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University Daily Kansan Tuesday. Jan. 5,1960
Kansas Aspires to Language Leadership
(Editor's note—this is the second of four
titles on a recent report of a 13-mem-
ber Chancellor's Committee on Foreign
Language Study.)
By Ray Miller
The Chancellor's Committee on Foreign Language Study operated on the belief that KU has not only a responsibility to provide instruction for the development of foreign language proficiency but also has the opportunity to become a major regional force in advancing foreign language training.
As the work of the committee progressed during the two years from its conception, the members found themselves concentrating in the matter of foreign language proficiency and graduation requirements for KU.
KU Needs Upgrading
Before the University could aspire to regional leadership, the committee felt it must first update and upgrade its own program. Towards this end they made the following recommendations for foreign language proficiency and graduation requirements:
1. Students entering the University must demonstrate a good reading proficiency in a modern or a foreign language. Students unable to do so may take non-credit foreign language work until they can; also they will not be allowed to accumulate more than 25 hours of credit for University work until they do so.
2. Students entering the junior year must demonstrate a good aural
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(ability to understand conversation at average tempo, lectures, and news broadcasts) proficiency in a modern foreign language or a superior reading proficiency in an ancient one.
Those unable to do so will not be allowed to accumulate more than 15 hours of junior-senior credit. Credit not to exceed five hours will be allowed towards fulfillment of this requirement.
3. Students transferring into the University as juniors or seniors must demonstrate a good reading and aural proficiency in a modern foreign language, or a superior reading proficiency in an ancient one before they can enroll in their last 15 hours of work for a bachelors degree.
Students transferring into the University as sophomores must demonstrate a good reading proficiency in a modern or ancient language before they can enroll in the last 60 hours of work for a bachelors degree. These students then come under recommendation number two.
4. Every graduate student must demonstrate a good aural, oral, and reading skill of one modern foreign language, both on general subject matter and in his special field before he can enroll in more than 40 hours of graduate work for the Ph.D degree.
Of the four requirements, the first is expected to meet with the most opposition in that it requires a student to have a good reading proficiency upon entering the University.
"Some may interpret this action as an attempt to exclude high school graduates of the state from its university when the law clearly states we must admit them," the committee said.
"This interpretation is incorrect
"Our response is that each student gets an opportunity to enter the University, but we are not required to provide a degree to those unable to develop the elementary skills that have been one of the hallmarks of an educated person for centuries."
for we have had similar requirement provisions for such subject matter as mathematics.
In making the suggestion the committee recognized that the high schools should be given time to adjust their curricula to prepare their students adequately for university admission.
"In view of the need for additional qualified teachers and for time to reorganize high school programs, the committee proposes the fall of 1965 for this requirement to become effective," the committee said.
Chancellor Murphy emphasized that this date was only a proposal and that it may take longer to train qualified teachers in large enough quantities to fill the need for elementary and secondary language teachers.
However, he said that Kansas schools are becoming increasingly aware of the need for added foreign language courses.
"The local school boards in the state recognize the need for added instruction, but the lack of teachers is the big bottleneck at the present time. Right now our job is to produce teachers." Dr. Murphy said.
In agreeing that no university credit should be allowed for achieving a good reading knowledge of a student's first foreign language, the committee said:
"The development of such an elementary skill is a proper function of the primary and secondary schools. If some schools cannot develop such
a language proficiency, the university can offer the training, but on a non-credit basis."
Junior Year Ends Study
The committee's second recommendation requires that a student have a good aural as well as reading skill by his junior year. In proposing this requirement the committee said:
"The training in some high schools will be adequate for entering students to demonstrate both proficiencies demanded by the two requirements (one and two) and will provide, therefore, five hours University credit for this achievement."
The committee defined a good aural proficiency as "the ability to talk with a native without making claring mistakes, and with a command of vocabulary and syntax sufficient to express one's thoughts in sustained conversation. This implies speech at normal speed with good pronunciation and intonation."
The third recommendation covers transferring students and requires essentially the same conditions for graduation as other students.
Graduate Students Lacking
Graduate Students Lacking The last recommendation requires a good aural, oral, and reading skill for graduate students working for their Ph.D degree.
In discussing this requirement the committee agreed that the present requirements, both here and elsewhere, represent a level too low to be compatible with any concept of excellence in university work.
"Indeed, it can be said that most university faculty members have never attained real proficiency in a second language, and they afford
students evidence of the failure of past university requirements across the nation"the committee said.
(Tomorrow's article will discuss problems and progress of high schools and grade schools in Kansas in regards to foreign language study.)
MC Auditions Slated For New TV Series
Auditions will be held at 7 p.m. tomorrow for the position of master of ceremonies for a Fine Arts Television series beginning Saturday, Jan.16. The series will run for about 20 weeks. Candidates for the position should be prepared to speak for about two minutes. The auditions will be held on the Hoch TV Stage. They are open to men and women.
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