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Language and Literature in the Globalized College/ University
... Attitudes towards foreign language study at American institutions of education have increasingly come to be defined by a staggering contradiction: even as many administrators and educators peddle the belief that universities should prepare students to exist in an evermore globalized and intercultural world, the perceived importance of departments specializing in foreign languages, literatures, and cultures is diminishing (see Bernhardt, 1997;Brustein, 2007;Gehlhar, 2009;Holquist, 2006;Wilkerson, 2006). The drops in enrollments, the elimination of language requirements, and the closure of entire departments that constitute the current "crisis in the humanities" come in spite of numerous public statements made by government and university representatives that Americans urgently need to become more proficient in other languages, cultures, and world views. ...
... Bernhardt, 1997). Others have cautioned against the commodification of language study (Holquist, 2006;Kramsch et al, 2007;Kramsch, 2006Kramsch, & 2007 on the basis that it encourages reductionist views of language and culture. ...
... Although proficiency scales and assessments were designed by FL education professionals and consequently "implicitly measure foreign language ability in the academic domain" (McAloon, 2015, p. 154), uptake by universities has been slow, particularly in FL studies major courses focused on literary, culture, and linguistic analysis (e.g., Violin-Wigent & Grubbs, 2019, p. 51). An exclusive, or predominant, focus on proficiency in post-secondary FL instruction narrows the instructional focus of FL studies to communication skills (e.g., Byrnes, 2006;Kramsch, 2006;Schulz, 2006;Swaffar, 2006), promoting both a reductionist view of language and the commodification of language (e.g., Heller, 2010;Holquist, 2006;Kramsch, 2006). Heller (2010) points out that language teaching that narrowly focuses on standardized meanings and forms of expression positions language as a skill or "a resource to be produced, controlled, distributed, valued, and constrained" (p. ...
This book analyzes the construct of advanced proficiency in second language learning by bringing together empirical research from numerous linguistic domains and methodological traditions. Focusing on the dynamic nature of language use, the volume explores diverse manifestations of high-level second language Spanish, including performance on standardized proficiency assessments, acquisition of late-acquired linguistic structures, sophisticated language use in context, and individual differences. Chapters relate empirical findings to current definitions of advancedness, challenging scholars and practitioners to re-consider existing conceptualizations, and propose possible directions for future research and teaching with second language speakers of Spanish. By addressing larger issues in the field of second language learning, the volume is a valuable reference for language teachers, scholars, professionals and students with an interest in second language acquisition generally, and second language Spanish, more specifically.
... Helping to create this partnership truly opened my own eyes, and I am energized to extend this project. I now more fully understand what Holquist (2006) said when he discussed outreach and globalization: "If we understand globalization as a one-word zinger for the truth that everything is related to everything else, then it follows that global is also local ... Outreach entails in-reach" (p. 46). ...
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