--- Forwarded Message from Aleta Anderson <[log in to unmask]> ---

>In-Reply-To: <[log in to unmask]>
>Date: Fri, 1 Oct 1999 15:32:33 -0700
>To: Language Learning and Technology International Information Forum               <[log in to unmask]>
>From: Aleta Anderson <[log in to unmask]>
>Subject: Re: #5226 Under Attack Again

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>--- 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]>
>
>------------------
>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?
>       YES
>2.  If yes, what is the requirement and does it apply to all students or
>only to certain students at your institution?
>       IT APPLIES TO EVERYONE - STUDENTS MUST COMPLETE AT LEAST TWO YEARS
>OF HIGH SCHOOL OR 1 YEAR OF COLLEGE LANGUAGE
>3.  How many credits do the language courses carry?
>       4
>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?)
>       COURSES MEET THREE TIMES PER WEEK, 65 MINUTES PER CLASS
>5.  Are students given college credit for language study in high school?
>If yes, how is eligibility for credit determined?
        YES - TWO YEARS HIGH SCHOOL = 1 YEAR COLLEGE.
>
>6.  Please include any other information descriptive of the language
>requirement or language courses at your institution not covered by the
>above questions.
>       OUR LANGUAGE REQUIREMENT IS PITIFULL.
>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