Thanks to an Academic Initiative Fund (AIF) proposal (Languages for Academic Excellence) in 2006, the University of Toronto Mississauga (UTM) took a first step toward enriching its academic programs with new opportunities to study languages relevant to various areas of specialization. Following this proposal, the Department of Language Studies assumed the oversight of a broader range of language courses (i.e., Arabic, Chinese, German, Hindi, Persian, Sanskrit, Spanish and Urdu). By closing the gap in language education among the three campuses of the University of Toronto, the introduction of more languages at UTM has contributed to fulfill a commitment to tri-campus excellence and equity and to the mission of a student-centred public teaching and research university.
New languages are in their initial stages in the Department of Language Studies. Thus, one to four courses are offered, depending on the need for and availability of instructional resources. Students can only take courses in new languages as electives, given that there are no degree programs. The variety of courses offered and the increasing enrolment numbers in each language demonstrate that new languages have grown quickly and developed successfully.
The elective language courses being offered for the current session can be found on the Timetable Builder.