The Hotchkiss School
Modern Languages
In order to help our students graduate with a greater understanding of their responsibilities in a global society, the modern languages department requires that students demonstrate competence through the third-year level in a foreign language. To this end, we offer courses in French, German, Spanish, and Mandarin Chinese.
Classes are lively, taught almost solely in the target language. They emphasize real-life situations and vocabulary, while including elements of native culture, history, and literature. Students dance the tango or set up "foreign language only" tables at meals. They chat with native speakers on the Internet and perform their own skits in class in the language of instruction.
The classroom experience is augmented by regular visits to the state-of-the-art language laboratory, where students have access not only to language drills but to the very latest in computer technology. Students can further test their comprehension by reading current publications in their chosen foreign language at the Ford Library.
Hotchkiss is an active member of the School Year Abroad program, which offers qualified students the opportunity to spend an academic year in France, Italy, Spain, or the People's Republic of China.