"We prepare students to engage in the world that is and to help bring about a world that ought to be."

Curriculum Detail

Faculty

  • Photo of Christel Johnson
    Christel Johnson
    Department Chair - World Languages
    (212) 979-5030 x4354
    University of South Carolina - MA, PhD
    University of North Carolina Asheville - BA
  • Photo of Mouna Fdilat
    Mouna Fdilat
    Teacher - World Languages
    (212) 979-5030 x4347
    Ibn Tofail University - BA
    California University of Pennsylvania - MA
  • Photo of Jennifer Gentle
    Jennifer Gentle
    Teacher - World Languages
    (212) 979-5030 x4339
    Furman University - BA
    Middlebury College - MA
  • Photo of Julia Larmore
    Julia Larmore
    Teacher - World Languages
    (212) 979-5030 x4359
    Brown University - BA
    Tufts University - MA
  • Photo of Ellen Mittelholzer
    Ellen Mittelholzer
    Teacher - World Languages
    New York University - MA
    Colgate University - BA
  • Photo of Shirin Murphy
    Shirin Murphy
    Teacher - World Languages
    (212) 979-5030 x4373
    Columbia University Teacher's College - MPhil
    Columbia University - MA
    Wellesely College - BA
  • Photo of Eric Quinones
    Eric Quinones
    Teacher - World Languages
    (212) 979-5030 x4384
    City University of New York - PhD
    Hunter College - BA, MA
  • Photo of Nelson Shin
    Nelson Shin
    Teacher - World Languages
    (212) 979-5030 x4397
    Rutgers University - BA
  • Photo of Joseph Sills
    Joseph Sills
    Teacher - World Languages
    (212) 979-5030 x4398
    Middlebury College - MA
    Davidson College - BA
  • Photo of Yu Tan
    Yu Tan
    Teacher - World Languages
    (212) 979-5030 x4429
    New York University - MA

Select Department Below

World Languages: Ancient and Modern
The Department of World Languages: Ancient and Modern sees the acquisition of a language as the ultimate gesture of friendship to the world. The study of world languages, ancient and modern, provides our students opportunities to engage with multiple cultures, past and present, throughout the world. It gives them the tools necessary for deep inquiry, reflection, and communication.

We convey to students that the knowledge of languages promotes understanding and harmony between peoples. Our students emerge with a sense of world citizenship. It is our goal to give tangible meaning to the concept of respect for other cultures by helping students acquire the skills which will allow them to communicate through reading and speaking with a variety of people across the globe. Through striving for proficiency in their language(s) of study, students embody the excitement and the sense of achievement unique to the study of World Languages.

Our curricula are informed by the standards set by the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL): Communication, Culture, Connections, Comparisons, and Communities.
Friends Seminary actively promotes diversity, equity, inclusion, and anti-racism in all its programs and operations, including admissions, financial aid, hiring, and all facets of the educational experience. To form a community which strives to reflect the world’s diversity, we do not discriminate on the basis of race or color, religion, nationality, ethnicity, economic background, physical ability, sex, gender identity or expression, or sexual orientation. Friends Seminary is an equal opportunity employer.
FRIENDS SEMINARY
222 East 16th Street
New York, NY 10003
P: 212-979-5030
F: 212.979.5034
Friends Seminary — the oldest continuously operated, coeducational school in NYC — serves college-bound day students in Kindergarten-Grade 12.