In her article in the 'Guardian' (22/09/09), Jessica Shepherd asks if it's all over for German.
Queens University, Belfast has ruled that this year's 20 undergraduates studying German will be its last. It states that student demand is 'unsustainably low'.The language will continue as an extra curricular study. In October, the University of Leicester will debate a proposal from senior management to close its German department in 2013. Just 64 out of 116 universities in the UK are offering German as part of a degree.The subject has been available at UK universities for the past 125 years! In the 1950's it was particularly popular.The number of students taking German at both GCSE and A-level continues to drop.
Post graduate enrolment on teacher training courses with a specialism in German has been dropping for the past number of years. Many more German departments may close or at the very least amalgamate with other departments. Yet Germany remains Europe's largest economy and a major trading partner for the UK. In many parts of Eastern Europe German is the language of business. So how can we be witnessing its gradual demise in universities?
There may be multiple reasons, but one of course is the falling numbers taking German in post primary schools. This has escalated since the government decided in 2004 that a modern language should no longer be compulsory at GCSE level. There is also the perception that German is a difficult language. Some would argue that German has suffered as a result of universities' 'science driven agenda' which comes at the expense of the Arts and Humanities. Modern language departments have received budget cuts in the Government's latest Research Assessment Exercise (RAE).
Languages such as German are expensive to deliver because they require small class sizes. At this time of reduced funding languages look like an easy way to save money.
The last five years have seen the proportion of students enrolling on modern language degrees drop by 4%.
Language learning must remain at the forefront of students' study. Monolingualism diminishes our ability to compete in the international marketplace and disqualifies many from the high level posts that require linguistic fluency. Foreign culture can only truly be accessed through a foreign language. Not having that exposure results in an inability to be a global citizen limiting people to a form of cultural parochialism. If it's German suffering today, then how long before French and Spanish feel the chill?
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