Wright, Barbara. "Revising and Defending the Foreign Language Major." INSIDE HIGHER ED December 29, 2008.

An increasing number of foreign language programs are undergoing serious reviews of their offerings, requirements and missions — and the process is producing considerable excitement and innovation. At the same time, many foreign language professors are worried that administrators do not understand the value of their programs, which could be vulnerable to elimination the way the University of Southern California killed off German. This paradox was center stage at the annual meeting of the Modern Language Association Sunday as leading thinkers about foreign language education discussed some of the reforms that have been undertaken and some of the questions departments are asking. The hope of many was that these efforts could bolster programs both educationally and politically — so that faculty lines and majors can be protected. While there was widespread support for the educational changes taking place at some institutions, there was less certainty about whether they could be carried out at institutions that don’t have deep pockets. . . . Read the rest here: http://insidehighered.com/news/2008/12/29/languages.