Friday, August 31, 2012
Foreign language at the University
I feel as though students should be required to meet a basic standard for a foreign language requirement. They should have a common exam to prove the they are efficient enough from high school to test out of the foreign language requirement. Language is very difficult for some people and having to be required to take it in college may be frustrating to some of the students. In my studies and experiences I have noted that people who enjoy the language in high school will continue it through out the college studies. Making it required is added stress that a science or math major wouldn't need to deal with. I know being a Spanish major that the less classes I have to take out of my field the better. However, as culture seems to be growing it is beneficial for students to take a language so that they are able to communicate properly.
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Different cultures among our community seem to be growing immensely. Even on the UNH campus this year, there has been an increase in international students. I agree that it should be required to take a foreign language course in college. Doing so enables students to effectively communicate with individuals of different backgrounds. In other countries around the world, especially in Europe, students begin taking foreign language classes at a young age. If our culture stressed the importance of learning other languages at a young age, not only would it be easier for students to learn the languages but ideally they wouldn’t have to take these courses in college.
ReplyDeleteI agree that having to take classes outside of one's field can be a burden, but at least in the undergrad years it can be a very opening experience. I began taking Russian purely to fulfill the requirement, but after a while I discovered that it was what I wanted to major in. It can be stressful for those who already have a good idea of what they want to study, but there is not really a way to interest students who have no language experience in the foreign languages without requiring them to take the courses.
ReplyDeleteI agree with that many students who are good at learning language in high school would like to choose to continue learning it in university. As an English Major student in China, a lot of my classmates (most of them are girls), choose this major because it seems much easier than math or other science majors, and you don't need to learn math in China if you choose language major. However, non-English-major students must take English, which is not fair to them.
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