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Language curriculum challenges students

Was ist die Ableitung von X quadrat?

Solving calculus problems such as "What is the derivative of X-squared?" may seem as difficult as learning a new language. But students who took calculus as a "Language Across the Curriculum" course really learned how to answer these math questions in a different language -- German.

Hartmut Rastalsky, who taught the one-credit German LAC mini-course last year, said it was a valuable way for students to improve both their calculus and German skills. The students enrolled in the class after taking Math 115.

"They got a chance to practice their German in a challenging context," said Rastalsky, who also has taught courses in German on the economy and on Freudian psychology.

Assistant Dean for Undergraduate Education David Schoem said LAC courses provide a practical language experience for students.

"For some students, it's not clear what practicality their language courses bring them," Schoem said. "We are trying to show there is application to this language study."

Germanic Languages and Literatures department chair Fred Amrine, who also chairs the LAC committee, said the University is a leader in language study.

"It is still a new initiative," Amrine said. "Almost nobody else is doing it. Among large universities, we are really a pioneer."

The University program that began two years ago is still small, with about six or seven LAC courses each semester. The LAC courses are usually taught as a discussion section for a larger lecture class.

LSA junior Debbie Zamd, who is currently taking a Latin American history LAC course in Spanish, said the section adds another dimension to the class.

"It gives you a different perspective when you read something in its original language. You always lose something in the translation," Zamd said. "It is good to have a different historical perspective."

Javier Morillo-Alicia, a graduate student instructor who teaches the History 477 course on Latin America, said the class is also valuable for native Spanish speakers. It helps them learn to speak academically in another language, a skill students usually only learn in English, he said.

"People just don't learn language well enough to engage in conversations or academic debate," Morillo-Alicia said about most language courses. "This gives them the opportunity to speak academically in the language that is their native tongue."

Amrine said he expects the program to increase each semester. "It's the way of the future. We really live in a global village," Amrine said. "We just assume everyone will learn English. It is important for all of us to function in a global way."

He said increased interaction between people around the world, especially with Internet usage, means that fluency in other languages will become necessary.

"It is a practical need all of us will need in the business world more and more," Amrine said. "Part of being educated is to be fluent not only in another language, but in another culture."

Amrine said the ideal LAC situation would be to have students finish a language sequence and then take LAC courses in another discipline.

"We are trying to set up a sequence that runs through a language program and goes on to another department," Amrine said. "We want to set up such sequences on a regular basis."

History and business classes taught in a foreign language are two logical sequences, Amrine said.

Students who complete six to nine credits of LAC work get a notation on their transcript that indicates fluency in a foreign language. To receive LAC credit, students often can modify a course and meet with the professor to get additional assignments in a foreign language.

The German department, which is currently the largest contributor to LAC courses, is also making changes within its own discipline.

The department has revised almost all aspects of its program, earning them the 1996 Departmental Award for Contributions to the Undergraduate Initiative, an award given by LSA that brings with it $25,000.

Not only has the department redesigned courses in all four semesters of the language requirement, but Amrine said he is working with high schools to better prepare students for University courses.

Improvements will continue in all language departments, Schoem said. He said LSA organized focus groups that will discuss ways to improve the programs. The 50-70 students involved in the various groups met for the first time last night.

"We want to identify what is in place, what are the most innovative things happening, what are students' experiences in language courses," Schoem said. "We will be looking at the data and making recommendations."