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[peitho]

The latest in a disturbing trend.  Three language programs (French, Russian, and Italian) have been eliminated at all levels of study, and with them, the seven tenured faculty members.  Apparently, the programs are not making a profit these days.

http://french.commons.gc.cuny.edu/2010/10/02/quoi-entire-french-program-deactivated-at-suny-albany/

Any suggestions on how to validate the study of foreign languages and literatures in a world that increasingly sees added value only in learning the rudimentary skills of a foreign language?  Of course, even that is tenuous at best.

[watermarkup]

I'd have to say that even rudimentary skills are not seen as worth the effort. Foreign language programs are the target of choice for budget cuts these days. No argument, no amount of statistics will convince the administrators making those decisions otherwise.

[voxprincipalis]

Any suggestions on how to validate the study of foreign languages and literatures in a world that increasingly sees added value only in learning the rudimentary skills of a foreign language?  Of course, even that is tenuous at best.

If it helps at all, I can say that my institution is leaning towards requiring *more* foreign language, rather than less. So it is not a universal trend.

VP

[oldfullprof]

They should revoke Albany's "university" status.  Similarly, our "university" offers only a Spanish major.  You can take two classes in several other languages.

[bronze]

It's not just languages (though that's bad enough); they also shut down the theatre program.

[frenchdoctor]

Isn't New York a 100% blue state ? I thought Democrats were cherishing education and cultural diversity more than their own lives.

Anyway, students can still transfer to Texas-Austin. There, they still teach French, Classics, Russian, Italian and Classics. 

[spork]

I'll say two things that I've mentioned on other threads:

1) The elimination of foreign language programs represents in large part a failure of the faculty to demonstrate to students and donors that those areas of study are relevant.

2) While foreign language study is important IMO, higher ed in this country, as well as secondary ed, needs to be dragged kicking and screaming away from the "we offer French-Italian-Spanish" model of foreign language instruction.  Spanish, ok.  There's all of Latin America next door and plenty of Spanish speakers in the USA.  But Mandarin, Arabic, Turkish, and Japanese are used much more frequently than Italian.

[dellaroux]

True enough and those languages ought to be offered as well, certainly.

But, anyone doing any kind of humanities or science research will need at least one of the Romance/Western languages once they go to the graduate level, and language-learning is already harder for adults than for kids, so the later, the harder, as far as I've ever heard.

And much of the relevant research in many fields is still focused around Western European universities where the publications are in--yep, French, Spanish, Italian, German...

Not at all putting a lock on those langagues alone, but they've been minimal as it is, and having them disappear is mind-numbing.

Sputnik was our friend...

[fizmath]

I'll say two things that I've mentioned on other threads:

1) The elimination of foreign language programs represents in large part a failure of the faculty to demonstrate to students and donors that those areas of study are relevant.

2) While foreign language study is important IMO, higher ed in this country, as well as secondary ed, needs to be dragged kicking and screaming away from the "we offer French-Italian-Spanish" model of foreign language instruction.  Spanish, ok.  There's all of Latin America next door and plenty of Spanish speakers in the USA.  But Mandarin, Arabic, Turkish, and Japanese are used much more frequently than Italian.

Those languages you mention are much harder to learn for a native English speaker. 

[spork]

I'll say two things that I've mentioned on other threads:

1) The elimination of foreign language programs represents in large part a failure of the faculty to demonstrate to students and donors that those areas of study are relevant.

2) While foreign language study is important IMO, higher ed in this country, as well as secondary ed, needs to be dragged kicking and screaming away from the "we offer French-Italian-Spanish" model of foreign language instruction.  Spanish, ok.  There's all of Latin America next door and plenty of Spanish speakers in the USA.  But Mandarin, Arabic, Turkish, and Japanese are used much more frequently than Italian.

Those languages you mention are much harder to learn for a native English speaker. 

My response is:

1) I doubt it.

2) If so, so what?  Learning takes effort.

[dellaroux]

Yes, just think if one of the American auditors had had better French at some point earlier in the future on this case:

   http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/06/business/global/06bank.html?src=mv

No earthly use at all, languages, none. Nada (oops, see--that's a foreign word!!) Nothing.

[oldfullprof]

One good step would be to take out the mandated GE diversity courses, and substitute foreign languages classes for them.

[dellaroux]

You could also never understand the cute talking frog (or is he a gekko?)

   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b-nZ4gHXC5s&feature=channel

OK, I'd better not get started.

I don't know that removing a diversity class would be the right way to go....it's sort of diversity we're talking about, isn't it??

Both go together in my mind; in fact the lack of appreciation for diverse sources of human knowledge is sort of the point, in my mind.

[mozman]

I'll admit that my first impulse is often to bash the humanities, but blanket administrative elimination of any department and tenured faculty without any kind of faculty input or due process unnerves me ("They came first for the communists etc...").

Why not consolidate the various language departments into a single department?

[jonesey]

Isn't New York a 100% blue state ?

Only because of NYC.  The rest of NY state, particularly upstate, is decidedly red.