The Position of Languages in the University Curriculum: Australia and the UK

Abstract

The development of high-level language abilities is seen in many parts of the world as an indispensable part of education and, in some countries, the study of a foreign language is a normal part of tertiary education for many, if not all students. In English speaking countries, however, this is not the case, and languages have often been marginalized in the university curriculum and their study is often considered a specialist area. This raises questions of what exactly universities offer to their students, how language study is organized and how languages are integrated with other disciplines. This chapter will consider the place of languages in the university curriculum by examining the nature of language study at universities in Australia and the United Kingdom in order to identify similarities and differences in the ways languages are positioned within university curricula, as well as to consider what this positioning shows about how languages are understood as a part of tertiary education in these two English-speaking countries.