This semester has already got me down, and surprisingly it isn't because of the ridiculously cold weather. As I spend my final semester at UW-Madison, I find myself perpetually finishing up my degree requirements. The science requirements bother me somewhat, but I find that I often come away with some applicable knowledge. The foreign language requirements, on the other hand, stick in my craw.
Before I go on, I think I should clarify some things. This piece isn't going to be the typical ugly American everyone should learn English"" bit. Nor will it be the ""foreign language is a waste of time"" bit either. I do, however, believe the foreign language requirements at UW-Madison are anachronistic.
I am currently in the third semester in a foreign language. My progress has been less than inspiring. My level of understanding is that I could briefly patronize the staff at my local Mexican restaurant before I order my meal in English.
Don't get me wrong, I wish I could speak another language. I envy those that do, but at this point in my life I see few longitudinal benefits from three semesters of a foreign language. After all, three semesters is hardly enough to grasp the nuances of a language, especially when 22 years of English often leaves me sitting in front of my word processor in search of adequate words.
If we ever strive to make Americans bilingual - an undertaking which I believe will be beneficial, if not necessary, in years to come - steps must be implemented earlier and more thoroughly.
I am a lost cause, and UW-Madison isn't going to change that. One can hardly call the foreign language requirements at the UW-Madison ""rigorous,"" instead they simply move one's ability to speak a foreign language from nonexistent to inadequate. Steps need to be taken in grade school. It has been emphatically proven that if one learns several languages simultaneously at a young age they tend to acquire the skills much more rapidly.
Even so, it's great if you wish to begin building your own foreign language vocabulary in college, but there is no reason for the rest of us to be pulled into a frustrating process against our will.
Please do not take offense if you happen to be someone who has dedicated your collegiate career to the mastery of foreign language. I believe dropping the foreign language requirements would also benefit both those who truly wish to master the languages and the graduate students teaching the classes.
Would it not be nice to step into a classroom where everyone is passionate about learning the language? Imagine a foreign language course without detractors who are simply there to fulfill requirements. In turn, those students could go on to build their own perspicacity in their desired field without feeling as though they are wasting enormous amounts of money and time studying something that not only fails to interest them, but also something in which they will not become proficient in any measurable way.
Perhaps the only significant and sustaining lesson I have learned from my foreign language experience is the appreciation for the effort that so many people have put into learning English as a second language, including my relatives of Polish, French and Dutch descent. I was kind of hoping that French would spring from my mouth as a result of some sort of Jungian ancestral memory based on my heritage, but thus far my quest has been fruitless.
Then again, perhaps these requirements are preparing me for something greater as I step into the ""real world."" Perhaps this is just the UW-Madison preparing me for a life filled with nonsensical, frustrating and seemingly pointless requirements that we all must complete to get our sweet lick of that brass ring.
Matt Jividen is a senior majoring in history. Please send responses to opinion@dailycardinal.com.
