World Languages & Literatures

Communicate ideas effectively across different cultures. Master an additional language to enhance your study,  travel, and work opportunities immeasurably. In an era of global industry and communication, individuals who can demonstrate fluency and understanding in other languages and cultures are increasingly valuable.

Gain the tools necessary to negotiate the global literary landscape and develop skills in writing and communication, information management, problem solving and critical thinking, and more.

World languages and literatures offers crucial insight into living and growing in an increasingly complex world. Globalization is a key relevant topic today: explore the ever-increasing diversity in Canada. By exploring literary texts from a variety of cultures, students learn to place themselves contextually in a constantly changing world and learn from a perspective of relativity. World literature students "engage the world."

The Department of World Languages and Literature offers major, minor, honours, joint, and co-op programs. Explore program offerings to find out what's right for you.

* World Languages & Literatures FASS One Pager
Last updated February 1, 2023

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Got questions? Contact Maria Hamilton, Manager and Undergraduate Advisor.

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Program Options 

Learn more about the different degrees and programs available to you at World Languages & Literatures.

Undergraduate options

Career Pathways

The world literature curriculum teaches you to write creatively and expressively, to read and think critically, and to communicate ideas effectively across different cultures.

While some graduates work directly in literature and language, for instance by teaching elementary or high school or entering the publishing field, career possibilities are diverse.

The content specific to world literature courses is especially relevant to careers in international agencies and organizations, broadcasting, the arts, public relations, as well as diplomacy, teaching, journalism, and library and information services.

“I did not hesitate even for a second about studying World Languages & Literatures. Literature has always been a magnet for me, something that had an incredible ability to capture my attention and change my world with every single book I was reading. All of the World Languages & Literatures professors were so remarkable, and these courses have really forced me to step outside of my comfort zone and see connections I’ve never seen before.”

Anastasiia Lebedenko

2021 Graduating Class | Major in World Languages & Literatures

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Learn languages at SFU! Arabic, Chinese, German, Greek, Italian, Japanese, Persian, Punjabi, and Spanish. Courses available for everyone, from native speakers to absolute beginners!

Professor Ortabasi describing WL 201, a World Literature course in the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences at SFU.

The Italian language is over a thousand years old, is spoken by more than 85 million people and is the fourth most studied language in the world. It's a flexible and inclusive language, and its sound is beautiful, romantic and surprisingly easy to learn.

Learn more at our e-Library

How many times do you hear, “Just be yourself!”? In this lecture we’ll see how human beings have always learned to become themselves: by seeing versions of themselves through stories. Good stories help us to try on, or avoid, different characters and situations. 

Learn more at our e-Library

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