The Language Studies major provides students with a solid foundation in linguistics combined with the study of a language of choice. Students acquire general skills in linguistic analysis, which are in turn applied to the language of choice. Students deepen their knowledge of the language through literature classes, and gain interdisciplinary perspectives from area studies classes in other departments focusing on the country or setting where the language is spoken. Languages that students have selected in the past include American Sign Language, French, Italian, Japanese, Spanish, and more.