The Division of Languages and Literature offers majors in the areas of literature; written arts; and foreign languages, cultures, and literatures. All students in the division are encouraged to study languages other than English; foreign language instruction currently offered includes American Sign Language, Arabic, Chinese, French, German, Hebrew, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Russian, Spanish, Yiddish, and ancient Greek and Latin. Interdisciplinary majors are also offered in Asian studies, classical studies, French studies, German studies, Italian studies, Middle Eastern studies, Russian and Eurasian studies, and Spanish studies (see Interdivisional Programs and Concentrations).
Photo by Karl Rabe
Our Programs
The Division of Languages and Literature includes the following academic programs:
Foreign Languages, Cultures, and Literatures
Literature
Written Arts
Matthew Mutter, Division Chair; Associate Professor of Literature
Foreign Languages, Cultures, and Literatures
Literature
Written Arts
Matthew Mutter, Division Chair; Associate Professor of Literature
Coursework and Requirements
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Bard Translation and
Translatability Initiative
BTTI encourages curricular initiatives that promote translation, particularly from a multicultural or multidisciplinary perspective, and aims to bring together scholars, teachers, writers, and artists from the United States and other countries. BTTI also works with Bard faculty members to elicit new interdisciplinary insights, develop new curricula, strengthen communication, and stimulate experimentation among the College’s four divisions and across its network of international liberal arts and graduate studies programs. Among other events throughout the academic year, BTTI hosts an annual translation symposium at Bard.
Languages and Literature News and Events
Featured News
Daniel Mendelsohn Interviewed in the New York Review of Books
Mendelsohn discussed his new translation of Homer’s Odyssey for the University of Chicago Press.
Daniel Mendelsohn Interviewed in the New York Review of Books
Daniel Mendelsohn, Charles Ranlett Flint Professor of Humanities.
Post Date: 05-13-2025
Recent News
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Bard College Student Samantha Barrett ’26 Wins 2025 PEN/Robert J Dau Short Story Prize
Bard College Student Samantha Barrett ’26 Wins 2025 PEN/Robert J Dau Short Story Prize
Bard written arts major Samantha Barrett ’26 has won the 2025 PEN/Robert J. Dau Short Story Prize for Emerging Writers. This award recognizes 12 emerging writers each year for their debut short story published in a literary magazine, journal, or cultural website, and aims to support the launch of their careers as fiction writers. Chosen for originality, craft, and pushing the boundaries of the genre, each winner receives a $2,000 cash prize and is published by Catapult in their annual anthology, Best Debut Short Stories: The PEN America Dau Prize. This year’s judges—Lydi Conklin, Dionne Irving, Brenda Peynado—selected the winning stories from a range of dynamic literary publications.Samantha Barrett ’26.
Barrett’s prize-winning story “Invert” was published by Foglifter Journal, issue 9.1 (2024) and nominated by the journal’s editors for the PEN award. Barrett will attend the 61st annual PEN America Literary Awards Ceremony on May 8 in New York City, where over 20 distinct awards, fellowships, grants, prizes, and nearly $350,000 will be conferred to writers and translators.
“I'm deeply honored to receive this award, and incredibly excited to attend this ceremony along with some of the most promising up-and-coming writers of today,” said Barrett.
The PEN/Robert J. Dau Short Story Prize for Emerging Writers is generously supported by the family of the late Robert J. Dau, whose commitment to the literary arts made him a fitting namesake for this career-launching prize. Before his death, Robert J. Dau, a lifelong Michigan resident, requested that a prize be established to promote budding writers. He knew that Ernest Hemingway spent summers with his family in northern Michigan and was a contemporary of Dau’s mother. Hemingway spent a winter writing in Dau’s hometown of Petoskey, and Robert loved Hemingway’s connection to his hometown. He also loved that Hemingway wrote his Nick Adams stories about places he knew personally. Dau’s admiration for Hemingway resulted in the creation of the PEN/Robert J. Dau Short Story Prize for Emerging Writers.
Post Date: 05-06-2025
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Robert Cioffi Reviews The Red Sea Scrolls for the London Review of Books
Robert Cioffi Reviews The Red Sea Scrolls for the London Review of Books
Professor Robert Cioffi reviewed The Red Sea Scrolls: How Ancient Papyri Reveal the Secrets of the Pyramids by Pierre Tallet and Mark Lehner for the London Review of Books. The authors discuss an archaeological discovery that changed how we view the Great Pyramid of Giza: the papyri of Wadi el-Jarf, written between 2607 and 2605 BCE. These documents name people who worked on the pyramid, how much they were paid, and what their tasks were. As Cioffi puts it, these documents are "a first-hand account of the men who built the Great Pyramid of Giza.”Assistant Professor of Classics Robert Cioffi.
Cioffi’s review draws on his expertise in papyrology and Egyptian cultural interactions. He writes that while Tallet and Lehner can’t explain everything about the pyramids, they do reveal important facts about the daily life of workers there. Thanks to the papyri, “For the first time in 4500 years, Khufu’s pyramid has its voices again: not of priests or pharaohs but of the men who made it possible.”
