Languoge.andContent 6\21't Discipline-ond Content-Bosed Approachesta LonguogeStudy

Merle Krueger, Editor

Frank Ryan, Editor

BothoJ the Center Jor Language Studies, BrownUniversity

D. . Heathand Compauy Lexington,\4assachusettsTorot]to llzt'z i::', - chaRter f

Resitu ati ng Foreig n !-ang uages in the Curriculum

Merle Kruegerand FrqnkRyon CenlerIor laryuage Studiet,Btofln Untu.rsity

In the over rwo hundred years since lh€ establishm€nr of !h€ counrry's firsr modem languagedeparrmenr ar rhe College of William and Mary, foreign language curricula et American colleg€s and universilies have become righrly linked with preparing stud€nts to read and inErprct lirerary masrerworks. Today,joining lan- guage sludy and lit€rature srudy within rhe same academic depanment is largely "Language" taken for granted. d€panmenrs rypically structure their requiremenrs for the major, and hence most courses after the founh or fifrh semester,around y4'l literary history and th€ory To be sure, definitions of rhe canon hav€ chang€d dramatically in responsero evolving crirical merhodsand heighrened sensitivity lo issuesof gender,race, cla55, and €rhnicily Still, studenrswho wish ro pursuelan- guage srudy beyond the int€rmediatelevel musr generallychoose from courses organized on lhe basis of literary genres, periods, or cdrical approacbes, regardless of &eir major or field of interest.This a[angement assumesrhat, beyond rhe intermediat€level, literarytexts provide the mos! appropriatbsubject marter for d€velopingin all studentslhe communicarivecomp€tenc€ now widely acceptedas the primary goal of language inslruction. This is a problematic assumprion for sev€ral reasons. As we become more and more conscious of lhe imDortance of Ioreitn languaSecompetence In d|5ctplineslhroughour the universiry,we needro ask whether studentswould prolit nrore from combiningforeign lantuage srudy with the subjectmatr€r of thosefields. At the sametime, we needro examinemore closelythe didacticimplicarions lor learningany subj€crmarrer (including lirera- ture) in lhe mediumofa secondlanguage and dle secondlanguage rhrough orher disciplines.The purposeof tbis book is to summarizewhat knowledgewe haveof theseissues and to stimulatefurther discussion of rhemin lh€ furure. Calls for cu[icular altemaliveslo lhe rraditionalorienralion rowards lirerarure havebuilt lo crescendoin recenly€ars. Seveml conrriburors lo this volume suggesr that there is much ro be gainedby openingrhe toreigDlanguage curriculum ro a

l?rsirxdnn6tu'.i3r lanSraSain rl. crr rkrl'nr 3 6123-' broader array ot disciplines.tf s(udenrscan study a foreign languagethrough fot greater fl literary rexrs and literarurein a foreign language,can they not alio siudy oth-er probably ne s_ubjectsthrough a languageand foreign language through other subjects? time they c -foreign "contenr-based" what are the benelilsand delicirsof such irsrirction? Ho; can sp€akersin I this idea be implemenr€din universitycourses and study materials?lnteqratinq Behind loreign languagesrudy and arademicdisciplin€s, which for reasons dpplications "discipline-based" disiussej lurther on we reler to as- ipproaches to languagestudy poses cation bet*, quesrionsrhal go to the hea of our professionalenrerprise and challeneerlons functionalir €stablishFdnotions aboul the a.ad.mic disciplinein which we are eneaq"ed.Thi

