Regional Language and Culture Studies: Redefining the Discipline

Autor/in	Holman, Don
Titel	Regional Language and Culture Studies: Redefining the Discipline
Quelle	In: Applied Language Learning, 31 (2021) 1-2, S.1-14 (14 Seiten) PDF als Volltext Verfügbarkeit
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	1041-679X
Schlagwörter	Second Language Learning; Second Language Instruction; Modern Languages; College Second Language Programs; Universities; French; German; Declining Enrollment; Language Enrollment; Undergraduate Students; Program Development; Cultural Awareness; Majors (Students); Enrollment Trends; Geographic Regions; Program Descriptions; Economic Factors; Political Influences; Foreign Countries; Educational Change; Language Tests; Bachelors Degrees; Language Proficiency; Oral Language; Colorado; Europe; ACTFL Oral Proficiency Interview + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Zweitsprachenerwerb; Fremdsprachenunterricht; Gegenwartssprache; University; Universität; Französisch; Deutscher; Programmplanung; Cultural identity; Kulturelle Identität; Ökonomischer Faktor; Political influence; Politischer Einfluss; Ausland; Bildungsreform; Language test; Sprachtest; 'Bachelor''s degrees'; Bachelor-Studiengang; Language skill; Language skills; Sprachkompetenz; Oral interpretation; Mündlicher Sprachgebrauch; Europa
Abstract	Whereas major research universities may accommodate programs of study in Arabic, Chinese, or Persian, regional universities and liberal arts colleges have struggled to adapt to a wider and more complex array of world languages and literatures in the 21st century. Many have been forced to choose between radically restructuring or closing programs in some languages. This was the case at the University of Northern Colorado. When the Department of Modern Languages faced pressure to close its French and German majors due to low enrollment, the faculty examined a limited range of options. The result is a new BA program in European Languages and Cultures. Yet what arose from necessity has the earmarks of virtue. Since introduced, the new major has seen increased enrollment in upper-division French and German courses, even motivating several of our majors to minor in other European languages, in addition to their language of emphasis. In view of its sister programs, Asian Studies, Africana Studies, and Latin American Studies, the new program perpetuates a trend for the study of languages in their regional, geopolitical context. For scholars in what is now the Department of World Languages and Cultures, adapting the study of languages to geopolitics and economics in the 21st century has meant nothing less than redefining our discipline. (As Provided).
Anmerkungen	Defense Language Institute, Foreign Language Center. Academic Journals, 1759 Lewis Road Suite 142, Presidio of Monterey, Monterey, CA 93944-5006. Tel: 831-242-5638; Fax: 831-242-5850; e-mail: aj@pom-emh1.army.mil; Website: http://www.dliflc.edu/#homepage-
Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2024/1/01