Discusses the political involvement of the foreign language profession. Describes some of the bills or programs currently in Congress that affect the profession. (EKN)

Discusses the anxieties, problems, and advantages of a merger between the English department and foreign-language departments at the University of Wisconsin Whitewater. Overall, the new Languages and Literatures department is stronger than its two component parts were formerly, in part due to the merger and the recruitment of excellent junior…

Describes the graduate program in intercultural communication offered by the Department of Modern Languages and Linguistics at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. The program offers an alternative to the traditional master's program that has tended to focus on language and literature. (Author/VWL)

Presents the findings of the Modern Language Association 1994-95 survey furnishing data on the number of postsecondary institutions with college-wide foreign language requirements either for entrance or completion of a program. Findings indicate that degree requirements in foreign languages are more prevalent at large four-year institutions with…

Describes the Spanish writing program at the University of Minnesota, which provides support services at the advanced level. Highlights the staff, the program structure, and the strategies used for developing students' writing. (Author/VWL)

Describes the "Texas Project," a project to train a cadre of Texas-based college-level teachers of French, German, and Spanish to serve as oral-proficiency interviewers and raters. Discusses the four goals of the project and reports on its current status. (SED)

Describes how a study abroad program benefited a foreign language department through cooperation with other departments on campus and has increased the number of better-prepared students for advanced courses. Two keys to this success are integration of the study abroad program into the academic curriculum and the credit system and some well-honed…

Describes the lack of importance ascribed to English as a language in Elizabethan times and points out that the popularity of any language resides in its perceived cultural and economic capitol. Draws distinctions between instrumental and integrative motivations and discusses the place of favorable attitudes and positive motivations in language…

Describes an online approach through using a MOO, a computer program that allows students to share text-based virtual reality. The goal of the program was to build an environment that both enabled practice in the target language and sustained reflection on the processes of cultural production and reception. (Author/VWL)

If comparative literature's current emphasis on literary theory is balanced by its participation in a practical and well-calibrated international studies curriculum, it may have arrived at a comprehensive definition of its nature and mission as an academic discipline. (CB)

Describes the Institute for Institutional Development in International Education created to act as agent for the Pennsylvania Council on International Education in the allocation of funds to postsecondary institutions for projects that promote both foreign languages and international study. Projects in two colleges and the state university are…

Focuses on a program providing foreign language instruction to students whose background derives from the country of that language's origin. The article notes that students in this program work on their own, coming together for small group conversation sessions. The article points out that these students often regard the study of their language as…

Describes problems and attempted resolutions encountered in administering an effective study-abroad program in Paris, France, discussing program rationale, selection and preparation of students, academic life, and social life. (28 references) (CB)

Considers the many possible uses of computers in foreign language education, including teaching, learning, and research. It is argued that the computer's greatest potential lies in its ability to provide a richly supportive language learning environment in which students are helped individually to develop, expand, and refine their expressive and…

This article stresses the importance of cross cultural education for university students and suggests that foreign language departments provide it. A course in cross cultural communication at Miami University in Ohio is described. (CFM)