Discusses the practicalities associated with the introduction of proficiency-based instruction into university programs and courses that teach Arabic. Some of the additional responsibilities that such innovations place on the language teacher are identified, and issues for further discussion, research, and experimentation are raised. (19…

Narrative and tabular data from the 1990 Modern Language Association survey are provided on the status of foreign language programs. Findings are reported for institutional and departmental characteristics, applicants, enrollments, plans for enlarging graduate programs, numbers of doctorates granted, courses offered in the target language, and…

Discusses a case of language program revitalization at a major metropolitan university. Results of a pilot study aimed at assessing students' needs and redefining the goals and objectives of a traditional French program are presented. (Author/VWL)

Traces the development of innovations and renovations in the graduate and undergraduate German-studies program at Stanford University. Examines the conceptual framework within which the faculty was operating, discusses the practicalities and specifics of three experimental approaches within the German-studies undergraduate curriculum, and…

Argues that, although it is worthwhile to teach literature in its original language, there is merit to teaching foreign language literature in translation. Most college-level language teachers have the language competence to teach literature in English, and if it's not taught in the language department, it may be taught in the English department,…

Demonstrates the dangers of an Americanized world expanding through the importation of American English. Suggests that linguistic sameness creates a loss of identity and deprives people of specific cultures and languages to call their own. (Author/VWL)

Language departments have a natural niche in undergraduate and graduate programs. The process of cross-cultural travel and conscious explorations of responses to difference constitute a unique contribution that foreign languages and literature departments can make to higher education. The article discusses implications of this contribution in…

Expectations regarding teacher-student relationships, classroom interactions, testing and evaluation, and academic integrity vary widely around the world. Understanding these differences can be critical to enhancing the academic success of ESL (English as a Second Language) college students. Faculty working with ESL students often ask: "Why won't…

There is a dearth of research involving advanced second language (L2) learners in the USA [Brantmeier, C., 2001. Second language reading research on passage content and gender: challenges for the intermediate level curriculum, Foreign Language Annals 34, 325-333; Young, D.J., 2003. Workshop on overcoming anxiety in the foreign language classroom.…

A transcript is provided of a radio program broadcast February 24, 1978, on the state of foreign language education. The participants in the discussion were leaders in the field, teachers and students from many parts of the United States and from all educational levels. The subjects covered are: some problems facing foreign language programs; the…

This paper describes the Foreign Language Alternative Program (FLAP) of Bellevue Community College, in Washington state. The program is designed to provide students with alternative choices best fitted to their individual needs, and is thus individualized and equipped to deal with both academic and vocational programs. The first year of a given…

A selective review is presented of the most recent theoretical pronouncements and practical applications of the interdisciplinary approach that are of significance to foreign language teachers and learners. The central focus is on problems and solutions within the two broad areas of institutional structures and curricula. Fifteen conclusions and…

An argument for counseling college-bound students in the senior year of high school rather than in the freshman year in college concentrates on: (1) adequate description of the languages taught in colleges, (2) importance of various languages in career planning, (3) identification of student linguistic potential, (4) study of a third language in…

This report summarizes a study published in 1967 by Harvard University which assessed foreign language proficiency of U.S. college seniors majoring in French, Spanish, Italian, German, and Russian. The measures used were the following: the MLA Foreign Language Proficiency Tests (Form A): Listening, Speaking, Reading, and Writing; the Modern…

A self-paced introductory French course sequence offered at Francis Marion College (South Carolina) was begun in response to nontraditional students' difficult study schedules and varied language backgrounds and knowledge levels. This program of individualized instruction has objectives identical to that of standard French instruction at the same…