Parents
Parent newsletter
Past Articles
Language
houses:
the social center of academic life
| Among talk of Homer, Hegel, and history, you can hear other murmurs at Reed: the sound of languages other than English being spoken all day, every day. |
Five “language houses” on campus
serve as centers of German, Spanish, Russian, French, and Chinese language
and culture. Through the
efforts of the houses and their residents, all students, and faculty and
staff members, can learn more about these cultures through regularly scheduled
movies, conversation hours, and special events. This year has been particularly
packed full of events, including the Kommunist party, the French-Canadian
pancake party, and the Breton and Celtic folk dance event. “We try
to incorporate the whole community, even if they can’t speak the
language,” says Teresa Keirns ’04, house adviser for the Russian
house.
One example is the recent Asian lantern festival in the student union, which was bedecked for the occasion with dozens of hand-folded lanterns. Attendees could have their name written in Chinese calligraphy, attend a poetry contest, or listen to two musicians playing traditional Chinese instruments. Michele Pearce ’96, resident adviser for the language houses, says, “The language houses seem to be one-upping each other on great activities this year.”
This amount of fun has been growing since the 1970s, when students and faculty members interested in a higher level of commitment to German began a theme-oriented dorm. Four faculty houses, built in 1920 on the southeast side of campus, were vacated and renovated to become living spaces oriented towards specific international languages and cultures.
As time went by the houses became more organized, which led to the current practice of hiring foreign language scholars each year. The scholars form an integral part of the public and private life in each home. They speak the language daily, which helps to increase the speaking and comprehension ability of the residents.
The scholars spend roughly one-third of their time planning programming, one-third working in departmental support such as conversation groups and grading papers, and one-third for their own study and enjoyment. Gerardo Lopez-Monge, the Spanish language scholar from Quito, Ecuador, says, “My experience with the language houses has been wonderful. It’s like a family. We have real community there.”
Since these scholars arrived at Reed the language faculty has become far more directly involved with language houses. Sharon Larisch, professor of Spanish and humanities, says the scholars and language houses form a crucial part of the learning process. “It’s a way to link students’ outside lives with Spanish and bring it back into the classroom. It’s exactly what we need.”
The students who live in the language houses benefit enormously from the program. A high level of commitment in speaking the language regularly and helping with planning helps the houses take on a serious and academic atmosphere. The houses lodge only seven or eight students, which results in a very close community.
The only drawback is that it can be difficult to get in. No freshmen are allowed, and an application must be submitted to the language department for acceptance. Michele Pearce says that preference is given to students with a demonstrated commitment to host and plan campus activities having to do with language and culture. Any Reedie interested in the language houses might think about developing skills that would benefit the houses, because as Pearce says, “These houses are wonderful places for students to live.”
