Undergraduate Education, Council on -Reports - 2007-2008
- Foreign Language Requirement - GEP
Foreign Language Requirement:
Foreign language proficiency at the FL102 level. This can be demonstrated by completing two years of high school study of the same language with the grade of C or better in each of the two years, or a passing grade at the FL102 level, or by placement into the FL201 by examination. Additional requirements have been established by some Colleges and programs
Rationale:
In a sense, languages are keys to the world. The continuous expansion of international relations makes the knowledge of foreign languages increasingly significant. In learning a foreign language and studying its literature and cultures, students acquire a body of knowledge about how humans think, view the world, express themselves, and communicate with one another.Language learning also expands one's ability to create and discover new meaning in one's own language and culture. Knowledge of the linguistic structures of a second language helps students to understand their own language better. Likewise, an awareness of contrasting cultural concepts sensitizes students to the differences between their own culture and others. Such an awareness has become increasingly important as the communities of the world have become more interconnected and interdependent. The needs of our global society require that more citizens have access to other languages and cultures in order to cooperate in the process of improving the quality of human life.