By Alexandra Rieder
Faculty at DePaul have proposed a change to the long-standing foreign language requirement within the Honors Program. As of now, students must take twelve credit hours of intermediate or advanced level language courses. Should a student not test into intermediate courses, they must take beginner level classes using their own elective space before they can take the required classes. The proposed change would make beginner-level courses contribute to the language requirement, and as an Honors student, I believe the change would be in the best interest of the Honors Program and its students.
The elective space within one’s degree is important. It serves many purposes, but most significantly, it can be used to add a minor to one’s degree. This opportunity for students is important, as a minor could give them an edge in the workforce, but the current language requirement inhibits this opportunity. Not all majors have a lot of elective space to begin with; some have only twenty-two credit hours. If students need to start in a beginner’s language course, it could take up over half of their elective space, limiting the other opportunities they could use those hours for.
The most important question, though, is whether the current system is equitable and accessible, which are things DePaul strives to achieve. The answer is no. The current requirement fails to consider that not all students had the same access to foreign language education; that there are students who took a language in high school that DePaul does not offer; that there are students who want to learn a langugae different from what they studied in high school; and more. There are an abundance of reasons why one may need to start with beginner courses, and the students who do need to should not be disadvantaged in their education and opportunities because of it.
It is true, however, that most students are put in intermediate or above-level language classes when they take the placement exam. In the 2023-2024 freshman class, out of the 272 incoming freshmen who took the placement exam, 153 students were placed in a 104-level course or higher. One could make the argument that the requirement should not be altered because most students are not negatively affected by it. But why should the remaining 119 students be disadvantaged because their peers had better access to foreign language education, because they wanted to continue their high school language, or because they studied a language that DePaul offers? The change would also not stop most students from reaching a proficient skill in their chosen language. The data shows that plenty of students will be able to take intermediate level classes, but the change would make the Honors Program more accessible for students who had fewer opportunities.
If DePaul is committed to making an equitable and accessible system, the Honors Program should not continue to promote a requirement that some students having an easier time achieving than others because of their access to language education before college. The Honors Program should commit itself to student success, for all students, not just the ones who were able to thoroughly study a language in high school and did well on a placement test.
Click here to read In Opposition to Changing the Language Requirement.
Leave a Reply