Romance Language Cuts Planned

The romance languages and literatures department will undergo curricular changes during the next academic year, drawing criticism from some in the department.

"The cuts will have to be made throughout the University, in all departments," said Elizabeth Rhodes, chairwoman of the Hispanic studies program, a program likely to be influenced by the coming changes.

The Hispanic studies program is the second most popular minor at BC. Each year, professors find themselves teaching large classes, in some cases up to 70 students per class.

It has also been of some concern that students who take Spanish often do not take classes past 600-level electives, and remain in basic grammar courses, Rhodes said.
To allow more students to quickly rise through the grammar courses toward upper-level electives, the department has cut several 300-level courses, and combined the Naturalmente 1 and Naturalmente 2 courses into a one-semester intensive program, Rhodes said. From this program, students can move to Contextos, a required literature course for the major or minor, as well as any of the subsequent upper-level electives, covering topics ranging from crime in Spanish culture to Don Quixote.

Rhodes said that students will now be able to engage in Hispanic literature, history, and culture.

But some are not optimistic about the planned changes. "The decisions made by the department have missed an opportunity to integrate into the humanities and universal global issues," said one professor in the department, who prefered to remain anonymous.

The professor said that the department's decision to eliminate grammar-focused courses will place the jobs of part-time and adjunct professors in jeopardy.
"The tenured professors and the head of the field want to focus on specializing, which interestingly enough secures their positions," the professor said. "The part-time and adjunct professors will be able to teach half the classes they are able to teach now, and gain half the money, when new hires enter BC."

"These professors will have no opportunity to ever attain tenure, and forever live on the risk. They already make significantly lower salaries and do just as much work, and are just as intelligent."

Rhodes said, hiring professors for long-term positions is a more complicated process.
"In order to hire tenure-track professors, the University must conduct a nationwide search, and the most qualified will be hired," Rhodes said.

As of right now, all 600 level courses in the Hispanic studies program are fully enrolled for the upcoming fall semester.

Also, courses of 60 to 70 students will be downsized to about 20.

Other departments are facing similar situations. Electives in one of the University's most populated departments, economics, were full within the first days of registration. 
"Thankfully. however, Boston College has been able to hold cuts off for as long as it can," Rhodes said.