I
think that all students should take a language of some kind while at a
university. In today’s world, we are a global culture and that means
interacting with others in an international setting all the time. We have music
and literature coming in from all around the world and we should be able to be
active participants. It is unusual, in international standards, to be only
monolingual. There are many
benefits to becoming bilingual, such as a greater understanding of grammar and
it actively helps with understanding your own native language more. When you take the time to learn another
language, there is an inane insightfulness that you gain about either your own
culture or own language.
While
taking a foreign language to gain a bilingual status is improbable for most
students, even a basic level of understanding a language can show other people
that you at least took the time to learn something about them or their culture.
For business this is extremely important. It is all about networking, and
showing someone that you know even a few words can open up more doors than previously
possible. My Father used to have to work in Saudi Arabia and showing that he
knew a few greetings and phrases to not only get around but to make friends and
business connections were incredibly helpful.
Having a foreign language disposable to
you in a global world seems to be almost indispensible, and I can’t see how it
would hurt students to not at least take one or two years of a language.
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ReplyDeleteI think that requiring 2-4 semesters of a foreign language would be a great idea for those in business, communications and even political majors. It would certainly prepare them to work in and with a more global society. For some majors, it would be rather impractical and unfair, for example those in the sciences and engineering majors. Their schedules are already so crowded with major-specific courses in addition to the gen eds or discovery courses (one of which is a foreign culture). Adding an extra course or three would require many of them to stay for and pay for an extra semester.
ReplyDeleteIt is very unusual for international students to be monolingual. I believe this may take part in why Americans tend to be labeled as lazy. You can hear Americans pointing the same fingers, saying that people who move to America shouldn't be too lazy to learn to speak English. Then when the situations are reversed, and Americans are the ones who don't speak the native tongue of the area, they wonder why they are labeled as lazy. Once a student has taken an interest in foreign language, they expect others should do the same. But those who have not taken that first step feel they shouldn't be forced to pay to take classes they don't want. I personally still maintain the stance that the requirement should stay in place because, as the OP stated, the knowledge gained is truly indispensible in today's world, and burdensome or not it is a good thing.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with what Kristin is saying. It doesn't hurt at all take take a year or two of a foreign language, so 2-4 semesters. I understand what Mary is saying about it being unfair for some majors, but even foreign language classes can count towards a discovery course and other college requirements here. If a student thinks ahead they can fit in the classes they need. For example I was happy to find out that my Spanish Phonetics and Linguistics class counted towards my Spanish major, as well as my Linguistics minor. Having a language as your minor I think is one of the best decisions someone can make and can help you go further in your career. I am impressed by people who make an effort to speak a foreign language and I understand how hard it can be, but it is worth the effort.
ReplyDeleteForeign Language is key to learning culture, however, many students have a hard time with learning and processing foreign language. If universities had a more culture based course with less emphasis on the language requirement then many more students would succeed in classes like SPAN 504. From living in an apartment with 5 people i know how frustrating it is to try and speak a language that you have no interest in. If a person is simply not interested in a language why make them pay thousands of dollars for them to struggle at the university level.
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