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THE University of Nebraska, Omaha, is a public metropolitan institution situated in the center of Nebraska’s largest city. Its mission states that it “exists for the purpose of providing appropriate educational opportunities, discovering and disseminating knowledge through research and teaching, and offering public service to the citizens of the state, particularly the residents of the Omaha metropolitan area” (Undergraduate Catalogue). Currently home to approximately 11,500 undergraduate students and 2,600 graduate students, the university offers ninety-five baccalaureate degree programs and sixty-six advanced degree programs, including six doctoral programs.
Among these baccalaureate degree programs are those from the Department of Foreign Languages. The department is home to six languages—French, German, Italian, Japanese, Russian, and Spanish—and two degree options. Students may earn a bachelor of arts with a major in French, German, or Spanish, or a bachelor of general studies with an area of concentration in French, German, or Spanish. In addition to the majors and minors in these languages, there is a minor available in Russian and introductory and intermediate courses in Italian and Japanese.1 Currently composed of fourteen full-time faculty members and five on part-time assignments, the department size has fluctuated in recent years, adding both full- and part-time faculty members to keep up with the demand for language instruction, as well as temporarily losing instructor lines because of budgetary constraints.
The Department of Foreign Languages recognizes the university’s mission as a student-centered metropolitan institution devoted to academic excellence and engagement with the community, and it works to ensure that all goals are met. The city of Omaha is home to increasingly larger populations of Spanish, French, German, and Russian speakers, and the department, therefore, has the opportunity to engage with these populations and encourage interaction between students and these communities as well.
Enrollments in the languages offered by the university have fluctuated only slightly over the past three years (see table at end). Introductory Italian and Japanese courses have seen a slight decrease in enrollments, while those for Spanish have increased. Enrollments in Russian courses increased slightly (with the recent implementation of a Russian minor) and currently are stable, while those for French saw the opposite—a slight decrease followed by stabilization. Introductory German course enrollments have fluctuated only slightly.2 Advanced courses in Spanish and French have seen a slight increase, while German and Russian have remained steady.3
The factors involved in a student’s choice of language study vary. Those with no language experience may choose a language on the assumption that one language is easier than another. Those with some prior language study tend to continue with the same language at the postsecondary level. Many students choose a language on the basis of their career goals and the opportunities brought about by having abilities in a particular language. Still others have a less instrumental, but no less genuine, interest in learning a particular language and culture. Finally, there is a small population of students whose choice of a language is based on the availability of classes. For example, Spanish offers many more sections of introductory and intermediate courses than do the other languages.
To attract students to language study, the department has several strategies. Faculty members constantly look to identify promising students in lower-division courses and to encourage them to continue their studies and talk with an adviser about career options. The department occasionally sponsors a program on foreign languages and career opportunities. Faculty members bring their classes to this event to listen to speakers discuss the role that foreign languages have played in their careers as well as to speak with advisers and gather information. At the annual spring awards ceremony, there is a new award for promising second-year students. Although only a certificate, sometimes this helps encourage a student to continue her or his language study. Finally, the department welcomes visits from secondary school language groups, who attend classes at different levels, speak with an adviser, and tour the campus.
Within the last seven years, the department has acquired four new full-time tenure-track positions (three in Spanish, one in French) and has lost one (German). Funding for these positions was made available through general university funds as well as the Office of Academic Affairs. Three of the positions (two in Spanish, one in French) were requested and granted because of increased interest in second language acquisition and the possible implementation of a master’s degree program dealing with language teaching and administered by the department. Two of these positions have been successfully recruited, while one (Spanish) remains unfilled.4 With the successful recruitment of the third Spanish position, offerings in Spanish American literature have increased and a course on literary criticism has been created. Unfortunately, a vacant German line was lost due to recent budgetary problems.
