Foreign Languages, Cultures, and Literatures comprise those programs which are based on the foreign languages currently taught at Bard: Arabic, Chinese, French, German, Ancient Greek, Hebrew, Italian, Japanese, Latin, Russian, Sanskrit, and Spanish. The programs' common philosophy involves the critical appreciation of one or more foreign cultures and literatures through the learning and mastery of the language of each. While each program has its own intellectual and academic plan, the requirements for moderation are similar:

(1) Linguistic proficiency, based usually on three or more semesters of language study; (2) Literary proficiency through completion of at least one course in the foreign literature, preferably a survey course; (3) Cultural proficiency, demonstrated by at least one course in a related area outside of literature, e.g., philosophy, history, or music.