Foreign Languages in College

Another “Room for Debate” article I read discussed the topic of whether a foreign language class should be mandatory in college. Foreign language classes enhance your opportunities in many things such as marketing, technology, law, medicine, etc. Learning a new language could also improve your memory and listening skills. Although many job positions often want someone who can speak more than one language, it isn’t always required. Betty Berdan, author of  “Studying a Language in College Should Depend on Your Interests,” wrote that college-level study of a foreign language should be mandatory for all four years of college but doesn’t believe that every student will have the time and dedication to learn a new language. Four years of college-level study of a new foreign language isn’t enough time to become fully fluent, so although she wants it to be mandatory, she knows that it isn’t realistic. Betty argues that learning a foreign language should have started in kindergarten, rather than it being optional during middle school, high school, and college. While Betty’s viewpoint that college-level study of a foreign language should be mandatory, Cassandra Chanen’s, writer of “Learning to Think Is More Important Than Learning a Language,” standpoint on this issue was that learning new thinking or communication skills would be more beneficial than learning a new language. While foreign language classes offer the opportunity to discuss more important events and global issues, expressing opinions could be difficult when people aren’t as fluent as others. Betty concludes that growing up learning the culture behind the language is much more beneficial than learning it in a classroom because you would have a better understanding of the references and jokes being told. Should taking a foreign language class be mandatory in college? Would it be a waste of time?