Global experiences on campus

Our programs with an international perspective are:

• American Studies
• Canadian Public Policy
• Canadian Studies
• Commerce
• Economics
• English (literature)
• Environmental Studies
• French Studies
• Geography
• German Studies
• Hispanic Studies
• History
• International Economics and Business
• International Politics
• International Relations
• Japanese Studies
• Modern Languages, Literatures, and Cultures
• Philosophy, Politics, and Economics (PPE)
• Political Science
• Religious Studies

Some benefits of taking a program with an international focus may include: 

• studying alternative perspectives and collaborating in group settings using different approaches
• learning a new language or improving language skills
• growing global networks and connections through immersion in both local and international communities
• increasing self-confidence and global awareness
• building cross-cultural skills, competencies, and knowledge considered assets by prospective employers
• developing an understanding of, and sensitivity to, different customs and cultural traditions to become a global citizen

Here are some tips from a previous language student on why studying a language can benefit you far beyond the classroom.

1. Enhancing your English skills

Can learning an additional language make your English better? Not possible, right? Actually, learning the grammatical structures in another language can make the same concepts easier in your first language. Awareness is everything.

2. Increasing your cultural awareness

Studying a new language traditionally teaches oral and written communication skills as well as reading comprehension. These are all essential to lingual studies, but these three skills are not the limit of what you can learn. Language classes provide cultural education, awareness of social practices within those cultures, geography of specific regions, religion, and history.

3. Understanding perspective

Perspective is everything. Where you were born, how you were raised, the educational background of your parents, and your economic status (just to name a few) can influence what you might consider “normal.” One of the most-important skills that learning an additional language can teach is awareness of this — your “normal” could be vastly different from the person next to you. Knowing that your experiences and perspective may differ greatly from someone else’s can not only shape the way you approach people, but also allow for deeper understanding, compassion, and learning when discussing controversial topics.

4. Broadening your worldview

Language can be one of the largest barriers between groups of people. If you’ve grown up in Canada and rarely encountered people who don’t speak English or French, you might naturally assume that every person can naturally communicate in one of these two languages. Why would you need learn another language? If you haven’t experienced a communication barrier as you move through the world, it may not have occurred to you to explore another language.

5. Gaining future career opportunities

Becoming fluent in another language can enhance your resume, give you a cutting edge when it comes to job opportunities, and set you apart in competitive applicant pools. Having lingual capabilities applies to almost any job, from government to customer service to healthcare to the entertainment industry. Employers know that having someone with multi-lingual skills means that person can interact with a wider range of clients. Plus, if you’re hoping to travel or work abroad after your degree at Mount Allison knowing another language might even be a requirement more than a bonus.