University of the Pacific - Modern Languages and Literature Department

04/30/2026

Celebrating milestones of sustained dedication to our students. Today we recognized five faculty colleagues for 20–35 years of service:
Dr. Traci Robert’s Camps, Dr. Martín Camps, Dr. Jake Cipris, Dr. Jie Lu and Dr. Arturo Giraldez.
Grateful for the depth of their contributions to our academic community.
(Photos from the event—some honorees not pictured.)

04/30/2026

Meet Karla Ramirez-Orozco, our Outstanding Graduating Senior in Spanish and Overall Outstanding Graduating Senior.
“A moment that will always stay with me is the way my professors made me feel heard, along with the time I spent connecting with students and faculty in the department; after graduation, I’ll carry that sense of community forward by creating spaces where others feel valued and understood.”

Celebrating excellence, community, and the impact of being heard.
¡Felicidades, Karla! Tu futuro es brillante.

04/21/2026

On April 21st, for 24 hours, the Department of Modern Languages and Literature at University of the Pacific is part of a concentrated effort to support student learning through targeted giving. Every contribution, at any level, has an immediate impact.
Support us here:

Helping students connect to the world. A dynamic multilingual community, this department offers majors and minors in Spanish, French, Chinese, and Japanese, with additional language options available. Students receive individualized, immersive instruction and engage deeply with global cultures throu...

04/20/2026

The Department of Modern Languages and Literature invites you to the next installment of the MLL Talks at Noon Series.
Join us for “Lightning Bolts on the Horizon: Socialist Films and Graphic Novels in a Time of Crisis”, a talk by Dr. Ahmed Kanna, exploring how visual culture responds to and shapes moments of political and social rupture.

📅 Thursday, April 23, 2026
🕛 12:00–12:55 PM
📍 WPC 140

Lunch will be served from 11:45 AM.

A timely conversation at the intersection of media, politics, and global crisis: open to all.

04/16/2026

Today, we continue spotlighting our outstanding graduating seniors in their own words. Maria Guzman, Outstanding Graduating Senior in French and President of French Club at Pacific:

“𝘈 𝘱𝘩𝘳𝘢𝘴𝘦 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘮𝘺 𝘍𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘩 𝘴𝘵𝘶𝘥𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘺𝘦𝘥 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘮𝘦 𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘮𝘺 𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘴𝘵 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘧 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘓𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘭𝘦 𝘗𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘪𝘴:

On ne voit bien qu’avec le cœur. L’essentiel est invisible pour les yeux.
(“One sees clearly only with the heart. What is essential is invisible to the eye.”)

𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘲𝘶𝘰𝘵𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘮𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘪𝘵 𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘴 𝘶𝘴 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘪𝘭𝘺 𝘸𝘦 𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦’𝘴 𝘲𝘶𝘪𝘦𝘵 𝘫𝘰𝘺𝘴 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘸𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘤𝘶𝘴 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘰𝘯 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘴 𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘧𝘢𝘤𝘦.

𝘐 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘯 𝘵𝘰 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘶𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘶𝘥𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘍𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘩 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘰𝘱𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘧𝘭𝘶𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘦𝘯𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘵𝘰 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬 𝘢𝘴 𝘢𝘯 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘵𝘦𝘳.”

Bonne chance pour la suite, Maria!

04/16/2026

Our outstanding graduating senior in Japanese is Ben Shafer, also a Powell Scholar and a Media X graduate. Congratulations: this is a significant milestone, and a testament to your dedication and growth!

“今度は今度、今は今 (Kondo wa kondo, ima wa ima) - a quote from Wim Wenders’ Perfect Days, or “next is next time, now is now,” is a beautifully simple line that resonates with me deeply. After graduation, I plan to keep in contact with my friends from Japan, and hopefully give back to the study abroad community through my YouTube channel OsakaBen.”

Wishing you continued purpose and success on the paths ahead, Ben.

04/11/2026

Honoring excellence across languages 🌍✨ Celebrating our outstanding graduating seniors in French, Japanese, Chinese, and Spanish: your voices carry the world forward. 🎓

03/23/2026

Museums are often imagined as custodians of the past, but what if their most urgent task is to engage the present? Join our Reynolds Gallery distinguished director and university curator Lisa Cooperman for a conversation on how museums do not simply preserve time, but actively produce it.

02/26/2026

Hello everyone,
This is a friendly reminder that a new edition of our popular MLL TALKS at NOON will take place this Thursday, February 26, from 12:00–12:55 PM in WPC 140. As always, food will be served.
Join us for a highly engaging and academically stimulating talk by Dr. Leslie Bayers, our Director of the Center for Teaching and Learning.

01/26/2026

New semester, new lunch talk: on Thursday, January 29, join us for a fascinating incursion into the ancient culture of Babylon.