It's hard not to be influenced by other parts of the world these days, and with knowledge of more than one language, you can more fully enjoy different cultures, have a distinct advantage when it comes to success in business, and understand your world more clearly.

In its credit programs, Schoolcraft offered Arabic in the fall '06 semester and Chinese in the winter '07 term. These languages join the French, German and Spanish classes already in place. New full-time faculty in fall '06 included a French/German instructor, and the majority of faculty members are native speakers, including the Arabic and Chinese part-time instructors.

Liberal Arts Dean Cheryl Hawkins says, "As the world moves into the global economy, Schoolcraft will continue to explore language opportunities. These may include classes in Italian, Japanese or Russian. Our choices will depend on the needs of our student body."

To learn a language without earning credit, the Continuing Education and Professional Development schedule includes classes in Arabic, Mandarin Chinese, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Polish, Brazilian Portuguese, Russian, Spanish and Ukrainian. You can even take a class in American Sign Language.