4 chnpd 1 0427'Ll tage through for grealerlluency leacherslearned to acceprthe nodon rharrheir srudentswould slqdy other probably never be taken for narive speakers o[ the urget language; at rhe same hersubjec6? lime they came to expec! rhem to be abl€ to negotiatemeaning wirh native ,n? Ho$/ can speakersin the target language. I lntegrating B€hind rhis shift in perspecrive lay a renewed emphasis upon rhe r€al-world |L5 discussed applicationsof foreignlanguages, theL use valueas a meansofgenuine communi- study poses cationbetween people of differ€ntlinguisric and cultural communiries,and rheir rllengeslong functionalimportance in rhe corporale,govemmenr, and academicworlds. In lhe ngag€d. The sevenriesand eighties,educators increasingly invoked pragmaricpurposes for rican higher learninglanguages, rarher than such broadjuslilicarions as their imporranceas an intellectualexercise, as exposurelo a foreign culture, as paths to international anSuagean.l underslandinS,or as a pillar o[ a humanisric educarion.The Viehanr War and 'iduality and mounringtrade deficirs broughr home lhe poinr rhar America'spolirical and eco- nd aestheric nomic predonrinanceafier World War lt was waning- covcrnmenr and business Inessrepon_ leadersargued rhar rhc Dalion! eroding comperirivenesscould be auribured in : and imagi part at leastto rhe poor languageskills of irs citizens.Spuned on by th€secon, professional cernsand by slumpingenrollmenrs in languageclasses, educalors launch€d iniria- avesto improvelanguage insrrucrion in schoolsand univ€rsiries.lncreajingl)l the Their work ability to speakone or more foreign languageswas touredas an importanrasset e invaluable for occupalional and professional success. eciation for World events-and (he presentation of these events in the mass media--{on- |l place in a linue ro fosterthe conviction that our society must developgreater international ary for true awarenessin order to comper€ effecdvely in the global rnarketplace and the world ihe study of politicalarena. In rhis environrnenr,foreign languag€sare viewedmore and more pa8€ €duca- as importanr,even essentialskills for prolessionalsin many tields. "Communi- discuss,and cative" approachesrecognize and promote languagein use. Addirional elTorrs "less behind rhe include programs to expand the study of so,called commonly taughl lan- u8e oeParl- guages," as well as lhe reinnirulion and rightening of foreign language require- menIsat many collegesand universiiies.A substanlialamount ofscholarshipand been advo researchhas been devored ro developrng classroommethodologies, r*.hing Llls leamers materials,and technologicalinnovarions that exposeleamers !o a rich environ I speakers in ment o[ authenticlanguage and createmore opponuniriesfor practicingtenuin€ bas served communicationin the secondlanguage. Res€arch studies have been d€signed10 uction from dererminewhich insrnrcrionallechniques, environmenls, and marerialseffeclively and gram- promoresecond language acquisirion as measuredby profaciencyskills in rea! world communicarionrask (see Freed l99l). From careful analysis of th€ F language staggerinSlycomplex phenomenonof languageirself, languageeducarors lrave lhodologies drawn inlporranlconclusions lor rhe significanceofconrext and rhc heavyimpacr of irregular whrchculrural, socral, and inrerpersonalserrings exen upon adulr languaSeusage g by critical ((ramsch and Mcconnell-Giner 1992). A d€eper undersrandingo[ rhe role of tate o[ lan- conlexrualfacrors has pronrptedrhem |o considermore carefullythan rhey hav€ l99l:195), in lhe pastwhal conlex[s,circumslances. and seningstheir sludentsare likely to face and what lintuisric skills rhey are likely ro need in ordcr ro funciion cr Sramnrar eftectivelyand appropriarelyin thoseconrexts_ omprehend Ffon rh€ postularerltat instrucrionshould promorecoNDunicative compc n exchanSe r€nrelor rnuhrl,l€rcal-wodJ.ruruors i'rvolvrnga vaner).,1 rrrrerlor rrrurs ind

lnriftrrridsFlrdigrL!rtrd8., rr ritr( r,rtr!hx 5 0\z''e contexls, rhe step is a shon "discipline_b6sed" ''rontent-based") one to th€ corollary of (or languageteaching and leaming. If in an interdependentworld based' our graduatesare mor€ and more likely lo require secondlaneuaee abilities in handn their prolessionalcareers. should rhey not teim and practice"co-mmunicarine the u: through their secondlanguage as much as possibteon the topics and in rhi ubi+r' locabulary discours€srategies, and settingsapproprial€ lo their chosenspeciali- provi(' zations?PairinS languages wirh other disctplinesholds the promiseofiaising studenr molivation to begin languagesrudy and ro continue longer.For somi th€ in learnersthe inr€llectual.hallenge ls rcasonenough ro commir rhe time and cllort lf, on ncce.sarylo achieveproticiency, while olhers havesrmng perional reasons,such asa desire1o communicate with friendsor reletivesin thJlinguage.-abroadBut these will alvays be a small minori(y The prosp€ctof somedaytraveling to where educr thc languageir spoken also offers meagre incenrive for inv€ninp-However, several curri( semcsters'work. even if the prospecl is relatively close ar hand. foreiE individuak who understandrhar knowledge ot anorherlanguage will be usefutin that i rrrrir.occflparions and valuablein their prolessionalcareers are likely to