Though the department does not have a language coordinator per se, one faculty member from each language group oversees the curriculum, in consultation with other faculty members. In addition, Spanish also has a coordinator for first-year courses who devises the syllabi and the midterm and final examinations, again, in consultation with the other Spanish faculty members. By implementing a department syllabus for first-year Spanish courses, we have tried to make the teaching of the language, and therefore the learning outcomes, as uniform as possible. Currently, we are investigating the possibility of a second-year Spanish coordinator.
The use of part-time faculty members is kept to a minimum. At various points in the last four years there have been two part-time French instructors, each teaching one course (one to accommodate a faculty leave, the other to teach a lower-division course offered every other semester); one full- and one part-time German instructor (one for one semester to accommodate a faculty retirement, the other to accommodate need); and five part-time Spanish instructors (three teaching off-campus evening courses and two teaching on-campus daytime courses, all at the lower division). There also remains the need for part-time instruction for the other languages—Italian and Japanese (along with Chinese, Hebrew, and Kabuli Dari)—as they are taught less frequently and only through the intermediate level.
In addition to part-time instruction, the department has had to rely on hiring full-time non-tenure-track faculty members. Some of these faculty members come from our sister institution, the University of Nebraska, Lincoln, while others come to us through word-of-mouth. All have had language-teaching experience and are mentored, albeit informally, by tenured and tenure-track faculty members. As full-time members of the department, they participate in department and language-group meetings and serve on department committees. Fortunately, we have been able to keep several instructors for extended stays, which has helped to maintain stability in the program.
The budget for the Department of Foreign Languages is overseen by the department chair and currently runs just under one million dollars. These monies are used for salaries for faculty and support staff, contributions to fringe benefits, and operating expenses. Additionally, a portion of these funds is used to supplement travel expenditures for tenure-track and tenured faculty members as available at the end of the fiscal year (a 75% reimbursement for tenure-track faculty members and a 50% reimbursement for tenured faculty members). Also contributing in a small way to the overall budget is an instructional fee ($6.25) charged to each student enrolling in an elementary or intermediate language class. These monies are used primarily for language laboratory support services.
The department is fortunate to have additional funding available through a variety of university sources. The College of Arts and Sciences provides partial funding for tenure-track and tenured faculty travel (airfare and a Saturday-night hotel stay) and supplements the chair’s salary. The college, along with the Office of Academic Affairs, provided a portion of the start-up funds required for the multimedia laboratory, and both offices continue to provide financial support. The Office of Academic Affairs also makes available partial funding for international travel as well as for equipment needs (such as computers and office furniture for new faculty members). The University Committee on the Advancement of Teaching provides support for course as well as faculty development, as does the University Committee on Research, which also provides funding opportunities for research and related travel. The Office of Student Affairs offers support for assessment instruments, and technology is supported by a technology fee assessed per credit hour per semester.
While all offices have been generous with their funding, the University of Nebraska, Omaha, has recently faced a budget crisis and is currently tightening its belt. A budget reduction of over $3.8 million has meant that 14.5 vacant campus-wide faculty positions remain unfilled. Administrative structures are being streamlined, and general operating expenses from academic support services, business and finance, and athletics will all be reduced, along with cuts in full-time staff positions (clerical staff, custodians, and electricians). Other cuts affect summer course offerings and instructional equipment.
The Department of Foreign Languages has been directly affected by this crisis. Lower-division course offerings in Spanish were reduced, and one vacant German position was lost, as was one in Spanish. As of this writing, however, temporary approval has been granted for two Spanish positions (one to accommodate a last-minute faculty departure, the other to recruit for second language acquisition). In addition, a proposed MA in language teaching that began the approval process in October 2001 is still moving through the administration. As the administration has been very supportive of the program, we are hopeful that it will continue the process without falling victim to the budgetary woes.
