[lg policy] Should Foreign Language Classes Be Mandatory in College?

[Harold Schiffman]

Should Foreign Language Classes Be Mandatory in College?
Introduction
[image: foreign language at Princeton]Students at Princeton may soon be
required to take a foreign language. Mark Makela for The New York Times

A Princeton University proposal
<https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2016/11/02/princeton-proposal-would-require-all-students-even-those-already-proficient-study>
would require all general-education students to study a language other than
English, even those already proficient in a foreign language. As American
college students increasingly balk
<http://www.slate.com/articles/life/education/2016/11/in_defense_of_the_college_foreign_language_requirement_which_may_well_save.html>
at foreign language requirements, many institutions are no longer requiring
it, and those that still do often let students test out. Should the study
of a foreign language be mandatory in college?
Read the Discussion »
<http://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2016/12/28/should-foreign-language-classes-be-mandatory-in-college/learning-to-think-is-more-important-than-learning-a-language>
Debaters

   - [image: Cassandra Chanen] Learning to Think Is More Important Than
   Learning a Language
   <http://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2016/12/28/should-foreign-language-classes-be-mandatory-in-college/learning-to-think-is-more-important-than-learning-a-language>

   Cassandra Chanen, high school senior

   I want to be challenged in the way I think about an issue, not in the
   way I express that thinking.
   - [image: Betty Berdan] Studying a Language in College Should Depend on
   Your Interests
   <http://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2016/12/28/should-foreign-language-classes-be-mandatory-in-college/studying-a-language-in-college-should-depend-on-your-interests>

   Betty Berdan, high school junior

   Learning another language takes time and dedication; it’s hard and if
   you don’t want to do it, you’re probably not going to. We'd be better off
   making it mandatory in elementary school.
   - [image: Taylor Doyle] Americans Today Can’t Afford Not to Know Another
   Language
   <http://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2016/12/28/should-foreign-language-classes-be-mandatory-in-college/americans-today-cant-afford-not-to-know-another-language>

   Taylor Doyle, high school junior

   Universities need to mandate the study of a foreign language so that
   Americans are able to compete in a growing, competitive job market.


http://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2016/12/28/should-foreign-language-classes-be-mandatory-in-college?action=click&pgtype=Homepage&clickSource=story-heading&module=opinion-c-col-left-region&region=opinion-c-col-left-region&WT.nav=opinion-c-col-left-region

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