"If the cuts have struck a nerve far from this upstate campus and in more than one language, it is in large part because they involve language itself, and some cherished staples of the curriculum. The university announced this fall that it would stop letting new students major in French, Italian, Russian and the classics.
The move mirrors similar prunings around the country at other public colleges and universities that are reeling from steep drops in state aid. After a generation of expansion, academic officials are being forced to lop entire majors. More often than not, foreign languages - European ones in particular - are on the chopping block.
The reasons for their plight are many. Some languages may seem less vital in a world increasingly dominated by English. Web sites and new technologies offer instant translations. The small, interactive classes typical of foreign language instruction are costly for universities.
But the paradox, some experts in higher education say, is that many schools are eliminating language degrees and graduate programs just as they begin to embrace an international mission: opening campuses abroad, recruiting students from overseas and talking about graduating citizens of the world. The University at Albany's motto is "The World Within Reach." "
The TOK issue here is whether or not European foreign languages are necessary or valuable and thus, whether or not their elimination is a loss to higher education.
What the state incorporates into its standards can have nationwide
significance because publishers often look to Texas, as well as California—the
two biggest adoption states—when writing textbooks.
Some people questioned whether all the experts had the credentials to judge
social studies standards.
Mr. Marshall wrote, “To have Cesar Chavez listed next to Ben Franklin is
ludicrous. Chavez is hardly the kind of role model that ought to be held up to
our children as someone worthy of emulation.”
Weighing Gravitas
They used the word “include” in the standards to mark a historical person
students would be required to learn about and the phrase “such as” to mark
someone teachers could choose to mention in their lessons, without requiring it.
Texas textbooks influence the entire US History curriculum around the country. What do you think the effect of Texas' changes will be to history as American students understand it?