Tassie language cuts beyond words
Shifting all of French and half of German and Chinese to online — and to another university — has repercussions far beyond UTAS. It says languages are not a priority,
WHEN we visit Bruny Island, drive through the Huon or enjoy beautiful Freycinet Peninsula we have the names of long- dead French explorers, scientists and sailors on our lips. Southern Tasmania is full of these reminders of the important and fascinating French presence in pre- British Tasmania. For us, France can seem both far away and yet oddly familiar at the same time. And each year, Tasmanian students of all ages utter their first “Bonjour!” in a French language classroom.
Along with Japanese, French is one of the most popular languages studied in Tasmanian schools. In fact, the study of French language, culture, literature and civilisation has been a mainstay of the European university for centuries. Indeed, a knowledge of at least some French has long been the mark of an educated person.
In 2007, I came to Tasmania after seven years of study at the Sorbonne in Paris. While working on a study of the first French translations of Jane Austen’s novels, I had immersed myself in the unique cultural experience of living in this astonishing and historic city. I have sought to bring some of that Parisien magic to my classroom in Tasmania. I’ve worked hard to inspire and enthuse students about what they can do with French after they bed down the specificities of French grammar and pronunciation. Language learning isn’t always fun or easy but it is very rewarding, I reassure them.
It has been a tough year for language learners. Since March, all language classes at the University of Tasmania have been online for the whole year. First year students have missed out on meeting others, forming friendships, and taking those important first steps towards independence through exploring and establishing new young adult identities. There has been no campus life for them. Many older learners who have dusted off long- held ambitions to brush up on school days French have also found the online experience very challenging and dispiriting. They, too, miss the camaraderie of the classroom. One thing we’ve all learned is that online learning can be exhausting.
It is therefore with great bewilderment and sadness that I learned last week, even as the Vice Chancellor announced the welcome return to campus for students and staff, that the University of Tasmania will no longer offer face- to- face classes in French from next year. Indeed, UTAS will no longer deliver French classes itself. The university will rely on Macquarie University in NSW to provide online French at all year levels. This is a catastrophe for French language learning in Tasmania.
Other languages have also been negatively affected. Both German and Chinese will have 50 per cent of their courses only available online through Macquarie University. After two years of face- to- face learning in Hobart, students who want to finish these majors must enrol in these online classes for their final year. Even students in Japanese, the most popular language program at UTAS, may be affected because although faceto- face classes in Hobart will continue untouched, all online study will now be through
Macquarie University. It could be difficult to switch in and out of online and face- to- face study over the course of a degree.
It is true that language enrolments at UTAS have declined in recent years. This is an Australia- wide trend. But the online- only approach has been tried and tested before at UTAS and found wanting. In 2010 a similar arrangement for some parts of the French major was made with another mainland university. It was a disaster because students who were close to completing their studies simply dropped out. The university had to revert to on- campus offerings.
This decision to shift 100 per cent of French and 50 per cent of both German and Chinese to online study through another university has repercussions far beyond the walls of the university. It sends an unfortunate message through to high school and college students and teachers that languages are not a priority here. Sadly it reinforces an impression already held among some of these important stakeholders that UTAS has pulled away from its commitment to fostering language learning across the state. Last year, the successful and popular college languages extension program was cancelled without warning. For 10 years, TCE language students were welcome to come on campus and take workshops with university teachers. Students not only got help with language, they gained an insight into the workings of the university as a useful stage in the transition to tertiary study. They were very disappointed when this program was abruptly ended. Tasmania has a small population which is the least multicultural of any state. For us to be place- based and not parochial we need to be globally connected. We may not be able to travel due to the pandemic but we can encourage connection outside our normal worlds by exciting the imaginations of our students as we build their capacities.
Solo learning via a screen isn’t enough, as 2020 has shown. Languages were one of the few areas that did well in the recent and controversial Tehan reforms to higher education funding. Once the Bill is implemented, the cost of studying a language will be reduced and we all hope students receive the intended message that studying languages is a fantastic thing to do. Being fluent in another language is not just a technical skill like driving a car. It’s the opening to a whole world of possibility and living. And the evidence is in – the most effective way to learn is to be as immersed as possible. Sitting at home in front of the computer doesn’t cut it.
This is possibly the last time that I will be able to speak out in defence of the teaching of French in Tasmania. I have to speak out. I owe it to all of the very enthusiastic students that I have seen come and go over the last 14 years, not to forget those many colleagues and hundreds of Tasmanian students over the past decades who have taught or studied French here.