Siskin: What's French Good for Anyway? (Kelly S.)

I love Ben B's market forces metaphor (cf. post on "buyers of French") description of the Siskin article; it captures the essence of the article perfectly, especially since today's students increasingly approach their education with a consumer mentality.

Nevertheless it is true that one question anybody on the job market in French has to be ready to answer these days is "What ideas do you have for revitalizing our program?" Since 9/11 and growing awareness of China as a fast-growing global player, add to the language competition Arabic and Chinese. The Siskin article helps us to better understand one (big) piece of the puzzle: the role of student motivation in language choice, as influenced by larger social/political trends and perceptions. Because the economic and administrative structure of many large educational institutions today is such that departments receive funding based on the number of students enrolled in the department's classes, the challenge is to find a way to offer courses that appeal to/attract students (note increasingly sexy and cleverly named undergraduate courses, as opposed to old titles such as "17th Century French Theater") without compromising core values of our discipline. Fundamentally, we have to find ways to show students that French IS relevant to them, even if French speakers are not thronging across our borders, but this requires thinking outside of traditional disciplinary boundaries.

As is made clear in the article, French has always been attractive to a "clientele" that is drawn to its aura of chic, sophistication, and high culture. But many students today are less willing to explore a subject for its aesthetic benefits than to choose classes based on their perceived immediate potential relevance to social and economic gain. So, should we really only "cultiver notre jardin" as suggested by Valdman? I think we have to go further, thus the rise of untraditional classes such as "French for the Business World". The trend towards incorporation of La Francophonie as a theme in elementary and intermediate French textbooks in the American market can also be seen as an attempt to render French more relevant in the North American context, with integration of Cajun and Quebecois focused modules. Interdisciplinary classes, or those with, say, an optional language-specific discussion component such as the ones offered in IU's West European Studies Program mentioned by Jennifer, offer another creative approach. Our department's F251 (Service Learning Practicum in French Teaching), a course in which students at the F250 level and beyond work to teach basic French lessons to underprivileged area elementary school children, and F477; F102; F152; F202; F252 (French Conversation Group Leadership and French Conversation group membership) are courses created with the goal of allowing students to something ELSE with French: French as a vehicle to connect with and learn about the community outside the university walls (Monroe County is one of top three poorest counties in the state of Indiana); French as a vehicle of fun, pleasure, and social connection; French as a vehicle for gaining leadership and teaching skills.

The take-home messages for me of the Siskin article are: 1) It's useful and important to know what motivates students in choosing one language over another at a given place and time; 2) Student motivation and perception has to be taken seriously in language program design, and 3) Those of us teaching French can no longer afford the luxury of thinking French will simply sell itself as it has historically done; instead, we need to be more creative in finding ways to connect study of the language with other disciplines and opportunities so students perceive its relevance.