GWU: Critical languages satisfy no general curriculum requirements

[Melissa Smith]

Isn't there a large body of research that shows studying a foreign 
language - especially a Level II or III -- is one of the BEST methods 
of improving critical thinking? 

It is not only short-sighted, but totally ignorant of the nature of 
language learning, based on the assumption that elementary language 
learning occurs on the level of rote memorization.

Melissa Smith

On 4/16/10 11:17 PM, Stefan Pugh wrote:
> Disgraceful and short-sighted.  Please let us know if we can help in 
any meaningful way.
> 
> 
> SPugh
> 
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: Richard Robin <rrobin at GWU.EDU>
> Date: Friday, April 16, 2010 5:33 pm
> Subject: [SEELANGS] GWU: Critical languages satisfy no general 
curriculum requirements
> To: SEELANGS at bama.ua.edu
> 
> > The George Washington University’s Columbian College of Arts and 
> > Sciencesvoted today to remove all lower-division foreign 
> > language courses from the
> > list of those that can satisfy general curriculum requirements. 
> > This move,
> > part of an overall curriculum overhaul that emphasizes critical 
> > thinking,goes farther than the mere elimination of the foreign 
> > language requirement.
> > It says that students who are thinking about starting a new 
> > foreign language
> > cannot apply those courses any of the required general curriculum
> > categories, including those that come under “oral 
> > communication.” The
> > faculty voted to allow only upper-division language courses to 
> > qualify for
> > that category. Some upper division foreign language courses can 
> > also qualify
> > as writing courses.
> > 
> > DISCOURAGEMENT FOR RUSSIAN AND OTHER CRITICAL LANGUAGES? Allowing
> > upper-division foreign language courses to satisfy general curriculum
> > requirements works for incoming students of Spanish and French, 
> > many of whom
> > can place into those courses. But students who place into first- or
> > second-year Russian will be denied general curriculum credit 
> > under the new
> > rules. That’s a strange step backwards for a school with a strong
> > international profile, located just three blocks from the State 
> > Department.-- 
> > Richard M. Robin, Ph.D.
> > Director Russian Language Program
> > The George Washington University
> > Washington, DC 20052
> > 202-994-7081
> > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> > Russkiy tekst v UTF-8
> > 
> > -----------------------------------------------------------------
> > --------
> >  Use your web browser to search the archives, control your 
> > subscription  options, and more.  Visit and bookmark 
> > the SEELANGS Web Interface at:
> >                     http://seelangs.home.comcast.net/
> > -----------------------------------------------------------------
> > --------
> 
> 
------------------------------------------------------------------------
-
>  Use your web browser to search the archives, control your subscription
>   options, and more.  Visit and bookmark the SEELANGS Web Interface at:
>                     http://seelangs.home.comcast.net/
> 
------------------------------------------------------------------------
-


------------------------------------

Melissa T. Smith, Professor
Department of Foreign Languages and 
Literatures  
Youngstown State University
Youngstown, OH 44555
Tel: (330)941-3462

-------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Use your web browser to search the archives, control your subscription
  options, and more.  Visit and bookmark the SEELANGS Web Interface at:
                    http://seelangs.home.comcast.net/
-------------------------------------------------------------------------