ERAU offers three minor areas of study that focus on language and culture: Arabic Studies, Latin American Studies, and Russian Studies.
In addition to earning credit for the minor, the history and culture classes also count as Gen. Ed. credits.
We also offer three languages you can study to earn college credit: Spanish, Arabic, and Russian.
You do not need to pursue a minor to take any of the language and culture classes. The language classes count as open electives.
Consider enrolling in a language or culture class or declaring a minor today!
Learning languages and obtaining intercultural communication skills will make you more appealing to prospective employers.
Arabic Studies
The Arabic Studies minor will introduce you the cultures, histories, and languages of the Arab countries, and to cross-cultural comparisons between the United States and the Arab world. Earn the minor by successfully completing at least 15 related credit hours (5 classes).
Overview of the Arabic Studies Minor
Language and Culture
The Arabic minor at Daytona Beach introduces you to the culture, history, and language of Arab countries and contrasts between the cultures of the United States and the Arab world. Students earn the minor by completing at least 15 related credit hours (5 classes).
Why pursue the minor?
The nightly news and social media often feature stories about the Middle East and Arab world. Understanding the issues in the Arab world requires more in-depth studies. In the Arabic minor program, you will achieve a cross-cultural understanding of the Arab world, Islam, as well as the cultural, historical, and political elements which provides a better understanding of the region for those entering the global workforce.
Program Benefits
The Daytona Beach Arabic minor provides students with instruction in Modern Standard Arabic (MSA) as well as Arab culture and Islam. Students who complete the coursework can expect to communicate in Arabic and interact with native speakers of the language as well as read news media in Arabic and write in MSA.
Students of all academic programs will find the minor in Arabic highly advantageous. Students doing research or seeking employment in areas related to the Middle East or other parts of the Arab world will also benefit from the minor in Arabic.
Study Abroad Opportunities
Students are encouraged to participate in a study abroad program to enhance their education and overall minor experience. Learn more about our Study Abroad program.
Sample Course Information
Language Courses - 9 credits
| Course number | Course name | Course credits |
| LAR 101 | Arabic I | 3 |
| LAR 102 | Arabic II | 3 |
| LAR 201 | Arabic III | 3 |
| LAR 202 | Arabic IV | 3 |
| Upper-level HU/SS * 6 | ||
| HU 395 | Arab Culture | 3 |
| HU 307 | Islam | 3 |
| SS 336 | Modern ME History | 3 |
The Daytona Beach Arabic minor provides students with instruction in Modern Standard Arabic (MSA) as well as Arab culture and Islam. Students who complete the coursework can expect to communicate in Arabic and interact with native speakers of the language as well as read news media in Arabic and write in MSA.
Students of all academic programs will find the minor in Arabic highly advantageous. Students doing research or seeking employment in areas related to the Middle East or other parts of the Arab world will also benefit from the minor in Arabic.
Language Courses - 9 credits
| Course number | Course name | Course credits |
| LAR 101 | Arabic I | 3 |
| LAR 102 | Arabic II | 3 |
| LAR 201 | Arabic III | 3 |
| LAR 202 | Arabic IV | 3 |
| Upper-level HU/SS * 6 | ||
| HU 395 | Arab Culture | 3 |
| HU 307 | Islam | 3 |
| SS 336 | Modern ME History | 3 |
Latin American Studies
The Latin American Studies minor will introduce you to the language, history, and cultures of Latin American countries, and to cross-cultural comparisons between the Latino/a diaspora in the United States. This minor is unique because you can complete the minor with no language requirement by selecting the History and Culture option. Students who wish to take Spanish classes should chose the Language and Culture Option. You can earn the minor by successfully completing at least 15 related credit hours.
Overview of the LAS Minor
The Language and Culture option is for students who want to focus on learning Spanish (though you will also learn about the history and cultures of Latin American and the Latino/a diaspora). All the Spanish language classes are taught in Spanish, but the history and culture classes are all taught in English. This option includes the required courses for students learning Spanish. This option was designed for students who want to learn or improve their Spanish skills.
Requirements for the Language and Culture Option:
- HU 327: Foundations in Latin American Studies class*
- Three Spanish language classes
- One upper-level language or history & culture class*
The History and Culture option is for students who wish to focus on Latin American history and culture because they either don’t want to learn Spanish or they are already fluent. All the classes in this option will serve as General Education electives, so you can get credit for the minor and your Gen Ed credits at the same time! This option was designed for students who want to learn about Latin American history and culture, but don’t need or want to take Spanish (either because they are already fluent or because they just prefer not to take language classes).
Requirements for the History and Culture Option:
- HU 327: Foundations in Latin American Studies class*
- 1-3 lower-level history & culture class(es)*
- 1-3 upper-level history & culture class(es)*
* The history & culture classes also count for Humanities and Social Science Gen Ed Credits.
- To be competitive for jobs that require knowledge of Latin American cultures and/or Spanish.
- To be able to demonstrate to future employers evidence of a sophisticated understanding of the diverse cultures in Latin America and high intercultural communication skills.
- To prepare for today’s global, multicultural, and multilingual workplace.
- To learn about the language, history, and cultures of Latin American countries and the diaspora.
- To get credit on your transcript for earning the minor and taking cool classes!
- HU 145 LAS: Latin American Science Fiction
- HU 321 LAS: Mesoamerican Mythology
- HU 325 LAS: Latin American Film
- HU 327: Foundations in Latin American Studies
- SS 363: Inter-American Relations
- LSP 101: Spanish I
- LSP 102: Spanish II
- LSP 201: Spanish III
- LSP 202: Spanish IV
- LSP 301: Intermediate Grammar & Composition
- LSP 302: Intermediate Conversation & Composition
Russian Studies
The Russian Studies minor introduces you to the cultures, histories, and language of the Russian-speaking world, and to cross-cultural comparisons between the United States and Russia. You can earn the minor by successfully completing at least 15 related credit hours.
Russian is spoken by hundreds of millions of people: The Russian Federation spans nine time zones and covers about 1/8th of the world's land surface. It is the largest country in the world, almost twice the size of the United States. Russia has a population of almost 150 million people, which constitutes slightly more than 50% of the population of the former Soviet Union. There are around 270 million Russian speakers in the world.
Overview of the Russian Studies Minor
The Russian Studies minor introduces you to the cultures, histories, and language of the Russian-speaking world, and to cross-cultural comparisons between the United States and Russia. You can earn the minor by successfully completing at least 15 related credit hours.
Russian is spoken by hundreds of millions of people: The Russian Federation spans nine time zones and covers about 1/8th of the world's land surface. It is the largest country in the world, almost twice the size of the United States.Russia has a population of almost 150 million people, which constitutes slightly more than 50% of the population of the former Soviet Union. There are around 270 million Russian speakers in the world.
- LRU 101: Elementary Russian
- LRU 102: Elementary Russian
- LRU 201: Intermediate Russian
- LRU 202: Intermediate Russian
Upper-Level HU/SS - Six credits, any approved course with a focus on the Russian world, such as:
- SS 322: Modern Russian History
- SS 326: Russian-U.S. Relations
- SS 399: Special Topics in Social Science or SS 499: Special Topics in Social Science
- HU 399: Special Topics in Humanities
Contact Us
Daytona Beach, Florida 32114
Questions about language minors?
Contact Dr. Emad Hamdeh.
Ready to declare a minor?
- Declare a Minor
- For Arabic, scroll to Daytona Arabic Studies Minor.
- For Latin American Studies, scroll to Daytona Latin Amer Studies Min.
- For Russian, scroll to “Daytona Russian Studies Minor.”