Division of Literatures, Cultures, and Languages

ABOUT THE DLCL The Departments of Comparative Literature, French and Italian, German Studies, Iberian and Latin American Cultures, and Slavic Languages and Literatures, and the Language Center, are housed in the Division of Literatures, Cultures, and Languages. Our students and faculty master modern languages and use them to do research in culture, literature, history, politics, and philosophy. In courses in poetry, prose, drama, and film at Stanford and at the Overseas Studies Program, our undergraduates learn to think both critically and globally about how people use language to make sense of the world, to claim an identity and a place in history, to entertain, and to persuade. Our nationally prominent graduate programs are distinguished by regular interaction among scholars of different languages and literatures. Stanford’s PhD students develop their dissertations in conversation with specialists in various world regions and communities, and their rigorous pedagogical training equips them to teach language and literature effectively.