Language Programs’ Post-pandemic Future in Designing a Sustainable Life
Collegiate language programs faced challenges for survival long before COVID-19 hit the US. Now with the impending financial fallout from having to move online, colleges and universities will be scrutinizing even more so the value and viability of supporting language departments. This presentation will present a snapshot of where language programs and departments stand now in this COVID moment, and where we are heading in the future. It considers how department and program leaders can take advantage of this moment to rethink our professional expertise in active learning pedagogies and transcultural competency, which have allowed us to successfully adapt to our new condition. College programs can strengthen a transcultural and multilingual mindset with strong connections across the K-16 setting, thus emphasizing these as essential skills for sustainable life and reaffirming humanist values of justice and inclusion.