Prof. Applauds Initiative On Requirement

Professor P. J. Norrish has written to Salient disagreeing with statements in last week's issue about the foreign language requirement.

"It would be appreciated if you would inform your readers that the following statement attributed in your article to Miss McGrath, is incorrect: "A case was made by the Education Sub-committee last year but was turned down without explanation."

The facts are that a letter on this subject from the Education Officer at the time was referred to Faculties by the Professional Board for consideration and report to the Board. On September 21st 1967 a combined meeting of the Faculties of Arts and Languages and Literature debated the question in detail. The meeting had before it also a similar proposal made at an earlier date, and a report which was adopted by the Board and Council in 1962.

Among the decisions made last year was one that the Faculties re-consider the matter of foreign language requirements early in 1969 following the introduction of some new Stage I courses in 1968. It was generally felt that these courses, in French and in Latin, which do not require translation into the foreign language, might provide welcome alternatives to reading knowledge courses. If thye did, this might solve they did, this might solve some of the problems raised in the Education Officer's letter, and in any case the results of the first year of these new experiments should be taken into account before any revision of policy could be recommended.

It was also decided to make enquiries about the operation of relevant regulations at another university. I think that your readers should be assured that the whole question is your readers should be assured very much in the minds of Faculty staff, and that it will be carefully considered again, at the time stated.

Finally, may I say that personally I applaud Miss McGrath's initiative in seeking information from students and that in my view all the evidence that the Education sub-committee can provide will be of the greatest assistance to faculties.