The group's report, released on Monday, recommended changes to broaden the appeal of taking a foreign language. While the efforts to make the current situation more palatable are admirable, the University seems to be missing the point.
The task force recommended the expansion of programs that allow students to study abroad and make them more accessible to students. Granted, studying abroad is a valuable opportunity and is also a surefire way of learning another language. Being immersed in a culture and a language are certainly beneficial to one's academic endeavors. However, the pursuit of most students' academic endeavors is graduation - something that, in LSA, requires four semesters' proficiency in a language. The requirement does not entice most students to travel to Spain to learn Spanish; they simply want to achieve 232-level Spanish proficiency and be done with it.
In 1995, the University implemented a rule that does not allow students who entered school in the fall of 1995 or later to take their final semester of a language with a pass/fail modification. With this move, the University abolished students' last saving grace from the language requirement. Placing a two-year requirement on students, then disallowing them take their final semester pass/fail, places a burden on students to succeed in classes they do not voluntarily elect. Students should be able to take the class without worrying about its effects on their GPA.
Another of the group's recommendations is to move the focus of upper-level language classes away from vocabulary and grammar and toward broader lessons of the culture itself. Administrators in the German department have redesigned the curriculum for upper-level German classes to offer different sections with different foci, such as concentrations on science or mystery literature. Classes like these offer a more comprehensive look at the culture itself, rather than disjointed language lessons that students will probably not master in four semesters.
The lack of interest in language classes does not always surround the content itself, but the fact that the class is required. Many students shy away from requirements; facing four days of language classes a week for two years is a dour chore. Students' frustration in the classroom also affects language class instructors. It is arduous to instruct a class when the students simply do not care.
The language requirement exists to broaden students' minds in an effort to collapse their ethnocentric notions. However, spending hours memorizing flash cards does little to boost one's cultural awareness. On the other hand, the LSA Race or Ethnicity requirement serves as a useful tool. ROE accomplishes what the language requirement does not or cannot.
Remembering how to ask, "Where is the bathroom?" in French may help students somewhere along the line, but it does little to expand their cultural horizons. While the task force's suggestions improve LSA students' current situation, the University's ultimate goal should focus on more effective educational curricula.