By: Kimberley Smith
Why would anyone want to study a foreign language? What purpose can be found in studying such a subject?
“Language is an asset to one’s education,” according to Albert Ruisech, professor of French and Spanish at TCC. Learning a foreign language can help the students master their own language and their knowledge brightens job prospects ranging from bilingual secretary to social worker.
Goethe, a famous German author, stated, “He who is not acquainted with a foreign language knows nothing of his own native tongue.” TCC offers a variety of courses for its students to become “acquainted with a foreign language.”
Elementary and intermediate courses are offered in both French and Spanish. The courses are Elementary I, II, Intermediate I, II and advanced special studies with individualized instruction. “In addition, our department offers non-credit courses and orientation to those interested in traveling abroad. This is offered through the Continuing Education office,” Ruisech said.
Students do have the opportunity to acquire proficiency in the use of the language skills as they learn to listen with understanding and speak the language.
“I see a revival in foreign language learning because of the new requirements. In the last decade, foreign language encountered a bad decline. The language requirements have raised the trend,” Ruisech said. “Many colleges have now reinstated foreign language. The University of Texas, for instance, as of 1985 will not accept anyone without two semesters of foreign language, preferrably in college.”
Some students are able to participate in abroad programs, according to Ruisech. The main objective of the trips is to “enrich the language skills,” he said. “I continually search for ways to break the sound barrier in foreign language.”
TCC’s modern electronic language lab helps students master painlessly the basic skills of the language. Regularly scheduled practices are provided for language students. “Those who are seriously willing to work, do eventually learn to communicate effectively in the target language. The lab is an excellent practicing device for those who cannot afford to go abroad,” Ruisech said. Students are required and encouraged to use the language lab two hours per week. The instructors assign a lab hour as an operation – Gladys Cuppy has also studied abroad, and Walker Ruisech encourages students to enroll in the right courses. Students who have had two or three years of a foreign language in high school should not enroll in a beginning course. “Instead, they should receive credit for what they know,” he advised, adding students can take a placement examination and receive proper credit.
“The students will be happier in the right classes, furthermore, it doesn’t take the instructor very long to detect the students who should have been in another class because of previous experience in the language,” he said. “Learning a new language is fun and we try to make our classes enjoyable,” he added.
Ruisech’s interest in foreign languages began early. In the high schools in Latin American countries, students have to have two languages to graduate, he explained. To keep abreast in his field, he has taken new methodology courses and has participated in many study programs abroad.
Schools where he has studied and taught range from Southwest Baptist University, Ouachita Baptist University, the University of San Francisco, Henderson State University and Louisiana State University at Shreveport. He also studied at the Universidad de Guadalajara, Mexico and the Universite’ de Dijon, France. He has been at TCC for about eight years now.