ERIC Number: ED240851
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 1983-Dec
Pages: 9
Abstractor: N/A
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
An Interdisciplinary Immersion Program in Foreign Languages.
Lee, Vera
The development and coordination of interdisciplinary immersion programs in French and Spanish at Boston College are chronicled, and some issues of federal grant support are discussed. The programs, currently involving the history, theology, philosophy, fine arts, management, and sociology departments and soon including political science, consist of one course taught in each department in each language. Most are standard courses ordinarily taught in English. Students are also encouraged to take a coordinating course in the appropriate language. Extracurricular activities play a large role in both programs. Among the issues addressed during the program's course were the possible admission of Latin Americans to the Spanish program and more closely defining the function of the coordinating course. Additional projects planned include training other college and high school personnel to run similar courses, and opening undergraduate immersion courses to secondary language teachers for graduate credit. Funding by the Department of Education and National Endowment for the Humanities has had advantages and disadvantages. Among the advantages are adequate funds for support activities such as consultants, travel, materials, publicity, and departmental coordination, and the prestige of association. Disadvantages include walking the line between proposal specifications and actual practice, and the possible negative impact of losing funding. (MSE)
Descriptors: Achievement Gains, Business Administration Education, Church Related Colleges, College Second Language Programs, Curriculum Development, Extracurricular Activities, Federal Aid, Financial Support, Fine Arts, French, Higher Education, History Instruction, Immersion Programs, Inservice Teacher Education, Interdisciplinary Approach, Language of Instruction, Language Proficiency, Latin Americans, Philosophy, Political Science, Program Descriptions, Program Development, Sociology, Spanish, Teacher Qualifications, Theological Education
Publication Type: Reports - Descriptive; Speeches/Meeting Papers
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A