Though a recent Modern Language Association survey reported that 100,000 fewer college students enrolled in foreign language classes in 2013 compared to 2009 — while college enrollment rose by over 150,000 during the same period — Dartmouth professors and students remain confident in the strength and relevancy of their respective language programs and with the College’s foreign language enrollment as a whole.
The overall percentage drop marks the largest decrease since 1995, and the number of students enrolled in Spanish classes dropped by the largest number since the association began tracking language classes in 1958.
Spanish and Portuguese department chair Raúl Bueno said that he did not see a problem with national enrollment trends in foreign language because though the amount of students majoring in foreign languages are comparatively low, the depth of interest in the field remains constant.
He was confident that Spanish enrollment numbers at Dartmouth would remain steady because he said knowing Spanish in particular is a valuable skill. The United States’ proximity to Latin America and high flow of tourism to Spanish-speaking regions also helps keep enrollment numbers constant, he said.
Bueno also noted that enrollment numbers in specific languages rise and fall for a variety of reasons — universities may offer more languages from which students can choose, languages can experience increased enrollment for economic or political reasons and languages can even go “in and out of style.”
“I think the discrepancies reflect, to some extent, a healthy interest of the United States in the entire world — not just one region or language,” Bueno said.
The level of Spanish knowledge that Dartmouth students obtain is particularly impressive, Bueno said. Students increasingly enter the College with more advanced knowledge thanks to the Advanced Placement program and other similarly accelerated programs, and the Spanish department’s language programs provide a deeper understanding than at most institutions, Bueno said. He also noted that the popular Spanish study abroad programs the College offers are particularly important in establishing these strong language skills.
In order to keep up with the increasingly advanced levels of knowledge students are obtaining at a high school level, the department has had to develop some new programs to maintain interest, Bueno said. Newer classes go beyond advanced levels of language learning to delve into Spanish culture and linguistics of the language.
“Our commitment to the language is great and we are doing everything possible in the department in order to cope with the high demands of our institution and student body,” Bueno said.
German studies department chair Ellis Shookman echoed Bueno’s assertion that foreign language study remains popular at Dartmouth.
“The numbers compiled in the MLA survey tell only part of the story,” Shookman said. “This is because they are quantitative, not qualitative.”
Shookman said that the two primary reasons to study a language are entrepreneurial and cultural. In business, knowing a client’s native language can help drive better bargains and sell more of a product, Shookman said. In the context of a liberal arts education, however, learning a foreign language is important for more personal reasons.
“Studying foreign languages enhances, enriches and improves our lives in ways that are, in every sense of the word, immeasurable,” Shookman said. “The MLA cannot tally this humanistic benefit.”
As for the national repercussions of decreased language enrollment, Shookman said that this trend could bode ill for the economic competitiveness, national security and general education level of the United States.
Shookman also suggested that Dartmouth should aim higher, in terms of striving for greater understanding in the languages and setting a higher standard for student learning, as well and require a fourth term of language study.
Asian and Middle Eastern languages and literatures department chair James Dorsey said that the survey results were disconcerting, yet unsurprising.
“We don’t have the automatic, enthusiastic buy-in of students that we did in the past,” he said. “We have to work a little harder to convince them of the importance of foreign languages.”
Dorsey speculated that student and parental concerns about the relevancy of foreign language study could be behind declining enrollment numbers — students are increasingly concerned about taking classes and choosing majors that translate directly into career skills, he said. Dorsey said he has spoken to many students considering a major in Asian and Middle Eastern languages whose primary concern is the practicality of such a major.
Dorsey also said that many students see a study abroad experience as an essential component of their Dartmouth education. There was a two-year period in which there was no Arabic language study abroad program and enrollment in Arabic dropped dramatically, he said. As soon as the summer LSA program in Rabat, Morocco was reinstated, enrollment numbers shot back up, Dorsey said.
“Dartmouth culture” also works against language learning in some cases, Dorsey said, noting that the D-plan can often hinder or interrupt learning a foreign language. Dorsey said this can be especially difficult for students studying non-romance languages such as Chinese, Japanese, Arabic and Hebrew.
Dorsey said that, despite the nationwide decline in foreign language enrollment numbers, the amount of students learning languages to more advanced skill levels was encouraging, and he hopes to see more students pursue their respective languages in such depth.
Ledah Geller ’16, a double major in Spanish and sociology who plans to attend law school after graduation, spoke positively about her decision to major in Spanish. Geller said that her language major forces her to think critically and honestly, a skill that would help any student regardless of their career path.
The idea that a language major is useless or inapplicable to real-world jobs is a misconception, Geller said, noting that learning a language enables students to make meaningful connections and unify people around the world.
“I think learning a language and falling in love with that language is one of the most useful skills one can acquire, especially in college where many of us are attempting to form our adult identities,” Geller said.
