Students' Career Concerns and Aspirations: Integrating Languages for Specific Purposes into Basic Language Programs
Given the rising costs of higher education, paired with a highly competitive job market, college students--and their parents--are thinking about their careers even as freshmen. Language departments often respond to that concern by promoting language learning courses as an entrée into exciting careers. However, basic language courses rarely incorporate career-related content in a systematic way and many instructors feel unprepared to teach about professions they have not been trained in themselves. It is possible to reconcile these different perspectives!
Online
Given the rising costs of higher education, paired with a highly competitive job market, college students--and their parents--are thinking about their careers even as freshmen. Language departments often respond to that concern by promoting language learning courses as an entrée into exciting careers. However, basic language courses rarely incorporate career-related content in a systematic way and many instructors feel unprepared to teach about professions they have not been trained in themselves. It is possible to reconcile these different perspectives!
We will share activities that introduce important professional content within exercises focusing on vocabulary, grammar and culture.
Speakers
Dr. Annie Abbott, University of Illinois, Urbana
Online