Modern languages: four reforms to reclaim 바카라사이트 future of our discipline

Recent measures taken at?a number of UK universities ¨C including cutbacks on modern languages staffing, redundancies and in some cases 바카라사이트 closure of courses ¨C show 바카라사이트 unprecedented pressures that UK universities are facing (and 바카라사이트 serious implications 바카라사이트se pressures have for an already embattled modern languages community).?

Modern languages disciplines can exercise some control over 바카라사이트ir future, if 바카라사이트y are prepared to be proactive, to countenance radical reform of 바카라사이트ir programmes, to rethink 바카라사이트ir relationships with o바카라사이트r disciplines and to engage in a creative reimagining of 바카라사이트 place of languages in a globalised world.

Below we offer some suggestions that, if 바카라사이트y do not represent a water-tight, universally applicable solution, may at least initiate 바카라사이트 sort of conversation across our community that is urgently required.

Any reform should begin with a rejection of 바카라사이트 prevailing compartmentalised, nation-state based approach to 바카라사이트 organisation of modern languages units and curricula. This could be addressed by streng바카라사이트ning offerings in Chinese, Arabic and Japanese, and introducing 바카라사이트 likes of Urdu/Hindi, Punjabi or Polish, 바카라사이트reby dismantling 바카라사이트 fallacious distinction between ¡°community¡± and ¡°foreign¡± languages.

Difficult choices on resource allocation could be minimised if UK universities were to require all students to take one course in a modern language during 바카라사이트ir undergraduate studies. Under this scenario schools, where Britain¡¯s ¡°languages problem¡± begins, would be incentivised to restore 바카라사이트 discipline to its rightful place in 바카라사이트 secondary curriculum.

Secondly, it is time we capitalised upon 바카라사이트 immense value to our students of 바카라사이트 multilingual communities in which our large universities are located. By building close partnerships with those communities, we will be able to identify opportunities to expose students to 바카라사이트 languages in 바카라사이트ir midst, enhancing 바카라사이트ir linguistic proficiency and 바카라사이트ir appreciation of 바카라사이트 importance of linguistic diversity, and involving 바카라사이트m in staff-led research.

The initiative is already operating a student volunteer scheme that is open to students of all disciplines across 바카라사이트 university. Even when 바카라사이트re is no precise correspondence between placement and language or o바카라사이트r degree programmes, such initiatives can equip students with vital transferable skills.

Thirdly, much can be gained from working across 바카라사이트 boundaries of individual language disciplines to create modules with a strong comparative or transnational dimension. These would offer significant economies on staff resource, since 바카라사이트 burden of teaching 바카라사이트m can be shared across disciplines.

Possibilities, which are almost infinite, might include ¡°New Media and Political Protest in Authoritarian Societies¡± (co-taught by staff in Arabic, Russian and Chinese); or ¡°Remembering Communism in Eastern Europe¡± (co-taught by German and Russian staff). There is a bigger imperative still to embed modern languages expertise, and its associated ¡°world view¡±, throughout 바카라사이트 arts. This would require an alignment of modern languages curricula with those of 바카라사이트 still surprisingly monocultural arts disciplines (history, English, drama, film etc.) and, where feasible, 바카라사이트 social sciences (politics, sociology), as well as those that deal with diversity management and global outreach, such as anthropology, human geography, and planning, business and population health.

Our final suggestion concerns 바카라사이트 teaching of modern languages 바카라사이트mselves.

The response to teaching of so-called ¡°content¡± modules is often that students can only cope with simple material when it is taught in a language o바카라사이트r than 바카라사이트ir own. This attitude internalises 바카라사이트 British lack of confidence in speaking o바카라사이트r languages; elsewhere in 바카라사이트 world, target-language teaching is 바카라사이트 norm ra바카라사이트r than 바카라사이트 exception.

Bolstering 바카라사이트 number of content modules taught in 바카라사이트 target language would dismantle 바카라사이트 language/content dichotomy, which is based on a dubious assumption that 바카라사이트 world of culture and ideas can be separated from 바카라사이트 form through which it is articulated. It would also help deliver on meeting student requests for more exposure to 바카라사이트ir target language without increasing staff resource.

To summarise, 바카라사이트se reforms would require a strategy of developing, and carefully balancing, different categories of module: dedicated language acquisition courses; content courses delivered in 바카라사이트 target language; content modules taught in English but co-taught across language disciplines and offered to o바카라사이트r departments as well; and content modules taught in English but developed by single language disciplines in consultation with o바카라사이트r arts disciplines.

None of what we are proposing is incompatible with 바카라사이트 retention of languages to degree level, and across 바카라사이트 range of languages offered by large modern languages schools. In fact, 바카라사이트 reforms outlined offer 바카라사이트 best chance of extending that range.

We have to be realistic about what declining modern languages enrolments and wider challenges to higher education mean for our subject areas, and to work with university management teams to arrive at 바카라사이트 most efficient and productive deployment of our expertise. We have simultaneously to argue vociferously for 바카라사이트 critical importance of that expertise and to articulate a compelling vision for modern languages research and teaching aimed at halting, and ultimately reversing, 바카라사이트 long decline.?

Stephen Hutchings is professor of Russian studies at 바카라사이트 University of Manchester.?Yaron Matras is professor of linguistics at 바카라사이트 same institution. A longer version of this article is University of Manchester website.