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I agree with the idea of a "free curriculum". I see no point in forcing students to study something that they will never use and what they do not have an interest in learning.
I studied Chinese. I have no interest in studying Chinese culture or ever traveling to China. My business is not international.
It's not anti-intellectual. I loved studying Beowulf and middle English. It just fascinating to me. But I was a Sociology major who loved English. And I was saddled with all of these requirements at college - foreign language being one of them, math and science being others, that kept me from taking courses that I had a passion for and that would have enriched my life and helped me in my career.
I also agree that by the time a foreign language is introduced to students, it's just too late.
I think you are arguing for the elimination of any sort of common core, which I don't think is a bad idea (I didn't have one). I think that, with the ease of contemporary cross-border travel, commerce, and communication, foreign language skills are important. It is not too late to learn a language when you are in high-school/college/after. I learned a foreign language starting at age 17. Older people have a harder time losing their accent, but they can absolutely learn languages.
I think you are arguing for the elimination of any sort of common core, which I don't think is a bad idea (I didn't have one). I think that, with the ease of contemporary cross-border travel, commerce, and communication, foreign language skills are important. It is not too late to learn a language when you are in high-school/college/after. I learned a foreign language starting at age 17. Older people have a harder time losing their accent, but they can absolutely learn languages.
What school did you go to that did not have gen ed requirements???
In what state do public schools teach foreign language in elementary and middle school?? That usually only exists in private schools. Most school systems only require two years of foreign language in highschool.
I guess it's obvious that I'm in NJ. We start in elementary school when the brain is more capable of learning languages. High school is too late to start. That's why many states are moving it up.
I agree with the idea of a "free curriculum". I see no point in forcing students to study something that they will never use and what they do not have an interest in learning.
I studied Chinese. I have no interest in studying Chinese culture or ever traveling to China. My business is not international.
It's not anti-intellectual. I loved studying Beowulf and middle English. It just fascinating to me. But I was a Sociology major who loved English. And I was saddled with all of these requirements at college - foreign language being one of them, math and science being others, that kept me from taking courses that I had a passion for and that would have enriched my life and helped me in my career.
I also agree that by the time a foreign language is introduced to students, it's just too late.
You are not required to take any of those courses in college. You are free to make your own curriculum as you see fit. You only need to follow an existing curriculum if you want a degree. Otherwise, college is quite free-form.
Maybe you need to go to a better school?! That was far from my experience and I would be very hesitant to label a large group as either xenophoic or lazy simply because they don't feel that foreign language should be a requirement while in college
I was pretty much the only person in my group that wasn't an engineering student - the student population in that major was very diverse and none were either xenophobic or lazy ........... just not interested
I picked up a double major in finance & economics, while spending my last 2 years of school working 25-30 hours a week on top of the 20 credit terms I was taking in class .... I actually did have some interest in taking Italian at my school, but the offerings were narrow and it didn't work in my schedule - so I'm glad it wasn't something that was forced which would have messed up my course load within my major .... I just slid my open electives to other things of interest that did fit, typically history classes .... I also studied some Norwegian on my own
Sorry, but i stand by what i said. The students that complain about this in my opinion are either xenophobic or lazy. It has nothingto do with the school, but the students. Another complaint I heard last semester is how the professor talks only in X language. Well, duh! They have to immerse you somehow, right? Studying a foreign language is work. And lets be honest here, these students would rather read something in English than have to study 30-50 words a night. Language is what you make of it, if you try hard though you will see the rewards when you understand words that you normally didnt.
Another thing is that a lot of people here keep saying that its too late to learn a language at the high school level. Again, that is incorrect. While the best time to learn a language is easier at the elementary level, it is possible to learn at the high school level as well, it just takes more work. I guess the point that i am trying to make is there are plenty of useless classes in the general ed requirements, i mean what does two classes in science get you? Zip, nada, but we got to take it so we do it. People that whine about something that they have to do just makes them look lazy and entitled, neither of which are attractive.
I guess it's obvious that I'm in NJ. We start in elementary school when the brain is more capable of learning languages. High school is too late to start. That's why many states are moving it up.
This is good news. I hadn't heard that this was the trend, now. More jobs for foreign language teachers, too!
What school did you go to that did not have gen ed requirements???
Brown
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