6 (:hdpkt l 0,/.73-b "discipline- ' (or 'Foreign lanSuagesacross lbe curriculum" programs and other vorld based" foreign language initiatives olfer a $€w solution ro perhaF the two biSSest es in handicaps Nonh American language teachers[ace, namely, convincing students o[ "trn8 lhe usefulness of foreign languages in a soci€ty where English seems virtually I lhe ubiquitous,and providing meaninSfulcontexls for usinS$eir languageskills. By :ciali- proyiding nery opportunhies to apply language knowledge to l€arning subject l|5rng Inaltgrpfdirect relevanceto lheir degree,these initiatives demongtrate to students some lhe importanceofa secondlanguage wirhin the universityas a whole and beyond. elfort ll on the other hand, languagesare neverused in any coursesolher than litera- such tur€, this sendsa clearsignal thal ftey reallyhave no othet impor(antuse. ln his t e wiil recent assessmento[ urdergraduale lanSuageinsBucrion in Americaq higher i educalion, Richard Lambert argucs lhat inlegrating languagesthroughout the cuniculum repr€sen6one of the mos! promisingways to developa use-onented ;.,.i "lf foreignlanguage system. studentsleam in lheir undergraduat€college that all ful in thal is worth learningis availablein EnBlish,lhcy are likely to continuewilh this miscooceplionrlrroughoul their lives-" (1990:24) The availabililyot foreiSnlan- 'n'ng guagecomponents in courseslrom other disciplinespromises nol only lo moti vatestudents lo begin languagesludy initially,bul also to conlinu€ to pracliceit after compl€tin8their formal languagestudy per se and therebylo relain lheir rina skills. By creating as many assignment options as possible involving non-English ge to languages, students should be simulared €ventually !o apply lh€ir language ce in abili[es oo th€ir own inidative. knguage sludy in Americrn htgher education itical, musr airq not only to produce graduatesprcficienr in a foreign languagea! a single r has point in time, but graduates who g€nuinely use th€ langua8ein lheir Prolessional i and and pFrsonalliv€s. Stude[ts musf leam to seekou! lheir own opportunitiesfor e, rhe language use while still in school; only then are they likely to do so alier gradua- 990.) tion anallhus to retain or even expand their skrlls beyond lheir formal €ducalion. rorld, of course, $ere is nothing radically new about the notion lhat a second lan n tne Buagecan be leamedthrough the study of anotherdisciPline and the cont€nt o[ rha( discipline in tum through the medium of a second language.Christian luaSe monk of lhe European Middle Ages sludied lldn and ancient Gr€ek religious rr.lSn texls in order to learn these languagesas well as comprehendand analyzethe pro- messagesof these rexts. The fonnal pairing of modem languagesand lit€ratures in is the academicdepartmen6 in Americafollowed the Prussianuniversity relorms insti- :ParF rured by wilhelm von Humboldt in the early nineteenthcentury (Peck l9B7). l, bur Classicalphilology and the h€rmeneuticsof ancienttexts provided the precedenl "living" ry me and rhe methodologyfor the study of languages.Although lhis became story, the norm, (eachingadditional academicsubjects in foreignlanguages continued r-in in orher sertinSs.The influential French languagepedagogue Gouin asked the "Why i'f mwl- questionin 1880: should not the lessonon physicsor historybe €mployed (elly: iarian as the themeof a lessonin Germanor French?"(cited in 289) Alrcady in rpeak rhe eighteenthcentury secondaryschools had been esablished in Europe in sEnd which a foreignlanguage was the exclusivemedium ofinstruction. The renowned ltion- Franz.isischesGlnnasium in Berlin, tounded in the nineteenLhcenlury set a precedenrtollowed by th€ SovierUnion, which by I963 had inslituredthirty-two schoolswhere rhe entire curriculum was taught in the toreign languaSe(irid.:

