U. of Arkansas Cuts Core Curriculum, Eliminating Foreign-Language Requirement

[mahatmakanejeeves]

I don't see how this is going to help.

U. of Arkansas Cuts Core Curriculum, Eliminating Foreign-Language Requirement

May 2, 2010, 10:50 PM ET

U. of Arkansas Cuts Core Curriculum, Eliminating Foreign-Language Requirement

In response to a new state law aimed at easing the transfer of students from two-year to four-year institutions, the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville is reducing the general-education requirements that all students in its Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences must complete, regardless of their majors, from 66 credit hours to 35, the Associated Press reported. The changes eliminate a foreign-language requirement, reduce science requirements, and require only college algebra, which the college's dean, William Schwab, characterized as "high school-level stuff." Mr. Schwab met with language faculty members last month to reassure them that he intended to minimize the new requirements' impact on their departments.

[chat_noir]

1. "If you call someone who knows two languages "bilingual" ...

"If you call someone who knows two languages "bilingual", and someone who knows three languages "trilingual," what do you call someone who knows only one language? - An American."

[Karia]

2. Depressing

Dumbing down requirements devalues the degrees of ALL of the students, including those who study foreign languages, math, and science.

[Dr. Strange]

5. Some departments are adopting the original standards as part of their major.

Most departments, concerned that thinning the core curriculum would hurt students, have adopted requirements for foreign language credits for specific degrees, and a higher-level math course was made a prerequisite for another required course.

http://www.victoriaadvocate.com/news/2010/may/02/bc-ar-university-core-curriculum/

Looks like the problem here isn't the U. of Arkansas--it's the dopey politicians who wrote a law that "forbids imposing on junior college transfer students any requirements for additional freshman- and sophomore-level general education credits."

[GreatCaesarsGhost]

3. I think my small town high school 40 years ago was harder than UofArk

[dmallind]

4. They are going to stop teaching English? NT