The University of San Francisco developed a certificate program in Western European area studies covering French-speaking countries, and subsequently a Latin American area studies program for Spanish-speaking countries, in response to uneven language enrollments and as a means of increasing intermediate-level enrollment. The French program begins…

Reviews effects on faculty, teaching assistants, curriculum, and students of the proficiency-based foreign language requirement instituted at the University of Pennsylvania. Although important and valuable changes have occurred in the language learning and teaching environment, caution is urged in creating realistic and well-understood standards…

A new program at Boston University that identifies students who would have great difficulty fulfilling their foreign language requirement is described. This program offers an alternative sequence of courses designed to help these students achieve foreign language learning success. (LMO)

A model is presented for postsecondary French language education based on the belief that linguistic improvement and cultural rappprochement are complementary goals. Data on secondary French immersion enrollment trends are noted, and planning difficulties due to small enrollments and insufficient information about career goals are discussed. (MSE)

A study investigated the effectiveness of training programs for teaching assistants (TAs) in language courses at the University of Texas at Austin. The programs provided for these students, offered through various language departments, are designed to introduce the most important teaching methodologies and provide opportunities for TAs to gain…

This Gulf Arabic text is designed for those who want to acquire a conversational tool beyond the basic level; it is also of interest to Arabists, anthropologists, and Arabic dialectologists. The language in this text is used in informal situations by the indigenous populations of the southern coast of the Persian Gulf. The text contains 21 lessons…

Examines the following factors, cited as important for building enrollments in a report on successful slavic language programs: (1) speaking and listening skills; (2) individual attention; (3) outreach activities; and (4) extracurricular programs. (AM)

Foreign summer language programs offer many advantages to students, but students may only receive superficial contact with the host culture and language and may be motivated only by their wish to have a memorable experience abroad. Suggestions are presented to ensure academic validity of such programs in the areas of motivation, academic credit,…

Individuals interested in becoming translators should pursue a generalist arts and science background as undergraduates and begin professional study to become translators in graduate programs. Prospective translators first need the skills and knowledge learned in a good liberal arts education before acquiring skills necessary for accurate,…

Describes a pilot program designed to offer a curriculum for students interested in beginning the study of a foreign language as part of their preparation for international professions (engineering, business, sciences, etc.). Through interviews with representatives of international business, banking, and government agencies who have served abroad,…

A study investigated the relationships among vocabulary size, depth of vocabulary knowledge, and reading comprehension in English as a second language (ESL). Subjects were 74 native Chinese- and Korean-speaking students in intensive academic ESL courses in two Ontario universities. They were administered questionnaires to gather demographic and…

One of the challenges facing many foreign language programs today is maintaining high quality instruction despite increased enrollments and teacher shortages. One strategy for meeting this challenge is collaborative teaching. Collaborative teaching can occur in various settings and for different purposes. Studies of team-teaching have shown its…

Glendale Community College's (AZ) Spanish-language education program includes priorities in the following areas: four skills (listening, speaking, reading, and writing) and culture; counseling students; and use of technology for teaching and assessing language use and for professional development. (LB)

Australia's Griffith University introduced computer assisted language learning (CALL) to existing language curricula in the Department of Asian and International Studies, offering professional development to support the faculty. Evaluation of faculty and student attitudes and program outcomes indicated that with appropriate support, CALL had a…

Five brief essays are presented in response to an earlier article on leadership in college foreign-language departments. They address issues of curriculum redesign, pedagogical change, the nature of language teaching, the professional identity of language teachers, the role of professional organizations, and the traditional departmental model. A…