While the requirements for a major and minor have not changed in the last eight years, some of the courses that are offered have changed, perhaps because of a change in the faculty. Looking at the titles of recent literature seminars, one will find Exiles, Madwomen, and Witches in Contemporary French Literature; French Cinema; Modern French Women Authors; Francophone Film and Literature; Women in Russian Society and Culture: A Historical Perspective; Introduction to Russian Literature I; Russian Culture and Civilization; Russian Masterpieces; Latin American Short Story; Spanish-American Theater; Introduction to Literary Criticism; and Spanish Literature and Film. Several of these courses are cross-listed with other departments and programs, such as English, Chicano/a and Latino/a studies, and women’s studies, in an effort not only to increase class enrollments but also to encourage the study of language and culture.
Language courses at the advanced level were until recently limited to conversation and composition. However, within the last five years, the courses Structure of French and Structure of Spanish have been developed to provide students with a more in-depth view of the phonetics and phonology, morphology, syntax, and semantics of the two languages.
There tend to be four primary influences on a student’s choice of courses for a major or minor. Perhaps the major factor is course rotation. Since our department is small, we can offer only one section of each upper-division course, which is rotated into the schedule depending on language program.5 Many students often take the courses that come available at an appropriate time rather than the courses they want.
The time of day the course is offered and the instructor teaching it also influence course selection. Many of our students have outside obligations such as full- or part-time jobs, family responsibilities, and community activities. Some may prefer courses during the morning hours, and others the afternoon or early evening hours. During advising sessions, questions about when courses are offered and who will be teaching them sometimes supersede those about course content.
Finally, for some students, the selection of a course comes down to individual preference. This is most frequently true for completion of minor requirements in Spanish. Though we specify courses required for the major (conversation; grammar and composition; one literature survey; one civilization course; and one elective, often a study-abroad course), many students seek to enroll in courses they perceive as more practical: advanced conversation and advanced composition and stylistics (both of which are required for the major). Here we can be and are a bit more flexible and allow the student more of a choice in planning her or his curriculum. In any event, each language group works with a five-year course projection so that when students come for advising, they can try to plan their entire course of studies and enroll in the courses they want.
The requirements for the major and minor in foreign languages last underwent a major revision in 1995, when the major was increased from twenty-two credit hours to thirty, and the minor was increased from twelve credit hours to fifteen. In both cases, the counting of credit hours begins with the third-year courses. One three credit-hour course was split into two (Advanced Conversation and Composition became Advanced Conversation and Advanced Composition and Stylistics for all three major languages), and the number of elective credits increased. Many students choose to do a study-abroad program (typically for one month) for some of their elective credits.
In advanced courses, our pool of students comes not only from our majors but also from minors, double majors, and those pursuing teaching certification in a foreign language. Minors are required to take many of the same courses as those pursuing a major, and double majors and those pursuing certification have the same requirements. While it may appear that the number of currently enrolled majors would be a good indication of departmental success, to the university it is the number of majors who graduate that signals success. Currently, a program needs to graduate ten majors an academic year to be successful. This is the number used to determine budget increases or decreases.
Technology has made its way into nearly all courses. Over the last decade, the traditional language laboratory has evolved into a multimedia center managed by a full-time technical specialist and equipped with more than fifty computers for student use. The audio components for each language are either housed on a server (so that students no longer must request cassette tapes to do their listening comprehension activities) or available through textbook-specific Web sites. All computers are connected to the World Wide Web so that students have on-campus access to an infinite number of Web sites devoted to language, literature, and culture.
In addition to the multimedia lab, the department is fortunate to have access to a computer classroom. Courses typically meeting in this classroom include Spanish Grammar and Composition and Spanish Advanced Composition and Stylistics. Instructors may also reserve this room, typically for composition exercises, though also for viewing videos on a large screen. Several instructors request that their courses be scheduled in high-technology classrooms, where they have access to a computer that can connect to the World Wide Web, an overhead machine, and a video player.
