Describes a course designed to impart an appreciation of the potential aesthetic value of communication found in literature, art, music, etc.; a sense of how communication works; and a critical awareness of how communication can be used and manipulated. (EKN)

Discusses the need to broaden students' perspectives in all areas and suggests teaching literary works written in major European languages by third world writers, in second language classes as one method of doing so. (EKN)

Suggests the use of foreign films as a teaching aid for foreign language study. However, a thorough knowledge of the film's oral language (or languages) and culture is essential as a first step toward a clear understanding of the film's visual aesthetic. A dependence on subtitles or dubbing is discouraged, due to frequent errors and…

Discusses what constitutes literary theory and advocates a mandatory course in it for all literature and language majors. (EKN)

Discusses the status of foreign language learning in connection with the humanities, and suggests a redefinition of the mission of the foreign language department in the research university. It is proposed that students be trained in language teaching skills in combination with branches of the humanities other than literature, without neglecting…

Charts present information regarding college students' enrollment in modern foreign language classes and programs, based on a survey indicating that enrollment has increased and that the most commonly taught languages were Spanish, French, German, Italian, Russian, and Latin. (CB)

Reports results of an experiment using peer observation of teachers as part of the evaluation process. The study indicates that a large number of evaluators will produce fair and just evaluations of their peers, with any kind of bias leveling out. Thus, by implication, a small evaluation team could be dangerous. Discusses the improbability of…

Describes a televised German language course designed for older students with little or no foreign language study. In addition, the program has also been open to high school and college students. A comparison of the proficiency achievement of these groups shows that students enrolled in the two-semester telecourse did not attain the proficiency…

Describes an interdisciplinary approach to modern language curriculum design and its results in reversing the declining enrollment trend. These results stem from a global awareness program featuring courses on language role and language communities and training in textual analysis. Adds that the interdisciplinary approach has produced better…

Supports the addition of translation courses into the average college curriculum as a means of equipping foreign language students with the training, background, and tools they require to stay competitive as society, business, and the economy demand. Stresses the ability to translate a variety of types of work, such as nonfiction, scientific,…

Reviewing the President's Commission recommendations, urges language departments to: make language teaching, rather than literary scholarship, their top priority; make intensive or immersion language courses part of the regular curriculum options; develop common standards of proficiency assessment; foster interaction among themselves; support…

Discusses the teaching of French language, literature, and culture in light of the experiences and observations of Gustave Lanson, a professor of French at the University of Paris who taught as a visiting professor at Columbia University in 1911. It is argued that French studies as a discipline needs to emphasize the pluralistic, multicultural…

Discusses the effects of section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, and various state laws on the foreign language requirements of Virginia college and university programs. Foreign language instructors and departments need to be aware of their responsibilities in accommodating learning-disabled…

Reviews factors in modern language programs' declining enrollments, pointing to attendant failures of Americans to communicate on the international level. Describes efforts to counter this trend through interdisciplinary, internationally oriented curricula with a strong foreign language component. (MES)

Discusses the dichotomy between foreign language and literature instruction, arguing that the objectives of the language curriculum are at odds with those of the literature curriculum; many students are not proficient enough to cope with many of the belles lettres texts without additional linguistic support; and students deserve linguistic support…