Hawaiian and Indo-Pacific Languages and Literatures
College of Languages, Linguistics and Literature
Spalding 255
2540 Maile Way
Honolulu, HI 96822
Tel: 808.956.8672/7452
Fax: 808.956.5978
email: hip@hawaii.edu
Chair: Professor Naomi Losch

The Department of Hawaiian (HAW) and Indo-Pacific (IP) Languages and Literatures provides an opportunity without parallel elsewhere in the country for students to acquire an in-depth knowledge of the languages and cultures of that part of the world that encompasses more than 25 percent of the Earth's population and an unusual diversity of peoples.

The Department provides instruction in the languages of the Indo-Pacific area to a broad spectrum of students at the University. The coverage of these languages is unique in the United States: this is the only department in the country to offer a BA degree in Hawaiian language and Filipino Language and Literature (Filipino or Ilokano) and the only one to offer every national language of Southeast Asia, as well as classical and modern Indian languages.

Language offerings include Arabic, Cambodian (Khmer), Chamorro, Filipino, Hawaiian, Hindi, Ilokano, Indonesian, Maori, Samoan, Sanskrit, Tahitian, Thai, and Vietnamese. Additional languages and topics may be offered on an as-needed basis.

Beyond language, the department offers courses in the literatures and cultures of the area, including literature in translation of Hawai`i, South and Southeast Asia, and the Philippines.

Opportunities are available for study abroad in certain areas.

All of the department's elementary- and intermediate-level language courses may be used to fulfill the Hawaiian or foreign language requirement for all bachelor's degrees on the Manoa campus.

Students of Indo-Pacific languages and cultures can also enhance their opportunities to find a career in international relations; provide service to the community in such fields as social work, public health, nursing, medicine, and law; perform research on Asia and the Pacific; and develop cross-cultural awareness and understanding in Hawai`i's multicultural environment.