As part of an effort to support the German and Russian programs not only at the University of Nebraska, Omaha, but at our sister institutions in Lincoln and Kearney, distance education via fiber optics and Internet protocol is being tried. In spring 2001, one German course was delivered via distance learning, with the instructor in Omaha and the students in Kearney. During 2002–03, three German and four Russian upper-division courses were delivered via distance learning. Distance education may also play a role as the university looks forward to the possibility of implementing a master’s program.
Before the summer of 1999, placement procedures for language courses at the university were based primarily on high school seat-time equivalencies and self-placement. This combination resulted in classes whose populations were vastly different with regard not only to language experience but, more important, to language proficiency. Thus the department, in conjunction with the College of Arts and Sciences, determined that placement examinations were in order. Two faculty members, one in French and one in Spanish, with backgrounds in second language acquisition were chosen to design the exams. Funding was available from the Office of Student Affairs to investigate exam possibilities. After a year of creation, pilot testing, and refining, the Spanish exam was implemented in summer 1999. The French exam, following the same sequence, was implemented the following spring. Both exams consist of approximately fifty multiple-choice questions and a writing section. While listening comprehension is tested, speaking is not; however, those responsible for the exams are currently investigating adding this skill. All students with previous French and Spanish experience are required to take the relevant exam so that they can be more precisely placed in a course.
The abilities of students majoring in the language are assessed through coursework. Students enrolled in an advanced conversation course (required for graduation) sit for a modified oral proficiency interview (OPI), while those in an advanced composition and stylistics course are evaluated through their writings. All language skills are evaluated in courses such as literature surveys, literature seminars, and culture and civilization courses, since all courses for the major are delivered in the target language.
Another aspect of assessment involves the use of an exit questionnaire that all graduating majors must complete. This questionnaire asks students to rank class activities on a scale from extremely useful to hindrance; label statements on a scale from strongly agree to strongly disagree; and answer questions dealing with courses, instructors, advising, study abroad, and future plans. It also provides a space for additional comments. Recently, the faculty has discussed adding an oral interview as a follow-up to the written questionnaire.
Students have three opportunities for study outside their usual class schedule: language tables, conversation partners, and participation in honorary societies. Both the French and Spanish language tables meet at restaurants every Friday evening with at least one faculty member in attendance. The French language table is currently in its twentieth year, and the recently revived Spanish language table is completing its first. Both programs have been successful and attract students not only from the University of Nebraska, Omaha, but also from Creighton University and Metropolitan Community College. These experiences are open to majors and minors, as well as to those simply interested in an informal conversational experience. Lower-division students are known to pop in, as are community members.
Conversation partners also offer an opportunity for informal language study. An intensive language program for nonnative speakers of English encourages students in all languages to seek out a partner for an English—target language exchange (i.e., 30 minutes in English and 30 minutes in the target language).
Our honorary chapters–Delta Phi Alpha, Pi Delta Phi, and Sigma Delta Pi (German, French, and Spanish, respectively)—sponsor activities ranging from foreign language weeks to poetry readings to service-oriented activities in which members use their language abilities, such as interpreting in Spanish for local secondary schools during parent-teacher conferences.
One relatively new opportunity for learning outside the classroom is appearing slowly in the form of service learning. For example, a service-learning component has been used for several years in the course Methods of Language Teaching.
The department currently holds three study-abroad agreements: one for French in Quebec, Canada; two for German in Braunschweig, Germany, and Vienna, Austria; and one for Spanish in Cuernavaca, Mexico. Summer study abroad in Russia is also available, in conjunction with other institutions. All programs run approximately four to six weeks, and two (Quebec and Cuernavaca) are supervised on-site by a department faculty member. Traditionally students are required to take an examination on their arrival at the institution to gauge their level of proficiency; once students complete their courses, they are interviewed again before grades are submitted.
