Students Want More Language and Culture Classes for Bachelor of Arts Degree
Photo provided by Bethany Estoll
Between classes, theater rehearsals, tutoring, work-study, and other activities, Elei Haynes stays busy. As she plans her remaining semesters at Bluefield University, one requirement in particular looms over her.
“We’re required to do these language courses or these culture courses,” Haynes said. “But when it’s not really offered here, it’s kind of unreasonable, I think. If they offered more culture courses or language courses, that would be good.”
While Bachelor of Science degrees require an extra set of science or math courses, Bachelor of Arts degrees at Bluefield University require an extra set of language classes.
Haynes, a junior majoring in theater, worries about how to fulfill the six-credit language requirement. She knows that the university offers Hebrew and Greek, but she has heard those classes are hard.
“If I had the time to take Biblical Hebrew and Biblical Greek, I totally would,” Haynes said. “I think that’s a super interesting topic. I think it’s a very interesting period. But I know that it’s so much work, and I don’t think that I have the time to juggle that.”
Her advisor recommended taking online classes, but Haynes does not “know how to begin to do that.” She heard rumors of culture classes, but no details.
She is not the only one. Several advisors and faculty members are unsure how to meet the requirement. Some students have switched majors because of the lack of language and culture classes.
“I wanted to get a Bachelor of Arts, but I wasn’t sure that I would have all the classes I needed to graduate by the time I was supposed to graduate,” said Rachel Hendrick, a junior majoring in digital marketing and modern media.
“I don’t think students should have to change their degree path due to a lack of resources on campus,” Hendrick continued.
Four years ago, the university reworked its general education curriculum and added culture classes as an option to fulfill the Bachelor of Arts language requirement. However, BU only defined the criteria for culture classes last year.
With culture classes still in the early stages of development and no modern languages offered, advisors and students have been left wondering how to fulfill the language requirement.
Wendy Beavers, assistant professor of history and coordinator of instructional technology, taught the first culture class last semester and plans to offer one each spring. She said culture classes provide “more opportunities to look at different cultures as opposed to just the standard languages that are typically offered at colleges and universities.”
Next semester, she will teach a Roman culture course exploring the impact of ancient Rome on modern culture.
Dr. Shawn White, director of general education, said, “We don’t have a lot of culture classes being offered, which is really unfortunate because we’re at a spot where we don’t really have anyone offering modern languages either.”
He said that the culture classes were intended to be an additional option for fulfilling the language requirement, but “now it’s looking more and more like it’ll have to be the main offering that we have for Bachelor of Arts students.”
Around the same time, the general education requirements were reworked, the modern languages teacher left the university. That post has not been filled.
Henry Clary, the former director of vocation and calling, stepped into the vacuum and provided beginning Spanish classes, but he left the university in December 2024. Since then, no in-person modern language classes have been offered.
“Until we figure out the permanent language solution,” said Dr. Tracey Stout, Dean of the College of Arts and Letters, “we’re going to have to promote and identify what (culture) classes will meet that requirement.”
Dr. White, who teaches Hebrew and Greek, notes that language has always been a hurdle to Bachelor of Arts degrees. He has witnessed students choose Bachelor of Science degrees to avoid taking a language class.
Currently, students looking to fulfill the language requirement can take Hebrew or Greek, culture classes, or online language courses offered through Acadeum, a consortium with other universities.
Multiple faculty have stated that online classes through the consortium will not cost students any more tuition than they already pay, but this is unconfirmed.
“I don’t think an online program is ever as desirable as a face-to-face human contact kind of teaching situation,” said Charles Reese, chair of the Communication Arts Department.
Beginning-level biblical language classes are typically offered every two years, with Greek taught for two years and Hebrew taught the following two years.
The culture classes are designed to “make the whole process easier,” said Provost Michael Salmeier.
Dr. Stout encourages university faculty to identify classes “that will meet the B.A. requirements, classes that have a cultural component or some kind of interaction with what we might consider cultural elements.”
He said a lot of humanities classes already fit the criteria. If those classes do meet the criteria, the university needs to approve them before students take them.
Approving more culture classes is especially important since modern language classes are unlikely to return.
Due to the low number of B.A. students, “the chances of us getting a language person back in that role are probably slim,” Dr. White said.
According to the registrar, Bachelor of Arts students comprised 6.5% of all bachelor’s degrees conferred for the prior academic year.
“There’s probably some things that we need to work on to make sure that advisors understand what students’ options are, but there are viable alternatives out there,” Reese said.
As for Haynes, she plans to take the Roman Culture class in the spring. Frustrated with the difficulty of fulfilling the language requirement, she looks forward to this class offering but wishes more options existed.
“If not, then I’ll just have to take it (foreign language) online.”
The uncertainty surrounding culture classes handicaps B.A. students trying to fulfill their major requirements, especially transfer students who only have four semesters. Offering a culture class every semester would enable students to confidently plan around required courses, attend classes in person, and earn their degree in a timely manner.