Language policies in any country exist within socio-historical contexts--embedded in history and influenced by socio-political factors. In Canada, such factors were the impetus to the formation of the Royal Commission on Bilingualism and Biculturalism, which was grounded in an English/French partnership and recommended that Canada become an…

Describes a new educational program for multilingual information officers at the Institut Universitaire de Technologie of the Toulouse University of Sciences (France). General and technical courses are given in French and foreign languages so that graduates can take positions and quickly become effective in organizations with international…

A French writing workshop used at the university level in Japan to enhance French language instruction is described. The exercises, in which students write Haiku and minimalist poetry in French, stress such aspects of language use as associations, connotations, and creative word use. Several exercise types are described. (MSE)

This publication, an update of previous reports of the same title, provides information on language programs in Canada under the following headings: (1) programs in the nine provinces (excluding Quebec) including a description of minority language and second language education as well as French immersion programs; and (2) programs in Quebec,…

The program used by French-language teachers at the University of Lausanne (Switzerland) to develop software for students' independent study is described, and the process of creating an interactive exercise is illustrated. The ease and flexibility of authoring is highlighted. (MSE)

A University of Texas, Austin, French course that uses dramatics as a focus for language practice and cultural awareness is described. Relaxation, movement, group dynamics, and interpretation of the text area are all seen as contributing to the language-learning experience. (MSE)

The role of foreign languages in the liberal arts colleges and of business training in the foreign language curriculum is examined. In recent years, student interests in foreign languages have shifted from the traditional focus on literary scholarship to practical applications and communication. International studies are also necessary in…

College language departments report that, although enrollments in Spanish and some Pacific Rim languages are growing rapidly, declines are seen in French and German, traditionally popular, and in many less commonly taught languages. Students are motivated by practical considerations: many find their employment potential is increased by language…

Drawing on a 1993 study of four students in a late French immersion program in Australia and findings from a 1991 study, the report looks at three areas: students' response to the learning context, including its more and less helpful characteristics; the experiences students consider most important for learning the language, including those…

The guide describes and presents the placement instruments used in seven Alberta (Canada) high school French second language (FSL) courses at the beginning, intermediate, and advanced levels. An introductory section explains the structure and use of the instruments and makes general recommendations for administering them. Subsequent sections…

A career-oriented foreign language program is discussed that takes into account marketable skills of foreign language majors for a number of careers. The program is threefold. First, it recognizes the need for language skills to supplement technical, business, and professional skills to expand educational knowledge; capabilities in diplomacy and…

Issues 1 and 2 (combined) of the 1995 journal contain these articles: "Accelerated Learning in a Beginning College-Level French Class at the University of Houston" (Patrice Caux); "The Psychobiology of Learning and Memory" (Don Schuster); "Do the Seeds of Accelerated Language Learning and Teaching Lie in a Behavioral…

This work is one in a series that focuses on nine languages representing the bulk of the second language learning effort in Australian education (Arabic, Modern Standard Chinese, French, German, Modern Greek, Indonesian/Malay, Italian, Japanese, and Spanish). These languages were categorized as the Languages of Wider Teaching. This particular work…

To address the special second language learning needs of deaf college students, a project was undertaken at Gallaudet University (District of Columbia), the world's only four-year liberal arts university for the deaf, to create 36 videotaped lessons in grammar, signed in American Sign Language, for first-year French and Spanish instruction. The…

This report details the third year (October 1, 1995-September 30, 1996) of a Trinity College (Ireland) program to offer second language learning modules to students who are not language majors. The modules' objectives are to develop students' communication skills for study, travel, or work abroad during undergraduate years, and to enhance their…