JNU’s School of Language, Literature, and Culture Studies (SLL&CS) started in 1969 with the core faculty of language and literature is directed solely to linguistics and culture studies. JNU is the only institution of its kind in India where teaching and research facilities are available in most major international languages. In an era of globalization, a person trained in a foreign tongue is always in demand, thanks to ever-increasing careers in languages. The various units of the School offer a variety of programs in different languages.
There are Certificate, Diploma, Advanced Diploma, BA, MA, MPhil, Ph.D. in most popular languages. Out of twelve centers, SLL&CS has nine for several foreign language courses in JNU.
Departments offering Foreign Language Courses in JNU
1. Centre of Arabic and African Studies (CAAS)
CAAS offers a BA, MA, and a doctorate in Arabic language, literature, and culture. It offers optional courses in African Swahili. In addition, given India’s growing ties with Israel, JNU has also started a certificate and diploma in Hebrew.
2. Centre for Chinese and South-East Asian Studies (CCSEAS)
CCSEAS offers BA, MA, M.Phil, and Ph.D. in the Chinese language. Acknowledging the rising job options in Mandarin, CCSEAS offers intensive specialized training in the modern Chinese language, focusing on Putonghua in present-day China. They also conduct classes for Certificate and Diploma of Proficiency in Bahasa Indonesia.
3. Centre for French and Francophone Studies (CFFS)
JNU is India’s first University to create a Centre of French for teaching and research in French and Francophone studies. The CFFS offers BA, MA, and M.Phil., Ph.D. in French.
4. Centre of German Studies (CGS)
Established in 1971, CGS is among the first departments to offer separate degrees in literature and translation/interpretation. They offer BA, MA, M Phil, and Ph.D. in German.
5. Centre for Japanese Studies (CJS)
Centre for Japanese Studies (CJS) is one center of excellence in South Asia, where programs ranging from BA to Ph.D.
6. Centre for Korean Studies (CKS)
The Centre for Korean Studies (CKS) is one of the most prestigious academic centers of the Korean language, literature, and culture studies in the Indian subcontinent. It runs a BA, MA, M.Phil., and Ph.D. programs in Korean.
7. Centre of Persian and Central Asian Studies (CPCAS)
The CAAS offers BA (Hons.), MA, M.Phil., Ph.D. in Persian, and Central Asian studies. It provides a certificate, BA, and MA in Pashto. It also conducts an optional Turkish course.
8. Centre of Russian Studies (CRS)
CRS offers UG and PG degree courses in Russian and promotes multidisciplinary research in language, literature, culture, and translation studies.
9. Centre of Spanish, Portuguese, Italian & LA Studies (CSPILAS)
CSPILAS has a full-time five-year-integrated MA in Spanish where you can have a BA (Hons.) degree at the end of the 6th semester (3rd year). The center has two separate research programs: M.Phil and Ph.D. in Spanish / Hispanic.
