At Brandon University, Languages are Something Special

At Brandon University you can study Latin or Cree or you can continue your high school French with a minor or a major in French Language and Literature. And it does not stop there, you can also take Spanish or study German, Italian, Saulteaux or Sioux. The choice is yours.

Areas of Expertise in Languages  

Dr. Rachel Major teaches French language and French and French Canadian literature. She is currently doing research in Franco-Ontarian Literature, as well as in psychoanalysis and literature. She is also actively involved in the French immersion program.

Dr. Eleanor Blain teaches Linguistics and Native Languages (Cree and Saulteaux). Her research is primarily on the Cree language. Dr. Blain is also currently writing a grammar of Cree for teaching purposes and she continues to do research on the Cree language.

Other languages —  Spanish, Italian, Greek, Hebrew, Latin and Classical Chinese are taught by adjunct faculty members from other departments.

Languages at Work 

Graduates from the French program are in demand for French teaching positions in high schools throughout the Westman region and beyond.

Programs of Study at BU:

• The Languages Department offers a full-slate of French courses for a major in French language and literature.

• Language courses in Italian (as well as French and German) provide linguistic training for students in the opera program at Brandon University.

• Spanish is currently very popular.

• As well, classes are available in the Cree, Saulteaux and Sioux languages native to the Province of Manitoba. These courses are a required part of the Native Studies major available at Brandon University as well as for the First-Nations teachers programs (PENT and BUNTEP) for the Faculty of Education.

• Classical languages are represented by Latin, Greek, Hebrew  and Classical Chinese.

Questions about the Languages Department may be directed to the Department of Classical and Modern Languages, Dr. Eleanor Blain, Chair (blain@brandonu.ca).