What’s the T: Foreign language instruction needs reform
If there is one topic that I can rant about for hours, it’s foreign language requirements. I have so many issues with the existence of these requirements that I could write on each issue separately, but instead I’m going to summarize and try to explain why I am so against the foreign language requirements at Hofstra University.
My first issue with foreign language requirements in universities is the classism that goes along with them. Foreign language textbooks have a reputation for being expensive, often because you often need some kind of online access code in addition to the textbook. The prices for these books and access codes can often be over $300, and it is often impossible to pass the class without them. That means if you are a low-income student like myself who already struggles to pay your tuition, you can be forced to take two or three expensive classes if you want your degree.
There is very little evidence that these requirements actually help increase proficiency in a second language, since many students are simply trying to satisfy the requirement, and thus they are only “proficient” until they get the credit. So you are being forced to pay for expensive books for classes you may not even want to take that most likely won’t even accomplish the goals they set out to teach you.
The other main issue I have with these classes is how uncomfortable and unbearable they can be if you are an LGBT student. I am a transgender woman, that is no secret, but just imagine for a second what that might be like while sitting in a Spanish class. With such a gendered language, I am constantly being put in uncomfortable situations where I am misgendered. I once literally had someone in a class change my name to be Sereno in accordance with the masculine form. Imagine, for a second, someone going so far out of their way to misgender you that they change your name to end in an O instead of an A.
Furthermore, I have been in classes where professors have asked people for personal details of their lives, such as dating partners, but the questions were so heteronormative that LGBT students were either forced to correct the professor – and risk further embarrassment – or just answer as if they were not LGBT. Neither of those outcomes should be happening in an expensive class at an expensive university. I don’t want professors to be assuming that I’m a cisgender man, and thus ask me if I have a girlfriend. I don’t want professors to be asking me which parent is my favorite, and then following that up by asking why the other one isn’t my favorite. I don’t want to be forced to pay to be in a linguistic nightmare just so that I can get a bachelor’s degree in psychology.
There are a couple of solutions to these issues that I can see. My first suggestion would be to do away with the general foreign language requirements. While I still believe foreign languages being offered is important and that everyone who can should strive to be fluent in multiple languages, the fact of the matter is that requiring these classes is not the way to do it – and they cause harm and discomfort in the process.
Secondly, I think that all levels of all languages should have versions offered that do not require an expensive textbook and/or access code, so that way if there is going to be a requirement, lower-income students can afford to take these classes as well.
And finally, to further make language classes more accessible, the American Sign Language classes offered should also count towards the requirement. Whatever path is chosen, if Hofstra University truly wants classes to be open and accessible for all students, then something about the foreign language requirement has to change.
What’s the T is a column from the perspective of Serena Payne, a senior psychology major and transgender woman. She is also a member of the Dean of Students’ Diversity Advisory Board.
