I believe that a foreign language should be required for all students at the university. While some students may know what they would already like to major in when they begin college, some may not and may be confused upon entering college. Exposing students to foreign languages can perhaps open their eyes to majors or even minors that they had not thought they would be interested in at first, but after taking a course they discover that they want to continue in that foreign language. If general education courses such as math, science, history, etc., are required at the university level, then foreign languages should be as well. Even after just taking a foreign language for a semester or two could equip students with skills in a foreign language that could help them later in life, whether it be when they are job searching or even just traveling to other countries. With a country that is as diverse as the United States is, it is important to have at least a basic knowledge when it comes to a foreign language. In my opinion, being required to study a foreign language at the university level can help students greatly whether it is in the present or in their futures after graduation; knowing a foreign language, no matter how basic the students’ knowledge may be, cannot hurt them but only help them.
With a world that is constantly shifting and changing with different countries becoming more and more powerful in the world economy, it is not only important for students to take a foreign language course at the university level but it is quickly becoming a necessity. While English has been the dominant global language for many years, other languages such as Chinese and Japanese are becoming more and more important languages to know within certain industries such as business. Not only is knowing a foreign language important for working in certain industries, but it is important when traveling as well. Simply by taking a Spanish course (whether it is required or not), one can suddenly unlock a language that is spoken by many countries in the world. Requiring students to take a foreign language course, ANY foreign language course, not only can help them in their personal lives whether it be with traveling to foreign countries, but can also help them in their professional lives in the future should they decide to work in an industry where knowing one or more foreign languages can be beneficial to them and could even potentially be a skill that helps future employers decide to hire them for jobs.
I agree with your post about the importance of taking a Spanish course at the University level, but I have trouble with the idea that one course in introduction to Spanish can really teach a student valuable skills that they may or may not even be interested in. For someone like you or me, a simple introductory class of a new language can help us understand Spanish better or allow us to be able to have basic communication in a foreign country. This being said, we are both interested in Spanish and language as a whole. Someone who is required to take the class may just take it as a requirement and really learn nothing of value. By doing the work, they are learning the material but without an interest, it is difficult to see long term need for the subject matter.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you that the world is constantly changing and that languages are a very significant part of the economy, foreign policy, and politics. I do not think however that a required introductory language course would interest college students who are not already interested in a particular language. I think a course that presented the importance of languages in the world might be more successful. A course that showed students how languages could benefit their futures and the world could be a great way to get some students interested because many people don't even know what doors knowing another language can open for them. Overall, it is the significance of foreign languages that need to be taught.
ReplyDeleteI think you bring up a good point in that the world doesn't come down to French and Spanish, which is sometimes the case in high schools and even at the university level. Learning other languages, like you mentioned, such as Japanese, Mandarin, Arabic, Portugese, and others could help a student become better adapted to the massive scale of business in the world. Caitlin brings up another good point that a language course which focuses on languages in general and how they can be used in the world could be a good alternative to teaching a single language or making students choose one language to study.
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