2008 Woodie Awards
The Quad to the Foreign Languages Department: "Bravissima!"
Issue date: 2/11/08 Section: Op-Ed
The English language is spoken as a primary language in almost 40 countries. As a secondary language, that number nearly doubles. The Battle of Hastings has outlasted its one day in history in 1066 and has helped create a language that has made its mark internationally and exponentially. However, can we say that in turn, we have embraced the rest of the world's culture? More specifically, have we attempted to embrace another language? At West Chester University, the first floor of Main Hall, home of the Foreign Languages Department serves as a microcosm for the various cultural experiences a person can study and hone while hitting the books in other areas.
West Chester University's Foreign Languages Department has the capacities to instruct 10 languages-Chinese, French, German, Greek, Hebrew, Italian, Japanese, Latin, Russian and Spanish. These languages, taught from the 101 level, offer students the opportunity to actually become fluent in them-if the will is present. Fluent in the sense to be able to think in this language and to understand a person's beginnings according to Andrea Varricchio, associate professor.
Some students are required to take a language up to the 202 level (advanced intermediate) to indicate proficiency in most of the Humanities. However, the 202 level of studying another language should not mark the end of a person's foreign language experience. Not only does mastery produce an impressive résumé, but it cultivates another aspect of human intelligence that cannot be endorsed by a diploma: the ability to step outside of a person's boundaries and lend yourself to a new way of thinking. Varricchio underscores that when a person is speaking a language and is surrounded the language, his or her horizons can be expanded that formal education cannot truly provide. Therefore, studying abroad can fully develop the experience. And yes, the Foreign Languages Department is indeed the stepping stone to expanding these horiznos.
West Chester University's Foreign Languages Department has the capacities to instruct 10 languages-Chinese, French, German, Greek, Hebrew, Italian, Japanese, Latin, Russian and Spanish. These languages, taught from the 101 level, offer students the opportunity to actually become fluent in them-if the will is present. Fluent in the sense to be able to think in this language and to understand a person's beginnings according to Andrea Varricchio, associate professor.
Some students are required to take a language up to the 202 level (advanced intermediate) to indicate proficiency in most of the Humanities. However, the 202 level of studying another language should not mark the end of a person's foreign language experience. Not only does mastery produce an impressive résumé, but it cultivates another aspect of human intelligence that cannot be endorsed by a diploma: the ability to step outside of a person's boundaries and lend yourself to a new way of thinking. Varricchio underscores that when a person is speaking a language and is surrounded the language, his or her horizons can be expanded that formal education cannot truly provide. Therefore, studying abroad can fully develop the experience. And yes, the Foreign Languages Department is indeed the stepping stone to expanding these horiznos.
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