Spring Break
Letter to the Editor: Response to "Parlez-vous français?"
Benjamin Hinton
Issue date: 11/3/09 Section: Opinion
I look around, and I find myself more and more concerned with the mentalities of my fellow Pirates, and my fellow Americans.
I hear students like myself complaining about assignments, and about their difficulty. I see dragging feet up and down the mall of ECU's campus! So when I read an article in the East Carolinian about the foreign language graduation requirement being too much, I decided to speak up.
The author states that there is a four-year foreign language requirement for students working towards a Bachelor of Arts degree. Although that is incorrect, it is in fact a whopping four semesters that are required; articles like this one support my argument that perhaps it should indeed be a four-year requirement!
I find this mentality of "It's a waste of time to study a foreign language" shocking and embarrassing.
Look around you, folks. Look as far as the other ends of the world, and as close as our campus. What do you see? That's right: diversity. It's everywhere and so close to home, yet Americans are notorious worldwide for being some of the most culturally and geographically uninformed people on Earth.
Don't get me wrong. I was once in your shoes: as a high school student, I took one semester of French, and did not take it seriously. I think here in the U.S., foreign language skills and cultural awareness are less valued than in other cultures, so it's easy, even normal to miss out on them, and leave them undeveloped!
Luckily, I was presented with many opportunities here at ECU to appreciate foreign cultures and diversity. I have studied abroad in two countries, travelled to many others, and founded and served as an officer in foreign language organizations. I am now a double major in French and Communication. My personal experiences during my college years have put me on the track to become a U.S. foreign officer. But even for those of you who have no desire to ever leave the United States, a foreign language will make you a more informed and aware person.
I hear students like myself complaining about assignments, and about their difficulty. I see dragging feet up and down the mall of ECU's campus! So when I read an article in the East Carolinian about the foreign language graduation requirement being too much, I decided to speak up.
The author states that there is a four-year foreign language requirement for students working towards a Bachelor of Arts degree. Although that is incorrect, it is in fact a whopping four semesters that are required; articles like this one support my argument that perhaps it should indeed be a four-year requirement!
I find this mentality of "It's a waste of time to study a foreign language" shocking and embarrassing.
Look around you, folks. Look as far as the other ends of the world, and as close as our campus. What do you see? That's right: diversity. It's everywhere and so close to home, yet Americans are notorious worldwide for being some of the most culturally and geographically uninformed people on Earth.
Don't get me wrong. I was once in your shoes: as a high school student, I took one semester of French, and did not take it seriously. I think here in the U.S., foreign language skills and cultural awareness are less valued than in other cultures, so it's easy, even normal to miss out on them, and leave them undeveloped!
Luckily, I was presented with many opportunities here at ECU to appreciate foreign cultures and diversity. I have studied abroad in two countries, travelled to many others, and founded and served as an officer in foreign language organizations. I am now a double major in French and Communication. My personal experiences during my college years have put me on the track to become a U.S. foreign officer. But even for those of you who have no desire to ever leave the United States, a foreign language will make you a more informed and aware person.
Viewing Comments 1 - 1 of 1
jw
posted 11/03/09 @ 7:21 PM EST
What's shocking and embarrassing is the several years of Spanish taught throughout elementary and middle school and a general inability to regurgitate the slightest semblance of basic Spanish. (Continued…)
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