An October 27 guest column titled “It’s Time to Drop Foreign Language Requirements” presents five arguments against foreign language requirements. I think the arguments are somewhat weak and, more importantly, they downplay the importance of the humanities and liberal arts education in general. Although many Duke students are already multilingual or have been placed in more advanced foreign language courses, the column’s arguments seem to assume a monolingual English-speaking student with no foreign language experience, so let’s review the arguments in that context.
The first argument assumes the assumption, but does not explicitly state, that spending three courses in a foreign language is a waste of time, which needs to be proven; The argument is circular.
The second argument—that three semesters of a foreign language will not bring fluency, so we should not learn it—also implicitly assumes that one should not study a foreign language unless one has achieved fluency. But fluency is a matter of degree, as the column indicates by including the term “minimum fluency.” Of course, studying abroad will improve one’s abilities and increase one’s fluency level more quickly. Duke University’s foreign language departments have several ways to integrate study abroad even at the introductory level and facilitate the combination of study abroad with courses that meet the student’s non-foreign language major.
The third argument claims that if the goal is to learn a language, one can do so somewhere other than Duke University with less time and cost. Presumably, the author of the column means instruction through massive open online courses (MOOCs), community colleges, downloadable apps, and so on. It provides no evidence that these methods teach languages as well or better than classroom instruction, which will no doubt soon be supplemented—not replaced—by personalized language chatbots, automated homework marking, captioning software and other technologies. Duke University’s introductory foreign language courses typically include four contact hours per week plus homework and cultural activities. These classes consist of small groups in which students actively learn in real time with their peers, not passively attending large lectures, online videos, or clicking On the application buttons separately. Furthermore, what these sites and other modes of education typically do not provide is study abroad, cultural activities (conversation hours, films, lectures, etc.), accompanying internships in foreign language-speaking countries, and a well-prepared path to higher level Seminars, individual papers, honors theses, etc. Just like other introductory courses at Duke, foreign language courses open up exciting ways to learn and grow.
Furthermore, if the column’s claim is true, what are the classes at Duke University? no Are you learning more cheaply and quickly elsewhere? What Introductory level Duke courses He should Student still taking? Couldn’t there be classes like intro physics, introductory chemistry, introductory biology, first semester calculus, introductory economics, and introductory psychology? everyone Can it also be taken online or at a community college for less money? Other introductory courses at Duke are usually large lecture classes, in contrast to the pedagogical experience provided by introductory-level foreign language courses which are smaller in size and have higher contact hours.
The fourth argument claims that since Pratt has no foreign language requirement, neither should Trinity. But Pratt is an engineering school, and Trinity is a liberal arts institution; Schools have different missions. Furthermore, although it is not a liberal arts institution, Pratt Do Requires a writing course and five courses in the humanities and social sciences, which include foreign language courses. Other distinguished technical schools in the United States, such as the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and the California Institute of Technology (Caltech), also have strong requirements for humanities courses, including foreign language courses.
The fifth and final argument claims that if the goal of studying a foreign language is to promote “global understanding,” there are other non-foreign language courses that facilitate the achievement of this goal, and therefore foreign language courses should not be needed. But this suggests a superficial and generalized feeling of “global understanding”, a feeling that can also be obtained from, for example, watching travel videos on YouTube. On the contrary, study a foreign language Uniquely It exposes one to the experience of trying to think in a different language, a different conceptual, historical and cultural scheme, to maneuver in a different ‘world’, and invites one to look through the eyes of others, to speak in the tongues of others, to inhabit – but only partially, but ‘minimally’ – the lives and ways of living of others. It does not promote a unified and generalized “global understanding.” Rather, it can lead to unfamiliarity, the experience of the other, and the feeling of no To be at home everywhere – which is precisely the kind of experience that resists settling everyone into an increasingly common, universal, universal English.
Based on the reasons given here, I believe the column does not make its case successfully. In conclusion, let us briefly consider the reasons why a monolingual speaker acquires the ability to learn a foreign language, and more importantAnd gaining the high-level foreign language experiences afforded by that facility—study abroad, engagement in intellectual work in the foreign language, and so on—should be an essential part of a liberal arts education. As mentioned above, the acquired ability to orient oneself toward a foreign language and culture will be subject primarily to disorienting but ultimately transformative conditions. First personal The experience of not knowing one’s way, then expanding one’s ability to think and feel, living in and enriching a different “world” of thought and feeling, living in two worlds instead of one, and loss. One feels self-confident and then finds a different, more complex self in a different, more complex world.
Let me offer two (narrative) consequences of achieving this kind of intellectual growth in a foreign language and culture. First, study a foreign language Intrinsic value: It is the beginning of what can be a lifelong path of personal growth, broad horizons, and rich experiences. My studies in foreign languages led to extensive living and working experiences in Russia, Germany and Italy and the formation of relationships that continue to this day. To name just a few of my recent experiences, I have translated Russian-German for Ukrainian refugees in Berlin, worked with an Italian PhD student in philosophy, participated in a literary event via Zoom in St. Petersburg, served as an evaluator for a Canadian dissertation in French and more. None of these opportunities and possibilities occurred to me when I was choosing the courses or majors I would study as an undergraduate, but none of them could have happened without the choices I made at the time.
Second, from a narrow professional point of view, foreign language study has a far-reaching, albeit indirect, impact. external value. A quick Google search will have CEOs, medical school presidents, technology leaders, etc. insisting on the value of the liberal arts and language study in their professions. Out of college I was hired as a “knowledge engineer” (AI was as popular then as it is now) by an MIT startup to work on building an AI expert system in financial services. My math/computer science major was important because they knew I could learn their programming language quickly. But the decisive major was my second major in Russian and my experience living abroad because they signified the mental agility and ability to learn, communicate and “translate” among the software developers and MBAs whose “knowledge base” we were trying to algorithmically formalize.
Thus, the question, in my view, is not whether the foreign language requirement should be dropped, but rather why one might want to narrow the horizons of earning a bachelor’s degree in liberal arts from Duke.
Henry Bickford is Professor of German Studies and Philosophy and Director of Undergraduate Studies in German Studies at Duke University.
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In today’s globalized world, being proficient in a foreign language is becoming increasingly important. As an advocate for foreign language requirements, I believe that all students should be required to study and become proficient in a second language before graduating high school. The ability to communicate in another language can open up a world of opportunities, both in terms of personal enrichment and in the job market. By advocating for foreign language requirements, I aim to ensure that all students are equipped with the necessary skills to thrive in a diverse and interconnected world.