U. plans for new language program

Foreign Languages Across the Curriculum would use courses in different disciplines. For University students, taking Economics in Spanish, Systems Engineering in German and History in Hebrew may soon be a possibility -- without having to go abroad. As part of the Agenda for Excellence emphasizing interdisciplinary study, the University hopes to implement a "Foreign Languages Across the Curriculum" program -- similar to the current Writing Across the University program -- which would consist of language courses taught through various disciplines. "It's a bridge program," said Arabic and Asian and Middle Eastern Studies Professor Roger Allen, who chairs the FLAC Committee. "We're trying to get away from students thinking that the language requirement is something to get rid of before going on to a career of using only English," he said. Provost Stanley Chodorow said the courses will help students improve their language skills above the language requirement proficiency level. FLAC will also encourage students who study abroad to continue using their language skills. "The idea is to become a global university," English Professor and 21st Century Project coordinator Susan Albertine said. She added that students will need to "move to multilingualism" to be competitive in the modern world. And Allen added that "It's not okay to say that everyone speaks English and leave it at that." As the world becomes more interconnected, he said, Americans will be at a disadvantage if they don't understand foreign languages. "Because of increasingly diverse economics, people who don't know languages are going to be losers in the long term," Allen added. According to Allen, everything is "ready to roll" in terms of the planning process, but funding for the program remains uncertain. The initiative will employ international teaching assistants who can educate undergraduates about culture as well as language. And although Allen said FLAC will be beneficial for students, it is not likely to be made a graduation requirement. "I think to what extent it becomes a requirement will be from outside the University," he said. "The assumption that [everyone] speaks English is not okay." Nursing Professor Antonia Villarruel, who taught a class on Latino health issues last semester, said it is imperative that students actively use languages. "It gives students a chance to learn or practice Spanish in a setting outside classroom," she said. Nursing senior Valerie LaForge, who created a teaching tool for a Spanish diabetic population last semester, said students "don't learn languages when they are memorizing vocabulary words." "You don't have a choice any more have to learn and study in other language," she said. "There's no match for actually studying in that language," she added. The committee to study FLAC's future development consists of Penn Language Center Director and Asian Studies Professor Harold Schiffman, International Studies and Business Director and Finance Professor Jamshed Ghandhi, Systems Engineering Professor Keith Ross, Villarruel and College junior Dan Goldring. Similar programs already exist at Brown University, Earlham University, the State University of New York at Binghamton, the University of California at San Diego and the University of Minnesota.