An instructor of World Languages and Cultures having a discussion with her peers.

Department of World Languages and Cultures News

The Department of World Language and Cultures emphasizes linguistic, cultural, and critical skills to give students the foundation needed to understand other cultures. These essential skills enable our graduates to pursue a wide range of careers in an increasingly global environment.

Current World Languages and Cultures News

black and white photo of male student and Lied Library in the background
Campus News |

From artful storytelling to belly dance, a study abroad fair to global Thanksgiving feast, this year’s International Education Week will infuse campus with extra flair and flavor.

A red banner with the UNLV logo. Above, a plane flies.
Campus News |

The initiative serves as the university’s central hub for international programs and initiatives.

aerial view of Lied Library and Las Vegas Strip
Campus News |

The Sands Institute for Chinese Language and Culture expands global learning opportunities.

Campus Scenes photo
Campus News |

The launch of the Sands Institute for Chinese Language and Culture marks a significant step in strengthening UNLV's global engagement in an interconnected world.

An RA poses in front of the World Languages themed residence hall.
Campus News |

New and revamped student housing theme floors connect students to faculty, campus resources, and each other.

collage of 3 images showing a person folding a paper crane, a sign that says "UNLV Origami Project" and a large container of many paper cranes
Campus News |

As plans for a permanent memorial garden take shape, community-driven projects offer a way for students and faculty to reckon with loss.

World Languages and Cultures In The News

Las Vegas Review Journal

It’s a celebration that involves wearing costumes, visiting cemeteries, honoring departed loved ones and thinking about death on an occasion when, some believe, the boundary that separates our world from the next weakens.

Las Vegas Sun

Las Vegas is now the fastest-warming city in the United States.

Las Vegas Review Journal

Jose Ivan Cervantes arrived in Las Vegas as a high school freshman, speaking almost no English. Now poised to graduate, he’s also advocating for his school, which has faced uncertainty as the Clark County School District considers changes to how English learner students are taught.

Las Vegas Sun

Last week, readers of the Sun got a treat in being introduced to Adugna “Adu” Siweya, one of the Las Vegas Valley’s outstanding college graduates this spring. Inspirational stories Siweya's make college graduation season a special time in Las Vegas, an annual reminder of the remarkable minds in our community, and the commitment of students to academic achievement.

College of Liberal Arts Newsletter

A handful of UNLV master's students in Hispanic Studies have been accepted to top doctoral programs over the past two years, including the University of Virginia, UCLA, University of Alabama, University of Chicago, and the University of Kansas.

Recent World Languages and Cultures Accomplishments

Mayumi Ajioka (World Languages and Cultures) received a Laura Bassi Foundation Editorial Grant (Summer 2026) in support of her research on heritage language speakers’ motivation to learn and maintain their heritage language. The grant provides partial support for the preparation of a journal article manuscript for publication.
Associate Professor in French, François-Nicolas Vozel (World Languages and Cultures), published an essay titled "A Woman Impersonally: Hélène Cixous, Gilles Deleuze, Clarice Lispector, and the Poetics of Immanence" in French Forum (University of Pennsylvania Press), 50.2 (2026), pp. 99-114.
Matthew Childs (World Languages and Cultures), Ph.D., received the Metzler-Mews Conference Travel Grant from the American Association of Teachers of German. This competitive award provides funding for scholars to present their work at national and international conferences. This grant will support Childs's attendance at the German Studies…
Arpine Mkrtchyan (World Languages and Cultures) was invited to participate at the biennial conference of Generative Approaches to Second Language Acquisition, held at the University of Cambridge in Cambridge, UK, from April 16 to April 18, 2026. Her presentation, titled “Feature Reassembly and Syntactic Constraints in L2 French and English…
Susan Byrne (World Languages & Cultures) chaired a panel of scholars presenting papers on Spanish author Miguel de Cervantes during the Renaissance Society of America's annual conference, held this year in San Francisco, CA. The panel's speakers came from the USA, Canada, France and Ireland to critically analyze numerous aspects of the works…
Margaret Harp (World Languages and Culture) presented a paper, "Blindness as Motif in Montaigne's Librairie," at the annual meeting of the Renaissance Society of America on February 20, 2026 in San Francisco, CA.