Department of Sociology, TESOL, and Modern Languages
Cultivating Students with Hearts for their Communities
APU’s Department of Sociology, TESOL and Modern Languages prepares students for a career in the helping professions through faith-informed academics and hands-on training. All our programs emphasize experiential learning—whether study abroad opportunities in our Spanish major, sociology internships tailored toward students’ specific career interests, or TESOL service opportunities in the local community.
Because of our faith perspective, students integrate subject matter with questions of ultimate meaning, significance, and Christ-centered purpose. As a result, students graduate from these programs with a deep desire to apply their knowledge and critical thinking gained at APU to make the world a better place.
Global Engagement Series: Adelaide Towne’s ’26 Experience in Greece
Adelaide Towne ’26, a sociology major, spent three weeks serving in Greece on a Global Engagement trip through the Office of Service and Discipleship this summer. She deepened her faith by connecting with people through engaging acts of fellowship.
Alumni Feature: Vienna Christensen ’20 Makes a Difference as Outreach Manager at World Relief Western Washington
All her life, Vienna Christensen ’20 has been fascinated with travel, cultures, and serving others. As the daughter of missionaries, she never lived anywhere for longer than three years at a time.
Her exposure to the beauty of different backgrounds combined with her heart for ministry through effective guidance led her to study sociology and honors humanities at Azusa Pacific University.
She now serves as the Outreach Manager at World Relief Western Washington, assisting in refugee resettlement, drawing from what she experienced growing up and the ways her education expanded her understanding of others.
Study Away and Language Learning
We equip you to connect with a global community by learning new languages. Through study-away programs and independent study, students develop cultural understanding and cross-cultural skills.
The department prepares students to be citizens of an interconnected global community, and a great way to gain knowledge and appreciation of other cultures is through learning additional languages. Therefore, all APU students are required to complete two semesters (totaling 8 units) of a foreign language.
In addition to the major and minor in Spanish, the department offers select courses in other languages.
If you have studied a foreign language prior to entering APU, you have the option of demonstrating your proficiency in that language by taking the Oral Proficiency Interview by computer (OPIc), College Level Examination Program (CLEP), or Foreign Language Achievement Testing Service (FLATS) test. Depending on your test score, you may have your APU foreign language requirement waived and/or you may receive units toward graduation.
Faculty Feature: Tasha Bleistein Engages with Different Cultures as a TESOL Professor
For over a decade, Tasha Bleistein, MA ’03, PhD, lived in different parts of the world teaching students of various ages. Bleistein continues to interact with new perspectives as a TESOL (teaching English to speakers of other languages) professor at Azusa Pacific University.
She feels as if the entire world is in her classroom as she gets to know students from diverse backgrounds.
Meet Your Faculty Mentors
APU students experience a unique blend of academic rigor, experiential learning, and personal support from Faculty that sets them apart. The inherent confidence that springs from such an education results in relevant and meaningful opportunities.
Contact Information
Phone: (626) 815-3844Hours
Monday-Friday, 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m.Location
Ronald Building, Room 165