“L”-reqs

“How many do I have to take again?” This question and many others surround Duke’s foreign language requirement. Currently, Trinity College of Arts and Sciences students are required to take one to three courses in a foreign language depending on prior experience. Pratt students, on the other hand, have no mandatory language requirements. Learning another language is unequivocally beneficial. In today’s job market, multi-lingualism is an unofficial prerequisite, especially for those entering the business world or conducting field research abroad. But we question whether the goals of the requirement align with what students are actually getting from fulfilling it. With the succession of a new provost, we hope to see changes to our 14-year-old curriculum, in particular the Trinity language requirement.

In assessing the language requirement, we ask first what the goals of the curriculum requirement are and what value it adds to a Duke education. We believe there are two main objectives of the foreign language requirement: to encourage proficiency in foreign languages and to engage students with foreign cultures.

If the goal is to attain proficiency, the language requirement as it stands falls short. Though well-intentioned, in practice the required semesters merely offer surface knowledge of languages. Some students—seeking the path of least resistance in completing their graduation checklist—opt simply for the “easiest” languages. Others take language classes when it best fits into their schedule, oftentimes leaving multi-semester long gaps in which they forget everything they already learned. Learning a language takes time, practice and daily use—short of requiring eight semesters of language studies, it is nearly impossible for students to become proficient in any meaningful way.

The more feasible and equally valuable goal of a language requirement is to engage students with different cultures and broaden global perspectives. Intensive studies of other cultures would embody Duke’s mission “to promote a deep appreciate for the range of human difference and potential.” For example, studying the inner-workings of France’s political system and current affairs both enriches students’ understanding of world affairs and provide the basis for comparative studies. Culture is wonderful. A focus on examining foreign cultures empowers students to think with entirely new paradigms, uniquely adding to their personal diversity of thought during their time at Duke and after.

We propose a change to the foreign language requirement that would emphasize intensive cultural studies in addition to language. Students taking Chinese, for example, would learn grammatical structures alongside deeper topics like politics, philosophy, theater, social history, and other core social factors. The Italian department has already begun this shift—students engage in more cultural material in intermediate classes instead of having to wait for the 300-level courses as in most departments. We recognize this would entail a massive addition of courses that in the short term may be difficult, but that could eventually, if implemented, further distinguish Duke from its peer institutions.

As Provost Sally Kornbluth stated last spring, Duke’s culture encourages “students to make a difference in the world.” We support the advancement of this paramount value at Duke and believe refocusing the language requirement is an important step in preparing students to engage the world abroad.