Pacific University is developing a new center for the study of languages and culture. |
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Globalization, the growing invovlement of the United states in international business, and the increasingly multi-cultural character of American society itself, all emphasize the importance of foreign language study and the internationalization of college curriculum. As a university, Pacific recognizes that building inter-cultural and international competencies is essential to graduating young men and women who are prepared for a global economy and a rapidly-shrinking world. Even if a Pacific graduate never leaves the state, nearly one in five Oregon jobs is tied to global trade and services (Karin Fischer, "Flat World Lessons for Real World Students" Chronicle of Higher Education, Nov. 2, 2007). The new Center for Languages and International Collaboration, or CLIC, will be a multi-media, interactive, collaborative learning center which reflects the best practices of language and international pedagogy. Students and visitors to theCLIC will use computer-assisted language learning technology to practie their langauge skills in French, German, Spanish, Japanese, and Chinese, matching their speech to that of a native speaker. Interactive language learning programs help students expand their vocabulary by providing language input that oftentimes is hurried in a more typical classroom. Through the CLIC, students and the community will have access to pring and electronic media from around the world in a minimum of five different languages. |
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Through the CLIC American students at Pacific will engage in coursework with students in other nations around the world, in real time, via advanced video conferencing technology. A students at Pacific who has never left the state of Oregon, can form a friendship and learn with a student in Ecuador, Trinidad, China, or Japan. |