Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Wolverhampton bids ‘au revoir’ to French, ‘adiós’ to Spanish
23 April 2010
University to scrap undergraduate degrees in the languages in response to ‘changes in demand and recruitment’. Melanie Newman reports
The University of Wolverhampton is to close its undergraduate degrees in French, Spanish and English as a foreign language from the start of the next academic year.
However, Kevin Magill, associate dean of the School of Law, Social Sciences and Communications, insisted that the university was not abandoning languages altogether.
Wolverhampton recently undertook a review of its languages provision “in order to respond more effectively to opportunities and changes in demand and recruitment”, he said.
“In line with the long-term national decline in applications to undergraduate degrees in modern languages, the review recommended ending recruitment for the time being to our undergraduate programmes in French, Spanish and English as a foreign language, and expanding our languages provision in areas of higher demand.”
The dean said the university planned to expand an “existing range of short courses for UK and international clients and partners, bespoke courses and consultancy for regional businesses working internationally”, as well as preparatory English courses for international students coming to study in Wolverhampton.
“We are continuing to offer undergraduate degrees in languages, including [a degree in] teaching of English to speakers of other languages and English for international business,” he said.
He added that modules in Chinese, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Russian and Spanish would continue to be offered to students alongside their main courses.
Lucille Cairns, president of the Association of University Professors and Heads of French, has written to Wolverhampton’s vice-chancellor, Caroline Gipps, expressing “deep concern” at the decision, which she said was “entirely retrograde”.
“I would urge you to consider the strategic and vulnerable nature of languages provision in the UK,” she writes.
“We understand that the key driver behind your decision to withdraw undergraduate degrees in French and Spanish is current under-recruitment.
“All members of senior management know that numbers on university courses can fluctuate from year to year. But it is vital to eschew short-termism and, where necessary, to commit resources to reinvigorating advertising and recruitment methods, given the urgent and widely recognised need for linguists.”
The Higher Education Funding Council for England’s review of modern foreign languages provision, published last October, found that the “lack of suitably qualified graduates seriously affects the areas of government and public policy”.
And a report by the British Academy last June, Language Matters, said that the future of the UK’s research base could be threatened by the decline in modern language learning.
The University and College Union at Wolverhampton has complained that it was not consulted before the decision to close the French and Spanish degrees was finalised.
Loraine Westcott, chair of the branch negotiating committee, said: “It appears that at the time the union was promised consultation, an irretrievable decision had been made.”
The union has asked the university executive to explain why the courses are being closed at a time when applications for them are rising, she added.
“Changes to the provision of language courses for students taking other subjects are also likely and could mean that students of tourism or education, for example, will not be able to incorporate languages into their degrees,” she said.
melanie.newman@tsleducation.com
Readers' comments
"In line with the long-term national decline in applications to undergraduate degrees in modern languages"
UCAS statistics: Applications to read French:
2004 3,674
2005 4,149
2006 4,289
2007 4,430
2008 4,006 (number of UCAS choices reduced from 6 to 5)
2009 4,109
UCAS statistics: Applications to read Spanish:
2004 1,943
2005 2,132
2006 2,056
2007 2,109
2008 1,951(UCAS choices reduced)
2009 1,951
Per University of Wolverhampton website:
"Our course in Mathematical Sciences focuses on a range of areas within the subject with a particular emphasis on statistics and operational research."
Entry requirements "You should have grade E or above in A-level Maths"
Why is this a problem? Is the demise of modern languages in places like Wolverhampton going to make a difference? If a British student wants to study a language, then why not do it in the country where this language is spoken? Why not take a degree in France, Germany or Spain? They will master the language and culture much better and faster than here. They will also learn how to survive in another country and perhaps get employment. If thousands of East Europeans have managed to come here to work, study and learn English then why can't our young people do the same? Especially now when unemployment among young people is so high? HEFCE should divert the funding to develop a programme supporting A-level applicants who decide to take a degree in another European country instead of undertaking pointless reviews.
Yes, I believe that borders between European countries are slowly fading and we are seeing the result of that in the declining number of students here. It is common knowledge among young people that you will learn a language fastest on location. Additionally, it's much more fun.
Presumably, there is also less interest a European Nation's culture from an English perspective. When everything you would want to know or understand about e.g. France is hunted down through your mobile internet device, while debating with your local friends. New generation.
Mary not sure what you are actually saying! The number of mainland European students comming to study in the UK is increasing year on year. Andy I quite agree it does not matter at all what they teach or do not teach at certain institutions.
Why on earth virtually everyone outside Modern Languages think Modern Languages is simply language teaching? Students of Modern Languages are required to acquired a deep knowledge of the language's literature, of literary theory and, in most cases, of the country's history (social, political history). All this cannot be achieved by means of a period of residence abroad.
So, if Modern Languages are best studied overseas, we shouldn't teach American Studies in Britain -- our students should go to the US. Our students shouldnt study European history, they should instead spend periods of residence in different European countries in order to study local history abroad.
