THE BATTALION
Thursday, .Tannnry ft, 1062
College Station, Texas
Page I?
Modern Languages — A&M’s Newest Trend
A&M’s teaching activities have i a result of the recent upsurge in
taken on an international flavor as I foreign language enrollment.
Language Lab Control Panel
. Dr. J. J. Woolkel listens to students.
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J. J. Woolket, head of the De
partment of Modern Languages,
said the movement is nation-wide
but is especially evident here be
cause the school’s large number of
engineering and agriculture stu
dents are showing a surprising
interest in foreign languages.
He said there were 433 students
studying foreign languages in
1956. The current semester shows
an enrollment of 817, represent
ing 11 to 12 per cent of the col
lege’s total enrollment.
What’s behind the trend? Wool
ket cites a number of reasons:
Students have become more in
terested in the study of foreign
languages, not only in the high
schools but also at technological
schools.
More college graduates are seek
ing and getting employment in
foreign countries.
More Americans are traveling
abroad.
College graduates are facing
military service overseas.
Americans have become more
vitally involved in the over-all
international situation.
Jack A. Dabbs, professor in the
department, tells of one outstand
ing example of this trend.
“When the first Sputnik went
up, our Russian language enroll
ment went up, too,” he said.
Dabbs added that government
encouragement and the activities
of the Modern Language Associa
tion of America have had much to
do with the upswing in language
studies.
Woolket said he anticipates that
language courses will continue to
grow in popularity. He said A&M
is considering programs that will
better prepare its graduates for
foreign service assignments by
giving them training in foreign
languages.
The department offers four
years of Spanish, three years of
Russian, three years of German,
two years of French, and an in
tensive course in Bengali for spe
cial groups going to East Pakistan
on government missions. Eight
teachers comprise the faculty,
speaking more than a dozen
tongues.
Spanish is the most popular lan
guage taught here, Woolket said.
Enrollment in Spanish classes this
semester is 402. The next most
popular is German, with 195 stu
dents; third, French, 115 students;
and fourth, Russian, with 91 stu
dents.
The department head said it
would be difficult to say which of
the top four languages is the hard
est. It’s largely a matter of indi
vidual ability and attitude, he said.
“Many students take Spanish
because they have already been
exposed to it. This is of great
help to them when they begin
their study of foreign languages
in college,” Woolket said.
Both Woolket and Dabbs said
they have noted that a good back
ground in Latin is helpful in learn
ing almost any other language.
And they have found that the
study of any foreign language will
improve the student’s proficiency
in English.
Sfllii Wk*
Modern Language Lab Session
The oral approach is emphasized in the and head set. Students listen to a master
Department of Modern Languages’ fully tape, speak the words into a microphone
equipped laboratory. There are 40 booths, and then hear a playback,
each with its own dual-track type recorder
Afghanistan’s black, red and
green flag shows a mosque, re
flecting the nation’s Islamic char
acter.
America’s Nazis: are
they really a threat?
The American Nazi Party is a nest
of hatemongers. And it’s only one
of 1,000 radical right-wing groups.
In this week’s Post, a U. S. senator
speaks out in “Voice of Dissent."
He rips into home-grown fascists.
And tells why he thinks they’re
even more dangerous than Reds.
The Saturday Evening
POST
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