Learning a new language is normally mandated in middle and high school because of the obvious benefits that accompany this new skill. Yet at the university level, emphasis is instead placed on different areas of study. Learning new languages is undervalued, as this practice is not actively encouraged in most higher education settings. Schools are taking away their foreign language requirements (George Washington) and are replacing them with critical thinking requisites instead. Universities are even generating their own definitions of the phrase “foreign language.” Certain schools don’t classify sign language as a foreign language because it is “dependent on the English language.” However, at some schools foreign language programs are actually flourishing. Some relatively obscure languages (aka not spoken in the Western World) have increased enrollment as they are receiving more attention due to political situations.
General Education (Gen Ed) requirements are a standard at most colleges. They mandate certain areas of study that each student should engage in before leaving for the real world. At many schools, a foreign language is included in these Gen Eds. However, recently George Washington University rescinded this standard, which has sparked much debate. GW is trying to broaden its Gen Eds and make them more applicable to settings in the “real world.” Instead of concentrating on certain areas of study, GW now mandates students to take classes that are geared towards certain types of learning like critical analysis. However, these administrators are largely overlooking the deep effect that learning a new language has on a person. Learning new languages changes how one thinks, broadens one’s perspective and introduces new cultures – all of which are aspects of critical thinking. All of these skills are immensely important in the “real world.” Therefore, this process should be highly valued. Just because a lot of memorization accompanies learning new languages, it does not mean that critical thinking and analysis are devoid from these fields. Instead, languages are rich in reasoning and analytical interpretation.
Another fierce debate in higher education about the importance of certain languages is the issue of sign language. Many people do not value sign language as a different language from English because it relies on the same words. They argue that it is indistinguishable from English. Again, these critics are not taking a close enough look into this rich, complicated form of communication. Sign language has a vastly different culture associated with it than English does. Learning sign language is a very complicated and difficult endeavor. However, again, it introduces students to a completely different way of viewing the world. It trains them to discriminate differently than a normal English speaker would. Students start to understand the difficulties that a deaf person has to face on a day-to-day basis solely by learning this new way of communicating. This language should in no way be underappreciated. It is actually now the forth most studied foreign language as it is offered in 150 higher-level schools.
Despite all of these negative accounts about university attitudes toward languages, there have been some success stories. Iowa University’s Arabic department is its fastest growing foreign language program. Because of the media’s attention to the Middle East, more people have realized the importance of studying this global language. Arabic and Chinese have become more popular, in accordance with political trends across the globe. Students are more willing to branch out and take a language not normally associated with the western world these days. This diversity is exactly what the United States needs to help ameliorate its position in the international setting.
Learning new languages whether Arabic or sign language has deep effects on one’s lives and so should be emphasized and not discouraged by higher level education.
http://www.usatoday.com/news/education/2010-04-19-IHE-foreign-college_N.htm
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/education/ct-met-sign-language-20100416,0,2337497.story
http://www.omaha.com/article/20100416/NEWS01/704179851
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