What Can I Do With This Major?
Many people say that they don’t plan to work or live abroad, so what good will it be to study something that they won’t use? One of the goals of a liberal arts education is to expand a student’s knowledge base, and many students have benefited from language abilities in unexpected ways. Much research has pointed to the academic advantages of sustained study of another language, and recent articles have underscored the reasons it is in our national interest to learn languages other than English. Even though people might not later remember how to conjugate or use the subjunctive, they often remember the cultural aspects of the language or have more empathy for people struggling to learn English. Below are some excerpts and links for those who are interested in the value of language study.
From the ACTFL Web site: Why study a foreign language?
“There is a correlation between high school foreign language study and higher academic performance at the college level.”
“Research suggests that language learners develop a more positive attitude toward the target language and/or the speakers of that language.”
To read about these and other findings:
http://www.actfl.org/i4a/pages/index.cfm?pageid=4524