R6rtrdlinE Fdti8tr l-a.8!d8esir lir( CUri.uhr 7 0LtL3-? "dual 290). The Hungarian govemment has recently launched expetimental lrnguagese( language"schools. Aliei on€ year o[ intrnsive lnstruction in a foreignlinguage, A furtherp, studentstake social science and natural sciencecourses in that Ianguagelor four tcrgetlengu more years (seeSnow this volume). Bilingual schoolshave a long tradtlion tn th€ languag communitieswhere two languagesare widely spok€n-Belgium, Alsace,Lorraine, and acaden Russia, and EastemEurope. The configurationo[ subjeclsaught in more than Faited cour' one languageruns the gamut from rhe enrirecuriiculum to lsolaredcouEes fo! irosescour: thr languagemihortty pupils onl'i The Frenchimmetsioh programsih Caiada, pliMry deg, which today enroll over 250,000studenG, have attracted keen intetest(Genesee Just as 1987i Swain 1S88,l99l; Swaln and lrpkin 1982),as have Canadianellorts to varies ftom apply imtneEion at the universitylevel (Brinronet al. 1989;Edwerds et al. l9B4; objectives\ Sternteld1988; Wesche 1985). Subsranrialbilingual educarionprograms at rhe attachmor( elementaryand secondarylevels have sprung up rccently in other countriesas othermod{ well (United Kingdom, cermanj4 Switzerland,rhe United Stares)to serve the hematolog) children o[ immigrantsand guest workers.Srudy abroad. linallt representsyet concamed anolh€r well'establishedexaftple of discipline-brsedlanguage l€aming. Foreign patholog)', study programs commonly oller parricipantsopportuniries ro atend regular guage;tha( unilersity conrsesin many diUerentdisciplines- It is generallyassumed they will Spanish to improve rheir languageskills while at the sametime absorbing(al leastin pa() leamers'al the contento[ (hecoutse, a h]?othesislargely untest€d- Th€ past rwo decadeshave produc€da proliferationo[ ellorrs ro lntegrate beyondtht languagestudy more systematicallyinto the undergraduatecuriiculum. The Calt a grcatdea [or change has come both [rom language ptofessionals and froh collergues in while an . orher fields (Straight 1991; Metcalf this volume). kngtrage faculry have restruc- ' tured existing courses and developed new ones to lncoiporate topics not often syskms, a ./ ,eLJ taught in tradidonal langdage coltrses. Somedepartments have redeflned the cort- Hispantcc tent of all their olteringsto rellectbetter the comrnunicationtasks their studenG The fr are likely actuallyto encoun(erand ro improvearticul{ion betweentheii courses hol& that (Chaput this volume). Others have added new ollerihgs iailored for prcfesglonal fid lmpr( conten( areassuch as business, engiheering, and tn€dtclne. Christine Uber Grcs9€ te*lrch o and GeoffreyM. Voght (199q l99l) have documehtedihe asronishinqnumbet 'language lhdeed ac and vari?ryot tor specialpurposes" (tSP) .ouBes which have been apFoach. ollered at higher educationinstitutions since the earlyseventies. private founda- meteriali tion( and governnrenraltunding agenci€shave in rccantyeaB und?rwrtttenpro- tnaterlal t grams at several colleges and univetsities that encourag€interdlscipllnary experi- gftatet sri menLsinvolving foreign languages thrcughout the undetgmduatecurriculum. bhi( "lorcign ness n array o[ coursemodels has emeqed fronr these lahguageactoss rcdd ahd the curriculum programs.Ourside language deparrmehls, iniriativel rangefrom "input hl introducing into the syllabusspeciftc classroom activirles or homework cssign- through menls involving one or more torelgn tanguagesro esreblishinga whole serieiof torrn (Krl coursesin a social scienceconducted enrirely in a second language.Anorh€r tentiotr ll arrangementdesignates that one discussions€ction of a hulti-s€ctioncours€ con- lng thec, duct someor all o[ irs work in the loreignlanguage. These courses are typicalt ln tl, taughtby tacultyoubide the languagedepartments vrho havegood commando[i objectiv€ non-English language.Language lacuht in tum. sometimesteach courses ih strlct di{ other disciplines where they hav€exp€rtise. They may take responsibilityfor the lld Poi

