English Foreign Languages Department

Welcome to the English & Foreign Languages Department!

Reading and writing can bring you to new worlds whether imaginative or real. They expand your knowledge and open your mind to new ideas and cultures. And, by strengthening these skills, you begin to build your critical-thinking skills allowing you to become a better problem-solver, communicator, and decision-maker.

Through the English and Foreign Languages Department, you can study English, journalism, reading, English as a Second Language (ESL), and foreign languages, such as Spanish and French.

What Careers Can You Have with a Degree in English?

You can look through all of the English and Foreign language programs we have below. You’ll find the degrees, certificates, and areas of focus we offer, and just a few of the careers you could have from learning these subjects.

Click on any program link to find out what some of these careers pay on average, how much school you’ll need, and what courses you’ll take:

English–Associate in Arts for Transfer, Associate in Arts in Liberal Arts, Associate in Arts
Careers: Technical Writer, Public Relations Specialist, Librarian, Editor, Publishing Assistant, Novelist

English as Second Language–Noncredit
Reasons to study English: get a U.S. degree, have more career choices, communicate with English speakers

Journalism–Associate in Arts for Transfer, Associate in Arts
Careers: News Reporter, Business Journalist, Copywriter, Publicist, Correspondent, Feature Writer

Spanish–Associate in Arts for Transfer; Associate in Arts, Skill Certificate in Professional Spanish
Careers: International Business Professional, Translator, Broadcaster, Reporter, Photographer, Teacher

Why Study English & Foreign Languages?

Being able to read and write confidently involves being able to think critically. A broad meaning of critical thinking is to have the ability to learn about something that, once you understand it, you can examine it using your own perspectives to form original ideas about the subject. This underlining concept is considered one of the most important ‘soft skills’ you can develop in college and is something that’s improved through reading, writing, and discussing these with others.

And, when you study a foreign language, you’re not only learning about that language, you’re also learning about your own language. You’re learning how your language is structured, what its limitations are, and what your culture considers important because of differences you find in the language you are studying. All of this opens your mind to new possibilities and broadens your world view, bringing a lifetime of diversity and culturally-enriched learning.

Our helpful instructors will help you gain confidence in these fundamental subjects so you can explore your own world more fully. Our Department also sponsors and co-sponsors writing publications and clubs for you to increase your skills and develop your creative side, all of which have had a great deal of student involvement.

How Will Studying English & Foreign Languages Help My Career in Other Fields?

Reading, writing, and thinking critically are crucial skills because they improve your ability to understand ideas and concepts quicker and enable you to express yourself more clearly. With these skills, you become a more independent thinker and a more valuable asset in any career you choose.

The degrees offered in this Department are perfect to pair with any other area of study, as the skills you learn here are transferable to every career imaginable. Regardless of if you want to be a business entrepreneur or remodel cars, you will need to know how to solve problems, speak logically, and read well.

The English and Foreign Language Program—consisting of the disciplines of English, Spanish, French, Reading, Journalism, and ESL—is aimed at improving students’ abilities to read, think, and write critically.

In keeping with the mission of LASC, the English and Foreign Language Department’s programs and courses both provide students with foundational support in literacy and expand students’ academic experiences that contribute to enrichment of life, affirmation of a diverse population, life-long learning, and enhanced critical thinking, and prepare them to enter a four- year university in pursuit of a B.A. degree.

The EFL Department’s overarching goals are to provide students with valuable, modern, culturally-enriched and culturally-sensitive literacy skills necessary to succeed in college and in the workplace.

Specific course objectives range from teaching the fundamentals of language and literacy to advanced courses in literature, culture, language and journalism.

Our campus has been increasingly responsive to numerous writing events and clubs sponsored or co-sponsored by the English & Foreign Languages Department.

Therefore, beyond the curricula above, clubs and events on campus and in the local community designed to promote literacy through poetry, creative and academic writing, readings, and journalism—such as poetry slams, the Arts Festival, the Read-In, the Say The Word spoken word event and writing competition, and guest author readings, as well as our student-led organizations such as the Poetry Collective, the English Society, the Literature Club, the Creative Writing Club, and our school newspaper The Word—have traditionally and each consistently produced high student participation.