Mondialisation culturellement homogène (document en anglais)

In our age of culturally-homogeneous globalization, an advanced proficiency in a foreign language helps to remind us that languages not only have an instrumental value, but are also the very basis of culture and an "indefeasible part of thought," as critic Geoffrey Hartman has recently argued.

The second most spoken language in the world and the lingua franca in many professions, English is a culturally rich, exciting field of study. In addition to being trained to participate in a specific academic discipline, students who study English can acquire the following competences and skills: the ability to read texts closely, recognizing and learning to appreciate complex language; the critical skills to decode and evaluate contemporary social discourses as well as to detect cultural assumptions inscribed in language; the capacity to think rigorously but also creatively about various problems and about your own life experiences; communication skills, including argumentative, analytical and synthetic writing, and defending your critical judgement against the informed opinion of others; and a deepened knowledge of the English language and of English-speaking nations' diverse histories, cultures and societies.

A degree in English can lead to many different careers. While it is a first step to becoming an English language and literature teacher in Swiss secondary schools, those who study English also go on to become, among other things, translators, editors, journalists, public relations managers, or administrators in the arts, the humanities and in NGOs. The linguistic as well as the critical and analytical skills developed in the study of literature are an important asset for those interested in fields such as international law and international business

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