A rationale for and implications of independent foreign language study programs are developed in this article. Porgrams at the Department of Germanic Languages at the University of Pittsburgh focus on problems and advantages resulting from such programs. Specific remarks are directed to methodology, the course syllabus, and grading procedures. (RL)

This was a working conference designed to elucidate the practical applications and benefits of self-instructional language programs and to point out what not to do as well as how to run a program for colleges and universities who would like to begin language instruction in one or more of 29 languages available through NASILP. It was also geared to…

Discusses the importance of learning about Asian languages and cultures, and suggests ways in which colleges and universities can introduce these languages. (AM)

Surveys of college students have been conducted to determine their needs for foreign language study. Students desired career-oriented foreign language programs that meet their professional needs. As a result of the surveys, the University of Houston will offer language courses in German oriented to hotel majors, business majors and opera singers.…

Recent years have seen the emergence of Web2.0, in which users are not only passive recipients of the featured content, but actively engaged in constructing it. Sites such as "Facebook" and "Myspace" are typical examples of this, as are blogs that allow users to present themselves online, to write about their daily lives or even to establish…

Although the relationship between research and language teaching is often discussed among applied linguists, the views of language teachers are often reported anecdotally, if at all. Our article explores how language teaching colleagues in a Canadian university view this relationship as expressed in open-ended questionnaire responses and…

Content-Based Instruction (CBI) may result in improved proficiency in language skills due to the meaningful combination of subject matter and foreign language as a means of communication. This paper shows how university students improved their level of English by means of a content methodology as they attended a course called Topics in Molecular…

This volume consists of six papers. "Harold Pinter's 'The Birthday Party': A Language Problem in the Teaching of Literature," by J. McDonough, examines the area of overlap between the style of Pinter and the teaching of literature to foreign undergraduate students of English. "Linguistic and Psychological Background to Sequencing of Initial…

Teachers of foreign languages should inform the public about foreign language programs in an attempt to gain support for these programs. Part of public relations involves communicating to the public the achievements of students and programs. Suggestions for reaching the public include community language clubs, concerts, and theatrical productions.…

This paper outlines both negative and affirmative approaches to the issue of whether the public should be aware of a foreign language program. The negative approach would consider the diminishing demand for foreign languages for basic communicative needs in the United States and the conviction on the part of the public that it only needs one…

This paper describes an investigation conducted to determine student preferences for types of reading content in the study of French. The subjects were 438 students enrolled in elementary French courses in five universities. Reading interests were determined with a questionnaire consisting of brief descriptions of thirty items representing five…

This is a collection of papers which discusses characteristics of ESL (English as a Second Language) students in Kuwait. The first chapter, "Oral Communication," notes the extreme facility with which these students communicate in English. Chapter Two, "Names," explains how people in Kuwait are named and addressed. Chapter…

This is a summary of a roundtable on Chinese language teaching which focused on the history and present status of Chinese programs at institutions represented by the discussants. Discussion centered around the following points: (1) types of students taking Chinese; (2) methodology; (3) enrollment; and (4) career opportunities. A paper is also…

When Loyola University dropped its foreign language requirement in 1971, another requirement took its place. Students are now required to take three courses in literature, one of which is to be a course in a literature not originally written in English. Introductory courses (called Masterpieces courses) in French, German, Spanish, and Russian…

After presenting evidence that there is a wide gap between teaching a language and translating a language, reasons for proposing a program in Russian translation are offered. The proposed program for Iowa State University will be selective in admission of undergraduate Russian majors. The program will lead to a certificate in conjunction with the…