Modern Languages and Literatures

An Asian woman in a tan sweater laughs with students

One of the best ways to understand your own cultural heritage and the thought patterns that inform it is to compare them to cultures and languages that are different from your own. With the chance to step into another cultural space—through language, literature, art, and popular culture—we come to appreciate who we are. We also learn to look at the world from a different perspective and more fully comprehend the range and complexities of human expression.

Modern Languages and Literatures at Rhodes College aspires to take students on an exploratory voyage. The department offers instruction in Chinese, French, German, Russian, and Spanish, and each program challenges, charms, and offers new doors to the world. We welcome you to enter any one of them at any time. 

a female student in China
a male student in front of the eiffel tower
students and a professor in a classroom
a female professor leads a class
a professor and two students
a professor in front of a screen
a professor and students in the Language Center
Language Placement

​Rhodes requires every graduate to have developed intermediate proficiency in a second language, and we want to place you in the appropriate level if you are continuing with a language you have already studied.

a female professor talks with a student in class
Information for Students

Learn about the department, including student groups, honor societies, and more.

Faculty & Staff

Rachel Bauer
Assistant Professor - Spanish; Faculty Adviser for Rhodes Best Buddies;
Alberto del Pozo Martinez
Associate Professor - Spanish
Kathleen Doyle
Associate Professor of Spanish
Han Li
Professor, Section Head-Chinese, Chair of Modern Languages and Literatures
Eric Henager
Associate Professor of Spanish, Section Head-Spanish
Bruce Jackson
Assistant Professor - Spanish
Sasha Kostina
Associate Professor - Head of Section, Russian
Laura Loth
Associate Professor, French and Francophone Studies; Section Head - French
Abou-Bakar Mamah
Associate Professor, French and Francophone Studies
Ricardo Martins
Assistant Professor of Modern Languages and Literatures
Nina Morais
Assistant Professor of German
Elizabeth Pettinaroli
Associate Professor - Chair, Latin American and Latinx Studies
Catherine Sundt
Associate Professor - Spanish
Christy Waldkirch
Departmental Assistant
Yinyin Xue
Assistant Professor of Chinese Studies

Departmental News and Events

group photo of educators standing in a conference room, in front of screens
The Rhodes College chapter of the Tennessee National Consortium for Teaching about Asia hosted two educator workshops in May focused on “Teaching Asia in a Changing World.”
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collage of head and shoulder images of Rhodes College students
Sophia Cracraft, Lydia Gold, Melate Kebede, and Erin McTigue—members of the Rhodes College Class of 2026—have been selected to receive Fulbright U.S. Student Awards for the 2026-2027 academic year.
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image of a group meeting
Rhodes College on Sept. 27 hosted a gathering of the Multilingual Memphis Coffee Chat, a regional network that brings together educators, administrators, and community organizations working to better serve second-language learning communities.
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