I Chdtkt l 0 q23'8 "dual ianguageseclion in a courseteam-taught wilh colleaguesfrom orher depanmenrs. gua8e, A furth€r possibilityall adjuncgmodel, involvesleaching a sepaEtecourse in rhe rr four targetlanguage which is pairedwirh a coursefrom anorherdiscipline. ln rhis case, ron ln the languagecourse deals wirh rhe challengesposed by rhe specializeddiscourse and academic usks (from raking lecrure notes to wriring rerm papers) of rlre : than paired course. Finally languagefaculry may also design languag€ for special pur- i€s for poses courses,either as stand-aloneofferings or inregraredinro an inrerdisci- rnada, plinary degreeprogram. Just as the degreeof interdasciplinaryand inl€rdeparrmenralcooperarion varies frorn model ro model,so, roo, does rhe relativeimponance of language 1984; objectivesyeEus subj€crma(er objectives.In som€ casesins!rucrors will likely at rhe attach tnore significanceto learningth€ conrenrof the paireddiscipline, while in other models languaSeimprovemen! will w€igh heavier Al rhe conclusiono[ a hematoloSycourse in Spanish,for example,the profcssorpresumably will be Drore $ yel concemealwith rhe srudenrs'knowledge of the generarion,anaromy, physiology, )reign ii, i: pathology and th€rapeuticsof blood, rhan wirh their improvemem in the lan :8ular guage;that will be a welcomebonus. Conversely, a courselabeled Conversarional y will Spanish for Health Care Provid€rs"will doubtlessseek above all to improve pan) leamets'abilily ro communicarewilh Spanish-speakingparien15. Ar lhe sam€'time, however, one might reasonably exp€ct significanr dividends in both courses ,8rare beyond &e prirnary objectives.Even a nativ€ speakerof Spanish would like\ gain e call a greatdeal of knowledSeo[ Spanishmedical discourse in the hematologycourse, r€s in while an accomplished language instructor would probably provide rhe heahh taruc- care yyorkers coruiderable informadon abour rh€ heahh care neecls_deliverv often systems,and cuhural arutude5towards doctors and nurseswhich Drevailrn rhi Hispaniccommunily. dens The fundamental premise of discipline-based approaches ro language srudy holds that studenE can successfullyleam rhe conrenrof an academicdiscipline ;ional and improve their foreign languageproficiency at rh€ same iime. Exrensive rcsearch on Canadian bilingual imm€rsion programs indicares that leamers can mber indeed accomplishboth goals simultaneousl)rPmponer6 of discipline based been approachesreason thar cr€aringopporlunities ro apply secondlanguage skills ro rnda- materialin studentsown areao[ interes!will motivalerhem more forcefully rhan pro- material which may be o[ lirrle or no interesrro rhem. Researchsuggesrs lhat peri- Sreatersubjecl areaexp€nise, background knowledge, and mehcognidve aware- nesswhich leamersbring ro malerial in rheir own fieldsenhance aheir abiliry to Iead and comprehendrecond languagerextl icarrclt 1989).Srephen Krashen! from "input hnothesis," which maintains rhar languageis acquired moi eflectively 6ign- lhrough rich comprehensibleinput wirh rhe consciouslocus on message,not esof torm (KrashenI98I; l9B5; 1989),provides a furrherrlreorerical basis for rhe con- rther tention that secondlanguage proficiency can improveby concenrraringon learn- in8 lhe contenrofan acad€micdiscipline rhrou8h thar language. cally ln this connectionit is viral ro nore rhal the distinclion between langu.ge I ofa objeclivesand the objecliv€sof the linked disciplinenor be misconsrruedas a strict dichoromy of languagevs. conrenl. ParriciaCltapur makes an extrerrrcly r the valrdpoinr in hcr pa1,crwhen shc irales how.ru(ial rr r, rharwe rrrakeexphcir

