Required Foreign Language Courses: Students and Faculty Weigh in

The necessity of required foreign language courses has become a hot topic among faculty and mass communication students when interviewed over the last two weeks at the University of Central Oklahoma, with some frustration at the length of the courses, but an understanding of their importance. 

Assuming mass communication students haven’t met the foreign language credit requirements before entering the university, they are required to take eight credit hours of second language courses, according to the UCO website.

At UCO, elementary foreign language courses are four credit hours instead of the typical three, which is something students expressed discontent with. 

“I don’t understand why the courses are four credit hours instead of three,” said Conner Mason, a UCO student. “I don’t understand what we are gaining from that extra hour.”

Other students were more understanding of the higher workload. 

“I can understand why it’s frustrating that the courses are longer.” Said Luke Underwood, the new vice president of the University of Central Oklahoma’s Student Association.

“I also understand why they are longer. Unlike subjects like English or science, you are learning a whole new language, which is harder to do.” 

Faculty at the school believe that second language courses are some of the most important general education courses students will take. 

Jessica Appleby, a French professor in the UCO Department of Modern Languages, said that as the world continues to globalize, it is necessary for students to be familiar with other cultures. 

“Through these language classes, we can learn about other cultures and other events that are happening. For those studying mass media, learning about other cultures and other parts of the world can really enrich your experience,” said Appleby. 

Mark Scott, professor at UCO and advisor to Ucentral, said that knowing a second language can be a major advantage when competing for a job in broadcasting or reporting.  

Students also expressed a disconnect from the use of a second language. 

Brooklyn Ellis, a UCO student, said she has not felt any benefits from her elementary Spanish courses yet. 

“I’m just taking them (the Spanish courses) for my major. If I could swap them out for a different general education course, I would probably do that,” Ellis said. 

Two of the three students interviewed said that they would swap out their second language courses for different general education classes if they had the choice to. 

Other students have had their courses pay off more immediately. 

“I think I learned a lot more in my foreign language courses than I did in any of my other gen-eds (general education),” said Underwood. 

“There’s a lot of borders with language, especially in the field I want to go into, so having that (a second language) is another reason I can get hired,” said Underwood. 

With a large Hispanic and Spanish-speaking population in Oklahoma, it is an increasingly necessary skill for people entering the mass communication field, said Scott. 

Not having a better understanding of Spanish is a major regret Scott holds, he said. 

There were approximately 305,840 Spanish speakers in Oklahoma as of 2024, according to World Population Review. 

While knowing any second language can be useful, Spanish can be particularly helpful given the large Hispanic community in the state and how close it is to Texas and the southern border, Scott said. 

“They began the Hispanic Film Association recently for Spanish-speaking students,” said Scott. 

There have also been recent pushes for student competition categories for Spanish-speaking students in the Oklahoma Broadcast Education Association, Scott said. 

The Department of Modern Languages holds cultural activities that hope to bring students of different backgrounds together so they can experience the benefits of learning about other cultures, said Appleby.