Post Date: 05-05-2025
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Bard College Celebrates Student Achievements at Undergraduate Awards Ceremony
Bard College Celebrates Student Achievements at Undergraduate Awards Ceremony
Faculty, staff, and students gathered at Blithewood Manor for this year’s Undergraduate Awards Ceremony, which was held on Monday, April 28. The annual ceremony is a celebration of the incredible talent and dedication showcased by Bard students, as well as the unwavering support and guidance from esteemed faculty and staff at the College. The evening's awardees, who were nominated by faculty from across the four divisions of the College, represent excellence in the arts; social studies; languages and literature; and science, mathematics, and computing. Among the awardees were students in the Bard Baccalaureate, a program for older students returning to college to finish their undergraduate degrees.Sierra Ford ’26 receives the inaugural Betsaida Alcantara ’05 Pioneers for Progress Award. Photo by Joseph Nartey ’26
The event featured remarks and award presentations from key figures, including President of the College Leon Botstein, Dean of the College Deirdre d'Albertis, Dean of Studies and Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs David Shein, and Bard Alumna Cara Parks ’05. A special highlight of the evening was the announcement of a newly established award in memory of a beloved Bardian, Betsaida Alcantara ’05, by the Class of 2005, family, friends, and loved ones who knew her. The inaugural Betsaida Alcantara ’05 Pioneers for Progress Award, in memory of Betsaida Alcantara '05 (1983–2022), who exemplified the best of Bard's hope to inspire people to be passionate agents of change, pioneers for progress, and advocates for justice for those most in need was given to Sierra Ford ’26 who has demonstrated strong leadership skills, a commitment to public service, and support for open societies.
The presentation of awards was a moment to acknowledge and celebrate the exceptional academic achievement, leadership, and commitment demonstrated by Bard students. It was a testament to their hard work and perseverance, which defines the spirit of Bard College and serves as an inspiration to us all.
Many of the undergraduate awards are made possible by generous contributions from Bard donors. Thank you to all our supporters for believing in the value of a college education, and for investing in the future of Bard students.
Post Date: 04-30-2025
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“Rebuilding the World Through Queer Video Games:” Bo Ruberg ’07 for YES Magazine
“Rebuilding the World Through Queer Video Games:” Bo Ruberg ’07 for YES Magazine
In an article for YES Magazine, Bo Ruberg ’07, Bard alum and professor of film and media studies at UC Irvine, reflects on the role that video games hold in building worlds for marginalized people and communities. For Ruberg, the relationship between the physical world and the virtual space accessed within video games is complex, and the latter is no less real for being speculative, given that it offers players a chance to inhabit and interact with realities that are different from our own. “Through video games, I theorize a practice that I term queer worldbuilding,” Ruberg writes. “Queer worldbuilding is not the same thing as building worlds that feature queer stories or communities, though such worlds themselves have immense value. Instead, queer worldbuilding describes the practice of constructing new worlds through methods, frameworks, and tools that can themselves be understood as queer.”Bard College alum Bo Ruberg ’07.
Post Date: 04-22-2025
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NYT Opinion: “This Is How Universities Can Escape Trump’s Trap, If They Dare,” Writes M. Gessen
NYT Opinion: “This Is How Universities Can Escape Trump’s Trap, If They Dare,” Writes M. Gessen
In an opinion piece for the New York Times, M. Gessen, distinguished visiting writer at Bard, asserts that the way universities can fight against the Trump administration’s attacks is to abandon concerns of rankings, endowment building, and campus amenities to “focus on their core mission: the production and dissemination of knowledge.” Gessen spoke to Bard College President Leon Botstein because he “has long practiced the approach I am advocating” and “seems to respond to every crisis by figuring out ways to teach more people”—citing the Bard Prison Initiative, Bard Early Colleges, and Bard Microcolleges as some examples of the College’s mission-driven expansion of higher education beyond traditional pathways. Botstein believes universities are essential to democracy as “portals to tolerance and the expression of fundamental equality of all human beings.” Gessen challenges other universities to: “Act like universities, not like businesses. Spend your endowments. Accept more, not fewer students. Open up your campuses and expand your reach not by buying real estate but by bringing education to communities. Create a base. Become a movement.”Bard College campus. Photo by Chris Kendall ’82
Post Date: 04-14-2025
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Joseph O’Neill Interviewed by the New York Review of Books on the State of US Democracy
Joseph O’Neill Interviewed by the New York Review of Books on the State of US Democracy
Daniel Drake interviewed Distinguished Visiting Professor of Written Arts Joseph O’Neill for the New York Review of Books, speaking to O’Neill about his assessment of the state of authoritarianism and resistance in the United States. “The end of the rule of law does not mean that we automatically find ourselves in an authoritarian society,” O’Neill said, but cautioned Democrats against being “distracted by the past.” “The (dubious) strategies hatched by their consultants in response to Trump’s win—‘talk about egg prices,’ ‘work with Republicans,’ and so on—make even less sense than usual,” O’Neill said. “New strategies, new faces, and a new level of adversarial exertion will be required.”Distinguished Visiting Professor of Written Arts Joseph O’Neill. Photo by Michael Lionstar
Post Date: 03-25-2025