@James Higgins. You are absolutely right. They should go and study American history in the US and French literary theory in France. This is where they can get what you call deep knowledge. If somebody wants to study literary history or literature they should study English plus a foreign language. If they want to study history or politics they should study history and politics plus a languge in a language centre. It is common knowledge that modern language students here neither read literature in the original language, nor write essays in the language they study. And the most paradoxical thing is that in most cases they have no decent grounding in either theoretical or applied linguistics. This is always something that puzzles modern language students and academics from the rest of Europe. The lack of a clear vision what a language graduate should know is responsible for its low prestige of the subject and its terminal decline.
Thanks, Gary - those PR chaps and spindoctors and New Public Managers at the University of Wolverhampton, as it is known, must have red faces now... I suppose they thought that no-one would check the figures, or that they just didn't care. Embarrassing!
But their "bespoke courses and consultancy for regional businesses working internationally" will surely fill the bill. "Nightclub chat for business visitors to Boulogne, Barcelona and Bootle." That's the thing! "In line with the long-term national decline" in ... well, in practically everything - especially, as M. Poirot used to say in his charming Franglais, "in the little grey cells".
Andy: "It is common knowledge that modern language students here neither read literature in the original language, nor write essays in the language they study." Where is "here"? "It is common knowledge ...": a convenient alternative, I suppose, to evidence.
Mary: "When everything you would want to know or understand about e.g. France is hunted down through your mobile internet device, while debating with your local friends." New generation, innit? Like that's how they do it, lol, r u wiv me? So after a year in Marne-la-Vallée, they can do: bjr, lu sa va, cé moi, koi 2 9? 6 tu lis sa Koi 2 9? biz.
Thus are the new Samuel Becketts deadborn. i2.
@Andy: 'It is common knowledge that modern language students here neither read literature in the original language, nor write essays in the language they study'. I don't know if it's common knowledge or not, but it is simply not true. Look at the online reading lists in any department of French, Spanish, German or any other language and you will see that the literary texts are read in the target language, and that there is an element of composition that language.
As to the suggestion of studying French in France, Spanish in Spain, etc, well, they do already: as part of a BA in a language they spend a year abroad in one of those countries. Asking everyone interested in French studies to go and study the whole degree in France misses the point: English + a foreign language is not going to help you to gain a deep knowledge of national culture/linguistic area. Centuries ago the study of a national literature would have been the gateway to understand its culture, but now the approach is interdisciplinary and encompasses history, theory, cultural studies, etc. That awareness towards the specificity of the culture is not emphasized among undergraduates doing French in France of Spanish in Spain, for the simple reason that for them is not about studying a different culture.
I'd like to do joint honours in Mauritian, Seychellese and Maldivese. All I need is for someone to sort out my funding.
The debate on Wolverhampton’s (or any other UK university’s) decision to stop recruitment to undergraduate language degrees has digressed with the argument above about whether it is better to study a language in the country where it is spoken or whether students read literature in the target language or not. That is not the main issue. British universities feel justified in dropping uneconomic subjects and will continue to do so while they are only looking at the balance sheet. Those who aren’t involved in languages often fail to see them as an important skill in British society, and see nothing wrong with discarding them over the side as easily as unwanted shoes. But Lucille Cairns’ points need to be taken seriously—that other issues are at stake which universities should be taking into account as well, such as the economy’s need for more linguists in businesses and international trade, and the availability to students of language courses in a variety of locations and levels throughout the country.
Andy’s suggestion that all budding linguists suddenly move abroad for 4 years to immerse themselves in the language, culture and academic rigour provided by university study is patently ridiculous. What Lucille Cairns is warning Wolverhampton (and other British institutions) against is that they are diminishing students’ chances every time they close a Language department—both on a personal and practical level, and to be of use to society or the economy (as role models, teachers or multilingual businesspeople), or contributing to international understanding (as linguistically adept visitors abroad).
The closure at Wolverhampton means a number of potential students will decide against carrying on with their academic study of a language, or will force them to go much further away to university than they had planned. It also gives a message to pupils in schools and the greater British public that learning languages is unimportant, unviable and unnecessary, when just the opposite is true in an increasingly internationalised world.
Another point is not informing the students about forthcoming changes.
The general tendency towards 'easy solutions' without consultance at the UoW is worrying.
Not to mention the students who are graduating from the department. It will become an ultimate source of our future references, certainly raising our levels of employability.
What is needed is an entire shake-up of UK language teaching starting from the ground up. It should be treated as a core subject like maths, science and English. That means compulsory classes from Years 1-11. With that acheived, more students would take A-Levels and hence uni degrees in foreign langauges. If other countries can manage this, why can't we?
Language teaching should be made more relevant too; not learning stock phrases to pass an exam, but instead looking at news, newpapers, music and literature and being examined on such cultural aspects as well as the bread and butter- grammar and vocabulary.
Disclaimer: All user contributions posted on this site are those of the user ONLY and NOT those of TSL Education Ltd or its associated trademarks, websites and services. TSL Education Ltd does not necessarily endorse, support, sanction, encourage, verify or agree with any comments, opinions or statements or other content provided by users.