New College of Arts and Sciences Language Requirement Reflects University Mission
By: Megan Robinson ‘17
In line with the Gonzaga University and College of Arts & Sciences Missions to prepare graduates for an increasingly globalized world, all students majoring in the College of Arts and Sciences must now demonstrate intermediate proficiency in a second language.
“Language study is foundational,” says Dr. Matt Bahr, Associate Dean of the College, who worked on the committee to develop the requirement, which went into effect Fall 2016. “A robust language requirement positions the College to equip increasing numbers of graduates to live and work abroad and to make meaningful contributions to the increasingly diverse communities in this country.”
Gonzaga’s departments of Modern Languages and Classic Civilizations offer an array of languages, including Arabic, Chinese, French, German, Greek, Italian, Latin, Japanese and Spanish, and have expanded their course offerings to accommodate an influx in enrollment.
Under the new requirement, students in the College of Arts & Sciences continuing study of a language begun in high school, must show competence at the 201-course level, while those pursuing a new language must progress through 102. Alternatively, students entering the College with more advanced language skills may test out of the requirement altogether through the College’s placement exam. This system ensures that while every student is proficient in a given language, it will not require any student to take more than two semesters of language, nor will it penalize students who wish to begin learning a new language at Gonzaga.
Command of a second language has practical benefits. Gonzaga alumni have gone on to live, work and serve internationally, and the number only continues to grow. They work with for-profit and not-for-profit enterprises around the world, in professions as diverse as our graduates themselves. As of last February, eighteen Gonzaga alumni were actively serving in the Peace Corps, bringing the all-time total to 338.
For current students, language classes may spark a desire for immersion in the culture of their language of study. Approximately half of all Gonzaga students study abroad before graduation, with programs available for Fall, Spring, and Summer terms in locations spanning the globe, further developing these students’ cultural competency.
According to Diane Birginal of theModern Language department’s Spanish faculty, the true value of learning another language is “being able to see the world through the eyes of the other,” an essential component of recognizing the dignity of the human person.
In keeping with the university’s commitment to educating men and women for others, language study opens pathways of empathy. By coming to understand other cultures, we come to understand ourselves.