I'm working on a class assignment that involves reading an XML document and inserting the contents into a database. Language choice is wide open - so I figure, why not consider all my options!
What languages are able and appropriate for working with databases?
I don't understand your question. You can use any language that provides a library. But to be technical, any turing complete language can parse xml.
You could use Perl, Java, or C#. But your question is not very clear.
If you just want to load XML data into a database some kind of integration engine would be a more appropriate choice than handcoding. If running MSSQL, have a look at SSIS (Sql Server Integration Services).
Groovy has excellent XML and database support for quick & simple things. Might be worth taking a look at to see if it meets your needs.
XMLSlurper to read the XML.
SQL DataSets to write to the database.