Welcome to Culture and Language Studies

Through courses and programs in Applied Language Studies, East Asian Studies, Studies in Islamic and Arab Cultures, the humanities (English Language and Literature, Fine Arts, and Religious Studies), and languages (American Sign Language, Arabic, Chinese, English Language Studies, Korean, Japanese, and Mohawk (Kanien’kéha)). Culture and Language Studies contributes vibrantly to Renison’s vision for “Global Engagement through Languages and Cultures.”

News

After several years of limited travel, eight University of Waterloo students were able to participate in the Kakehashi Project, a week-long exchange program through Japan’s Friendship Ties Programs, overseen by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan. The students spent their Reading week, February 17-25, 2024 in Japan, exploring the cities of Tokyo and Aichi. Their trip was followed by a special exchange day at Waterloo when Renison hosted six Japanese students in early March. The project is designed to build mutual understanding and friendship between Canadian and Japanese students with engaging, and often transformative, intercultural experiences.

On Wednesday, February 7th, English Language Studies hosted a guest speaker who spoke about communication in the construction industry. EMLS 105R students, students from other engineering courses, and guests from other departments gathered to hear a presentation from Brad Conrad, a project manager with PCL Construction who described his experiences in the architectural and construction industries and how he tailors his communication for different audiences, contexts, and purposes. The most notable take away from the presentation was Brad’s insight into how creating our own ‘communication signatures’ and making personal connections through small talk can greatly enhance our business relationships and aid us in times when we must communicate potentially difficult information.

Dr. Young Gon Kim was presented the Renison Faculty Teaching Award for 2022-2023 at the Culture and Language Studies (CLS) Department meeting on September 20, 2023.  

Together with his colleagues in the Korean Language and Culture Studies division, we extend our congratulations to Dr. Kim for his outstanding work in the field of teaching Korean as a foreign and additional language.