From Modern Languages to Global Studies: The Transformation of Catholic U’s Language Department
Image courtesy of The Catholic University of America
By Patrick D. Lewis
Over two years ago, the Department of Modern Languages and Literatures and its parent unit, the School of Arts and Sciences, knew they had a serious problem. The department offered several majors and additional minors and certificates, but the number of students in those majors could be counted on one hand. Faculty had departed, leaving the department’s remaining staff teaching more classes than normal; those classes either had very few students in them or were full of students only taking them to fulfill requirements, making the work even harder for professors.
Dr. Julia Young, interim chair of the department and an associate professor of history, and her colleagues held a series of meetings with the upper administration of SAS and the university as a whole. Those meetings led to the decision to drastically change the way Catholic University offers language degrees and to develop a program entirely new to the school.
That program is the Global Studies degree. Global Studies offers both a major and a minor. The major consists of 11 classes, which include both language classes and classes focusing on culture and humanities. Students pick a focus region and a focus language, which allows them to heavily customize the degree and have a say in their requirements.
“We also developed Global Studies to be flexible and interdisciplinary,” said Young. “It’s really a student-designed degree, and it works really well as a double major or additional minor.” She added that even options not listed in the requirements can be approved by her department, so if students want to study a different language or angle on culture, they have the ability to request that.
Dr. Young believes this degree will be more valuable than a simple language major or minor and contributes to career paths that take students overseas and at home.
“Students who complete the degree develop in-demand career skills including language proficiency, cross-cultural communication, regional expertise, foreign policy knowledge, as well as a deep understanding of global economic, social, and political dynamics that shape the world we live in today,” she said.
As part of the transition from Modern Languages to Global Studies, the faculty who teach classes in the department is expanding. Faculty in fields like history and politics will be able to teach courses that count towards Global Studies degree requirements as long as it’s approved by the Global Studies department. Global Studies students will also all have the same advisor, Dr. Cybele Arnaud, who will coordinate things like class permissions and interdepartmental course offerings.
Other programs formerly offered by Modern Languages and other departments are being combined into the new Global Studies program. That includes things like Islamic Studies, Asian Studies, and more. These programs, some of which were offered in other departments, will be rolled into the Global Studies certificate. Students will still be able to focus on those cultures and regions of the world but will do so under the Global Studies name. This also means students will have the advantage of being in the larger Global Studies department and will also be advised by Dr. Arnaud, rather than advisors in other departments who might not have been familiar with Modern Languages requirements.
“For example, a student who might have done a minor in Latin American Studies can now complete a Global Studies degree with a concentration in Latin America,” said Young.
Young also said that no students currently in a degree program that is being terminated will be unable to finish that degree. “All students currently enrolled in any suspended major, minor, or certificate will be able to complete their current program without disruption,” she said.
