Je ne sais pas pourquoi

By Staff Editorial     4/8/10 7:00pm

Although Rice lauds its international emphasis, in both its students and fields of study, the university just got a little less worldly with the decision to cut the doctoral track in the French Studies Department (see story, page 5). The death of this program, the result of university budget cuts, marks the end of the line for graduate programs in language study.Although we understand that the small size of the French graduate program makes it a predictable target for required budget cuts, this decision is the latest in a longterm university pattern that is disappointing and unworthy of the status the university seeks to maintain.

President David Leebron's Vision for the Second Century aims in part to increase the international reputation of the university. Strong language programs allow the university to achieve this lofty goal. First, graduate programs in foreign languages appeal to foreign students who wish to come to the United States to receive a more holistic education than they could receive in other countries. Many of the current graduate students in the French Studies Department - who, thankfully, will be allowed to finish their theses despite the program's termination - are foreign nationals. Their presence on campus increases Rice's international ties and enriches the university's educational environment.

Furthermore, a comprehensive language education prepares Rice graduates for international careers and increased interaction with foreign countries. Although the deletion of the doctoral program in French studies does not directly target the department's undergraduate program, it will have an impact on undergraduate French students in the form of decreased resources, not only in classes, but also in other activities such as the French tables at McMurtry College and Wiess College and the conversational program, both of which are currently led by French studies graduate students who are native speakers.

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Moreover, the recent slew of cuts to language programs worries us. The French studies department boasts a strong program by any standard and a diverse array of professors deeply committed to their work with students. Yet, like many language programs at Rice, it is not receiving the attention it deserves. We find ourselves with a paradox: As the world becomes more interconnected, Rice graduates are being deprived of the resources to adapt to such an environment.

Rice cannot continue to neglect a linguistic education if it hopes to expand internationally. Although we may have some of the best engineers, literaries and social scientists on the planet, the world will never know unless we can tell them about it.

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