Rrsir,,drr,!Fu,.rEn rdntld8s rx"r. cx"Lnlrrr I 0123'4 the .ontent goal

tO chato l

0't23'10 ci- objrcrives-bolh languageobj€crives and lhe objecriveso[ the allied discipline_ and that we examinewhich models,leaching lechniques,and materialsire best suitedfor r€achingrhem. Much of the groundwork in ihis regard_both of a rheo_ of reticaland.melhodological nature-has beenlaid by our colleaguesin EnglishAs a Foreign(or Second)Language. Srudenis in EFL/ESLclasses a-r Nofth Airerican In collegesrnd universilieshave readlly idenriliable languaqeneed:. rhev reouire improved EnSlishskilL in order ro perfornr we rn u-nive-rsiryct.rsses aloni,ide their native-Fngltshspeakilg (ounterpartsSpeclhcally, they needto cornpref,end of acaclemiclectures in a varietyo[ fields, to uke accurat€notes, fo panicipatein nd discussionsections, to read subsranrialamounts ol academicrnalrial, and ro w||re examindtions,reporrs, and rermpapers. To help themacqurre rhese skills, Erl-,/r5r prdtcsrrunallhrve p'onecredcourse models, Inslruclronal rechniLtu€s. ot and marerialsthal lake into account rhesespecific conrexrsand purposes.so :a| catled conrenrba*d Inrrrucrion (CBIJ has gainecl wide u...pirn.. orong ot EFI./FSL profe5sionalsand becomerhe oblert of exrensivereselrctr, anatvsii €valuation,and rheorericaldebare (Brinron eial. 1989). Fo-reignlanguage . specialisrscan leam nruch from rhis experience_The mem_ ber! o[ rhe Cenrerfor-t-anguag( 5rudi€s ar Brown Universiryf;h fiar lhe lime had com€ tor a malorconterence on rhe topic o[ inlegrating languagesludy wirh orher olscrptnesacross lhe cufficutum tlar would bring togetherrepresenutiv€s lrom EFL,TESL al and orher modem languagesThe cuneni vo-lumecoliecs the re,ulrs o[ m rhrs gnrheflngin Providence,Rhode tsland, Oclober l8_20, "discipline-based 199L The orqanizeE Ll- opted for.rhe lerm approachcs -contenl to languagesrudy. rarh_er rhan trasect,-ev€n though rhe laller lerm has gained ralher wide .Contenl cufiency lo rn publlcaltonson the ropic based. -lonn-based inslruction implies a contraslinA appmach.presumably one concemed primarily wirh grammaticai trt 5truclure Even if one allowed rhal grammar is essenrraliy"lori" --contenl,'w€ "conrenr_based..masks and nor leel rhe temt the de(isivetlement which :d makesrhest approarhes rnnovarive. tnlegraling language r€achinS with orher aca_ e- oemlcdrsctptlnes ttn additionlo lrreratule)open: language "conten!s," instrucrionro a much al wider array of no! to conlent per se. By-coitrast, a ..non_disciDlin€ based"approach implies a syllabuso[ rand'omlyor ioosely conn"."a ,ooiI io. classroomdiscussion and exercises,where no clear rherneiink one conreirttooic ro th€ nexr. Grammar rules o[ increasingdilficul(y generally derermine ihe sequence ofl€:sons.and orher sublcLt InJlter is generalin narureand clearly sub_ ir orornateto hnguagelearning prr sr

)f ,ovEnvtEw o5 THf VOTUME The March leol rssueol rheAnren,.dn Arrtrn(s in.flrght magazitl<, Att,]i, an Way. pubh.hed an rrrr.lcon Engtish.tJ,,gudge p,u8r.,,ns toi.lapan"cse sru,t..r, in Norri Amerr.a tn !\Dnhll tfterrcdru,runrerrr-brscd lnstlucllon,rs an LxL iDAn€w corcepr rn such se[ings. Menrionot CBI ir a publication for rhe general underscores -t lubtic lhe widespreadrecogDirion rhis approachhas garnered towever,rhe aurhor oversraresits novchy, tor in acrualiiy rhe app;oach is quire ti;;i;

l'.,,'xrx,8r-u,.,tr t axtrddr,,,r,r,,r,n hl,di l,