Instruction in Modern Foreign Languages
T HIS is a report of a quick survey to determine the status of instruction in modern foreign languages, literatures, and cultures in American colleges and universities. It was made in the belief that the war has created new demands for instruction in some areas and probably decreased demands in other areas of this broad field. Inquiry blanks were sent to the 752 institutions which are members of the Association of American Universities, the Association of Land Grant Colleges and Universities, the Association of American Colleges, or the American Association of Teachers Colleges. Each institution was asked to indicate for each language whether or not it offered elementary courses, courses for upper-class credit, courses for graduate credit, a major for the baccalaureate degree, intensive short courses to develop a practical knowledge of the language, and courses in English on the literature and institutions of the language group. Each was asked also to indicate which types of work now given had been inaugurated since 1940. It was assumed that changes in this field since 1940 have been brought about largely by the exigencies of the war effort. Replies were received from 449 institutions. These replies represent conditions during the second semester or the winter quarter of the current academic year. Changes in undergraduate instruction since the outbreak of the war have been comparatively slight in amount, although by no means insignificant. During the two decades following the first World War, French, Spanish, German, and Italian were offered more widely than any other foreign languages. The present survey indicates that this is still true. Among the 449 institutions replying, French ranks first in the field of undergraduate instruction, elementary courses being offered in 443 institutions as against 4i6 for Spanish, .398 for German, and 134 for Italian. The situation with respect to undergraduate majors is similar; French majors are offered in 337 institutions, Spanish in 259, German in 220, and Italian in 4. Since 1940, Spanish has advanced from third to second place. The only other languages in which regular elementary courses are given by ten or more institutions are Portuguese (75), Russian (5I), Japanese