The Changing Relationship between Foreign Language Studies and International Studies at Cornell University

Abstract

Foreign language study has long been a critical component of international studies in higher education in the United States, and there is evidence that the popularity of language study is on the rise again. Recently, this rising demand for second-language instruction was confronted with unprecedented cuts in public and private funding for higher education. This study analyzes how the reduced resources have impacted the fields of language and international studies at Cornell and how reconfigurations in university priorities and strategies have affected the nature of foreign language instruction. The study is based on a series of interviews, faculty surveys, and secondary sources. This paper describes the current state of and trends in language and international studies instruction addressing issues of policy, organization and structure, resources, and performance. It also compares language studies at Cornell to eight other comparable universities and identifies key challenges at Cornell.