Spring Break
I'll speak English
Revalutating foreign language requirements
Andrea Robertson
Issue date: 2/12/09 Section: Opinion
Foreign language: the bane of my general education requirements. Three days a week, I go to French class. Three days a week for the last three semesters.
The foreign language requirement varies from major to major. As an English major, I am required to take four semesters of the same language. Communication majors are required to take two semesters of a language; biology, chemistry (excluding those who want a BA in chemistry) and nursing majors don't require any foreign language at all. There are even a few concentrations for education degrees that don't require one to take a foreign language.
This makes absolutely no sense! I can't fathom how this requirement is viewed as more help for a person who plans to be a writer of English; it seems that those who are following the path of biology, chemistry or nursing, which will more than likely lead to the medical field, should be required to take more foreign language.
When Spanish is a language that is spoken so widely, you would think that the university would realize that people who are attempting to enter the medical field or the education field would benefit the most from taking foreign language.
Personally, I only plan to write in English when I graduate. I don't plan to take any extensive trips to Europe; I'll be lucky to ever spend more than a week in a French-speaking country. But someone who wants to teach in public schools or someone who wants to practice medicine will encounter many people who don't speak English well. Taking that into consideration, it seems to me that ECU is adding a frivolous requirement to majors that won't use the knowledge learned in a foreign language class and would add this graduation requirement to the many majors that would actually gain something from the classes.
I will admit that having knowledge of another language is valuable, but the fact that ECU only requires its students to take 12 hours of English courses that are writing intensive, courses that don't necessarily teach a student how to properly use their own language, irritates me!
We have a large amount of citizens who are illiterate, and I have witnessed college educated people who don't use our own language properly; I know I don't always speak in a grammatically correct manner, and English is my major!
Perhaps ECU should reevaluate its curriculum requirements.
It's sad that I know I am paying for four semesters of foreign language that will probably be nearly forgotten in less than four semesters' time after I graduate, when a person who wants to be a teacher, doctor or nurse would truly benefit from taking such courses … and it's not required.
This writer can be contacted at opinion@theeastcarolinian.com.
The foreign language requirement varies from major to major. As an English major, I am required to take four semesters of the same language. Communication majors are required to take two semesters of a language; biology, chemistry (excluding those who want a BA in chemistry) and nursing majors don't require any foreign language at all. There are even a few concentrations for education degrees that don't require one to take a foreign language.
This makes absolutely no sense! I can't fathom how this requirement is viewed as more help for a person who plans to be a writer of English; it seems that those who are following the path of biology, chemistry or nursing, which will more than likely lead to the medical field, should be required to take more foreign language.
When Spanish is a language that is spoken so widely, you would think that the university would realize that people who are attempting to enter the medical field or the education field would benefit the most from taking foreign language.
Personally, I only plan to write in English when I graduate. I don't plan to take any extensive trips to Europe; I'll be lucky to ever spend more than a week in a French-speaking country. But someone who wants to teach in public schools or someone who wants to practice medicine will encounter many people who don't speak English well. Taking that into consideration, it seems to me that ECU is adding a frivolous requirement to majors that won't use the knowledge learned in a foreign language class and would add this graduation requirement to the many majors that would actually gain something from the classes.
I will admit that having knowledge of another language is valuable, but the fact that ECU only requires its students to take 12 hours of English courses that are writing intensive, courses that don't necessarily teach a student how to properly use their own language, irritates me!
We have a large amount of citizens who are illiterate, and I have witnessed college educated people who don't use our own language properly; I know I don't always speak in a grammatically correct manner, and English is my major!
Perhaps ECU should reevaluate its curriculum requirements.
It's sad that I know I am paying for four semesters of foreign language that will probably be nearly forgotten in less than four semesters' time after I graduate, when a person who wants to be a teacher, doctor or nurse would truly benefit from taking such courses … and it's not required.
This writer can be contacted at opinion@theeastcarolinian.com.
Viewing Comments 1 - 5 of 6
Copy Editor anyone?
posted 2/12/09 @ 9:57 PM EST
It is sad to know that you are in college and do not know that "revalutating" is not a word. How about reevaluating.
Irritated
posted 2/12/09 @ 11:26 PM EST
oh, please. it was probably a typo. get over it.
Paul
posted 2/13/09 @ 4:49 AM EST
Here we speak American!
Hmm
posted 2/13/09 @ 8:21 PM EST
You're getting a liberal arts education, which implies a good grounding in a variety of disciplines. Believe it or not, the end goal of this process is not to train you to perform a function. (Continued…)
Locke
posted 2/15/09 @ 9:03 PM EST
1: Degree standards are common through all University of North Carolina schools; it is not within the authority of ECU to make such a change as advocated by the author. (Continued…)
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