Languages, Linguistics & Philosophy

Department Chairperson: Professor Leroy Meyer

Languages, Linguistics, & Philosophy
Slagle Hall, Room 306
414 East Clark Street
Vermillion, S.D. 57069
Phone: 605-677-5357
http://www.usd.edu/languages and http://www.usd.edu/philosophy

Departmental Faculty

Professors:

Istvan Gombocz, Ph.D., University of Illinois. Specialization: German Language, Culture, and Literature.

Leroy N. Meyer, Philosophy Program Coordinator, Ph.D., University of Virginia. Specialization: Logic and Philosophy of Culture.

Susan J. Wolfe, Professor Emerita, Ph.D., State University of New York, Stony Brook. Specialization: Linguistics, Gender Studies, and Popular Culture.

Associate Professors:

Werner Kitzler, Professor Emeritus, Ph.D., University of Nebraska–Lincoln. Specialization: German Language, German Literature, Culture, and Civilization.

Assistant Professors:

Angela Helmer, Ph.D., University of California-Los Angeles. Specialization: Spanish Language and Linguistics.

Vaughn Huckfeldt, Ph.D., The Johns Hopkins University. Specialization: Ethics and Applied Ethics.

Degrees:

Modern Languages and Philosophy courses support many majors.

Courses Available to Graduate Students:

German
Spanish
Linguistics
Philosophy

Program Description

The University of South Dakota is determined to support and propagate cultural and linguistic diversity on campus. Course work is broad and diverse and supplements any graduate degree well. The immediate goal of taking Spanish or German course work is to develop the students’ proficiency in reading, writing, listening, and speaking, as well as culture of a foreign country.

The German-speaking countries of Europe have made a vital contribution to Western civilization. At present, German is spoken by approximately 90 million people in Austria, Germany, Switzerland, as well as in other countries of East Central Europe. German is recognized as one of the official languages of the European Community. Germans constitute the second largest ethnic minority in the U.S., and Germany is a major international trading partner of South Dakota after Canada.

Spanish is the second most commonly spoken language in the United States today. Knowledge of the Spanish language is imperative for students in business, teaching, politics, health services, local, regional, and federal government tasks, and numerous other societal/institutional organizations.

Philosophy, whose branches have given rise to many other disciplines, considers issues fundamental to our understanding of what it means to exist, to be true, and to be human. It examines the nature of knowledge, beauty, time, and goodness while honing students’ ability to reason and to express themselves clearly in speech and in writing.