It seems college students nationwide are preparing themselves for worldwide interaction.
The Romance Languages – Spanish, French and Italian – still comprise more than 70 percent of languages studied at American colleges and universities. But the most growth from 2002-06 was in languages that are relevant to current affairs.
Arabic enrollment increased the most, by 126.5 percent. It was followed by Chinese, with a 51 percent increase, and Korean, which increased by 37.1 percent.
But the overall number of students studying languages is still 16.5 percent lower than the enrollment record set in 1965, and only one in five undergraduate students is studying above the first- or second-year level.
The World Languages Academy is a division of the University’s Yamada Language Center that offers self-study and small courses lesser-known languages including Arabic and Korean.
Yamada Language Center Director Jeff Magoto attributes the surge in student interest to current affairs.
“More students are more aware of the world and more aware of the parts of the world that don’t speak traditionally French or Spanish or maybe German,” Magoto said. “More business students are going to India or China after they’re graduating than going to Berlin.”
University senior Andy Sun is one of those business students. After he graduates this term Sun hopes to travel to Beijing for a five-month sports marketing internship. Sun pursued his double major of business and Chinese to prepare him for business in the 21st century.
“It’s my opinion that (with) business studies as my primary major, you kind of need something to augment that,” Sun said. “Language skills become very necessary, especially with the Chinese economy growing the way it is. Having that ability is very important to anyone who wants to do business nationally.”
Magoto said the findings of the survey – the Modern Language Association’s “Enrollments in Languages Other Than English in United States Institutions of Higher Education, Fall 2006” – are essentially reflective of enrollment patterns at the University.
“WLA right now consists of Arabic, Portuguese, Korean and Swahili,” said Magoto. “They’ve all increased, dramatically reflecting national trends.”
Magoto noted another point the report also made: Most students are not continuing their studies after one or two years. There has been significant demand for advanced levels; however, and as a result the 2008-09 academic year will be the first in which third-year levels will be offered through the WLA.
It’s difficult at this point to determine whether these enrollment trends will continue, Magoto said, because there are numerous factors that go into students’ decisions to stick with or abandon a language.
“They’re new programs, so we’re still figuring out what works and what doesn’t,” Magoto said. “And I’d say that’s true nationwide.”
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