The Department of Foreign Languages and Literature has long focused a particular emphasis on providing excellent teaching in small classes. However, at the same time the Department has aimed to provide its teachers with an environment conducive to research. The Department creates a research environment in several ways. First of all, the Department organizes conferences in a variety of fields, including literature, teaching English as a Foreign Language, and Children’s Literature, among others. Second, the Department invites speakers to offer lectures and speeches to faculty and students. Third, faculty members present their own research in a seminar series that encourages discussion among faculty members. The Department encourages faculty members to publish their research at home and abroad.