Increasingly students have been requesting study-abroad opportunities in countries other than those mentioned above, typically when they want an experience longer than that provided by our current programs. Most are interested in a semester-long program, and a few want a year-long program. In these situations, the proposed program of study is evaluated by a department adviser and the chair, along with a study-abroad coordinator. Courses are generally accepted for transfer by the department either as elective credit or in lieu of a course required for the major or minor, in which case the student is normally required to take an examination on returning. In either case, students are required to submit all study-abroad materials pertaining to their coursework (i.e., notes, examinations, term papers) to an adviser for evaluation before the transfer of credit. Depending on factors such as length of stay, previous study-abroad experience and credit, and course level, students can earn up to nine credit hours from our department, and perhaps more through International Studies and Programs or other departments across campus.
Department faculty members are acutely aware of the relation between our department and the College of Education and the responsibility that both parties have for preparing well-educated elementary and secondary school teachers. We believe that the better prepared our education students are at the end of their university experience, the better prepared the elementary and secondary school students will be on their arrival at our university. Additionally, these students will test into higher-level courses and potentially lead to increases in the number of majors and minors.
The preparation of students majoring in education with certification in French, German, or Spanish is the responsibility of both the education and the foreign languages faculties. In the simplest terms, the education faculty teaches the education courses, while the foreign languages faculty teaches the foreign language courses. Student-teacher placement is handled by the College of Education in consultation with the student, who can request a particular district and even school. Supervision of student teachers is the responsibility of the Department of Foreign Languages. Students are required to complete the same language curriculum as those majoring in the College of Arts and Sciences. They must also take two courses not required for a traditional major, Introduction to Linguistics and Applied Linguistics. The introductory course is taught by a faculty member from the English department, while the applied course is instructed by a faculty member from either English or foreign languages. In recent years, the methodology course has been instructed by a member of the foreign languages faculty (two faculty members, one in French and one in Spanish, hold degrees in the fields of foreign language teaching methodology and second language acquisition).
The Department of Foreign Languages at the University of Nebraska, Omaha, has been growing steadily in terms of both faculty and student population. In addition to maintaining current programs and offerings, the department is looking forward to implementing new and exciting changes, especially two new proposed programs expected to arrive within the next two years: a business and foreign languages program and a master of arts with a major in language teaching program. The first program would result in a bachelor of science in business administration with a second major—French, German, or Spanish. It will allow students to pursue both areas and will include courses in both business language and business culture. Ideally, it will include study abroad, with an internship with a foreign company.
The master’s program, housed in the College of Arts and Sciences and administered through the Department of Foreign Languages with the cooperation of faculty from the English department, will provide tracks in English as a second or other language (ESOL), French, German, and Spanish. Along with courses in such areas as second language acquisition, methodology, and pedagogical research, it equally emphasizes the mastery of language skills with courses such as the structure of the target language, literature studies, and advanced writing skills. It also includes a study-abroad component for foreign languages and a pedagogic field experience for ESOL.
As the new millennium unfolds, the Department of Foreign Languages continues to evolve, reflecting goals of both the faculty and the students. We continue to be guided by the overall university mission and find ourselves truly student centered, devoted to academic excellence, and forever engaged with the community.
Karen L. Robinson
2Elementary Hebrew I was offered in fall 2001 for the first time since spring 1990; Kabuli Dari was offered in fall 2002 for the first time since the mid-1970s.
3Because of budgetary issues, two advanced Russian courses and one advanced German course were offered to our students through distance education with our sister institutions, the University of Nebraska, Lincoln, and the University of Nebraska, Kearney, in fall 2002. The numbers presented for that term include these enrollments.
4It is hoped that the recent budget crisis will not result in the loss of this position.
5In Spanish, courses in conversation and in grammar and composition (in which a student typically enrolls after completion of the intermediate-level courses) are offered every semester, while all other upper-division courses, such as advanced conversation, advanced composition and stylistics, literature surveys, civilization courses, and seminars, may be offered once a year, once every two years, or even once every three or four years in the case of some seminars. In other languages, courses are rotated less often.
© 2004 by the Association of Departments of Foreign Languages. All Rights Reserved.
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