed Saleh (1991-1996); Dr. Mary Ann Fadae (1997-2000); Dr. Abdullah Ali (2004-2009); Fadia Antabli (2011-2014); Amal Cavender (2015-2018); Dr. AlHadi AlTower (Fall 2019); Ahmed Hassan (Fall 2022); Ayman Elbarbary (Spring 2024-Spring 2025); Samia Alajlouni (2025-); and Hiba Alalami (2025-).
In 2024, Dr. Edward Curtis, a descendant of the first generation of Arabic-speaking people to settle in the Midwest, wasnamed director of the program. Under his leadership, the Arabic Studies Program announced athree-year planto focus on local connections to Arab Hoosiers, new student scholarships, internships, and new courses.
The Chinese program was established in 2008. Now called Chinese Studies, the program offers Chinese language courses at four-year levels and teaches in English on Chinese culture, philosophy, cinema, arts, traditional Chinese medicine, and East Asian wisdom.
French is one of the original language programs in the IU School of Liberal Arts. It was originally taught as part of a single foreign language program, administered by the first chair, Margaret A. Cook, professor of French.
The program grew in the 1970s to degree-granting status and French became its own department. In July 1996, the Department of French (composed of French and Arabic) and the Department of German (composed of German, Bahasa Malay, Classical Studies, Japanese, and Russian) were united and formed the Department of Foreign Languages and Cultures, which later became the Department of World Languages and Cultures (WLAC) that exists today. The word “cultures” was included in the departmental name to signal a move from the focus on literature toward the exploration of the broader cultural dimensions of language study.
In 2025, the program was renamed and expanded to French and Francophone Studies to better reflect the expertise of the faculty and current academic offerings.
Foreign language programs, including German, have been in existence at the IU School of Liberal Arts in Indianapolis since the early 1960s. In the 1970s, German grew into a separate department with multiple faculty members teaching across the entire German Studies curriculum. Since the late 1990s, German has been part of the Department of World Languages and Cultures, with both faculty and students benefiting from the intercultural environment.
Japanese was taught in the IU School of Liberal Arts by a part-time instructor from 1984 to 1990. The Japanese Studies Program was formally established in the fall of 1990 with the hiring of the first full-time faculty member, Professor Reiko Yonogi, who became the director of the new program and immediately created a minor in Japanese Studies.
Since 1996, the Program in Japanese Studies, formerly housed in the German Department, has been a part of the merged Department of World Languages and Cultures. Professor Yonogi remained the sole full-time faculty member in the program, which she ran with the help of two devoted part-time instructors, until May 2014 when she retired.
In the fall 2014, Dr. Keiko Kuriyama was hired as a full-time lecturer of Japanese to replace Professor Yonogi as Director of the Japanese Program. IU Indianapolis is the only credit-granting institution in the metropolitan Indianapolis area offering college-level Japanese courses. As a result, each semester students from Butler University, the University of Indianapolis, and Marian College interested in learning Japanese take Japanese language classes at IU Indianapolis.
The Program in Japanese Studies not only exposes students to Japanese language and culture, but also offers a different lens through which to see the world. It can provide students with intercultural and linguistic skills and knowledge needed for functioning competently across cultures.
The Latino Studies Program was founded in 2012 after receiving unanimous support from the School of Liberal Arts and the university campus. The program was an initiative of the School of Liberal Arts’ Dean William Blomquist and Associate Dean Marianne Wokeck. The first faculty members in the program were Robert Aponte (Department of Sociology), Carlton Watterhouse (Robert H. McKinney School of Law), and Rosa Tezanos-Pinto (Department of World Languages and Cultures), who is the founding director of Latino Studies and who wrote the proposals for the Certificate and Minor in Latino Studies. Other faculty who joined later were José Vargas-Vila (World Languages and Cultures) and Michael Snodgrass (History and Global and International Studies). The program was supported at different times by adjunct faculty, Sam Centellas, Anthony Crist, Melissa Trahyn, and Alicia Fleming.
The program was innovative in its incorporation of multiple departments and programs for two of its electives for the minor and certificate in Latino Studies. Students can choose two of its electives from the School of Liberal Arts (Africana Studies, American Studies, Anthropology, Communication Studies, Economics, English, Geography, Global and International Studies, History, Journalism, Philosophy, Political Science, Religious Studies, Sociology, Spanish), the Herron School of Art & Design, the School of Education, Health and Human Sciences (including Tourism, Conventions, and Event Management), The Lilly Family School of Philanthropy, The Paul H. Oneill School of Public and Environmental Affairs, the School of Social Work, and The Robert H. McKinney School of Law.
Service learning and civic engagement are an integral part of the Latino Studies program and its graduates have gained experience and knowledge working for the Mayor’s office, Homeland Security, schools in the Indianapolis area, Police Department, Fire Department, Animal Care and Control, Citizens Complaint office, Public Safety office, among others.
The Luis Alberto Ambroggio Center for Latino Studies and the Ambroggio Library were created during Professor José Vargas-Vila’s tenure as Director of Latino Studies. The Center, located in Cavanaugh Hall 323, also houses the prestigious Indiana Delegation of the North American Academy of the Spanish Language.
The Latino Studies Program has a visible presence in the State of Indiana by promoting the culture, history, and presence of the Latino population. The program supported “The Gerardo-Piña Rosales’ International Short-Story Contest” in 2021; the Latino Studies Virtual Series beginning in April 2022 with Dean Simon’s Bronner Conference, “On the question of a US border culture and Latinx ethnic identity"; the 2022 International Literary Seminar in Conjunction with the Indiana Delegation of the North American Academy of the Spanish Language; and the International Book Fair, which has taken place annually since 2023.
The current Program in Spanish began in the 1960’s with only one professor. By the early 1970’s, the program had become a department and offered a major and minor in Spanish. Dr. Nancy Newton was the first chair, followed by Dr. Lucila Mena and Dr. Enrica Ardemagni. In July 1997, the Department of Spanish (which also housed Italian) joined the Department of Foreign Languages and Cultures, consisting of the Department of French (composed of French and Arabic) and the Department of German (composed of German, Bahasa Malay, Classical Studies, Japanese and Russian). That department today has expanded to include other areas of study and is known as World Languages and Cultures.
Over the past two decades, the Program in Spanish was run by Dr. Herbert Brant, Dr. Marta Anton, and Dr. Rosa Tezanos-Pinto. During this time, the Program in Spanish began a dual degree with the School of Engineering, an undergraduate certificate in Translation Studies, and an Intercultural Health Certificate with the School of Nursing and Public Health. It now counts with a 4+1 program that allows students to enroll in the Master in the Teaching of Spanish (M.A.T.) during their junior year. The Program in Spanish also offers a Graduate Certificate in Translation Studies. Dr. Herbert Brant, Dr. Enrica Ardemagni, Dr. Iker Zulaica, and Dr. Rosa Tezanos-Pinto have been directors of the Graduate Studies section of the Program in Spanish.
In 2025, the program was renamed to Spanish and Hispanic Studies to better reflect the faculty's expertise and the current academic offerings in the program.
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