--- Forwarded Message from Daniel Tom <[log in to unmask]> ---

>Date:  Thu, 30 Sep 1999 15:27:50 -1000
>From: Daniel Tom <[log in to unmask]>
>To: Language Learning and Technology International Information Forum   <[log in to unmask]>
>Subject: Under Attack Again
>In-Reply-To: <[log in to unmask]>

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Last year I wrote that a committee made up of engineering and science
professors examining where the University of Hawaii could make cuts had
recommended the entire elimination of the European Languages Department.
That recommendation fortunately was never implemented, but the department
and the College of Languages, Linguistics and Literature had to vigorously
defend themselves against this attack and point out the shortsightedness
of such a recommendation.  However, the College of Engineering
subsequently did gain a major victory by finding a loophole to
successfully exempt their engineering majors from the university's
two-year language requirement.  This happened in mid-semester and many
engineering students immediately withdrew from the language courses they
were taking.

Now foreign languages are under attack again and this time it is more
serious and even appears orchestrated (let's all gang up against the
language requirement).  Currently the University of Hawaii has a two year
language requirement for all students regardless of the college or school
they are enrolled in (with the exception of the College of Engineering as
noted above).  Students who take a language in high school can place out
of the first year level and start at the second year and fulfill the
requirement in less time.  However, high schools in Hawaii teach a limited
number of languages mainly Japanese, Spanish, French and Hawaiian.  In the
private schools you might have the addition of Mandarin and Russian.  The
university offers some 20 languages, many of them in the less commonly
taught category.  

Leading the attack on the language requirement are the professional
schools or what our Dean calls the "vocational" schools such as the School
of Nursing, School of Architecture and the College of Business
Administration.  However, even surprisingly, the Music department is
amongst the attackers.  Among the arguments used against the language
requirement is that it is responsible for many of the students in these
professional schools taking 5 years to graduate.  Presumably these schools
have so many required courses of their own that they want their students
to take that the language courses interfere with their students taking
them and graduating in 4 years.  The School of Nursing Dean complained
that because many of the first year language courses meet daily M-F, it
makes it difficult to program courses for nursing students such as
clinical practice.  Particularly for Asian languages even second year
courses meet daily.  This is not true of European languages.  Another
attack is that the language departments are overstaffed with faculty
completely ignoring the fact that language courses cannot be taught as
lecture courses with 100 plus students and a single professor.  However,
in an environment of budget cuts, areas of "overstaffing" become targets
of the administration regardless how spurious the claim may be. Another
argument backed up by "research" is the fact that by the time students
reach college (even high school) the prime time for them to be receptive
to picking up a foreign language is long past so why bother.  If we follow
their argument why should we bother to learn anything if the prime time
for us to learn it is long gone.  Why should a 50 year old get a medical
degree?

Here's where I need your help.  We need to assemble facts in order to
mount an offensive against these attacks and dispel any misinformation
that has already been spread.  The university is regarded as a Carnegie-1
research institution and presumably comparisions with other Carnegie-1
research institutions would carry more weight, but information from all
institutions, state supported and private, would be appreciated.   Please
respond to the following questions:

1.  Does your institution have a language requirement?

2.  If yes, what is the requirement and does it apply to all students or
only to certain students at your institution?  

3.  How many credits do the language courses carry?

4.  Do the courses meet daily M-F or only MWF or some other combination of
days?  (i.e. how many class hours does the course meet on a weekly basis?)

5.  Are students given college credit for language study in high school?
If yes, how is eligibility for credit determined?

6.  Please include any other information descriptive of the language
requirement or language courses at your institution not covered by the
above questions.

Thank you.  

Daniel Tom
Language Telecommunications, Resource & Learning Center
University of Hawaii
E-mail:  [log in to unmask]
FAX:     808-956-5134
Voice:   808-956-5118