MLA Publishes a Guide for Preparing PhD Students for a Variety of Careers
In a recently published guide to doctoral student career planning, the MLA’s Connected Academics program advises faculty members and departments to intervene proactively to prepare PhD students for the varied job markets they are likely to encounter upon graduation. Recent data show that roughly fifty percent of all language and literature PhDs are not employed... Read More
Could Mandatory SATs Open College Doors?
If we want more low-income students to attend college, give them easy access to admissions tests—and make them mandatory.
The Arts and Humanities Boost Local Economy
A recent study found that arts and culture in Lynchburg, Virginia generated 10.8 million dollars a year and supported 241 full-time jobs.
Hidden Roadblocks to Supporting Career Diversity
Graduate programs may say they support their PhD students pursuing a range of careers, but do their actions back this up?
Tucson Ban on Ethnic Studies Goes Back to Court
The Arizona law that took Mexican American Studies—and some classic books—out of Tucson classrooms has been sent to US District Court.
The Value of Language Study
President Trump’s proposal to defund the National Endowment for the Humanities is not the only threat facing the humanities. His administration has also proposed eliminating all funding for the Department of Education’s International Education Programs, which include Title VI and Fulbright-Hays. The MLA is alarmed by these proposed budget cuts. Title VI and Fulbright-Hays support... Read More
Language and Literacy in the US: Heading in the Wrong Direction
If you look at the numbers, it might seem that language learning and literacy are no longer valued by many elected officials or even by the general public. Since 2008, nearly every state has slashed budgets for language and literature programs.[1] What’s more, Americans are reading less: between 1992 and 2008, the percentage of US... Read More
Advocacy Tool Kit for Foreign Language Departments
Since 2008 many colleges and universities in the United States have eliminated or reduced foreign language programs. French degree programs have been cut at South Carolina State University, Nicholls State University, and Foothill College. Spanish degree programs have been reduced at Southern University and Tennessee State University. German degree programs have been reduced or eliminated... Read More
Why Does Academic Freedom Matter?
If you don’t teach in a college or university, you may have never heard the term academic freedom. Here’s why it’s important: those who have it are better teachers. In 2014 the MLA published its updated defense of academic freedom. It reaffirmed the principles of the “1940 Statement of Principles on Academic Freedom and Tenure,”... Read More
Explore Fifty-Five Years of Language Study
Want to know how language study has changed over the past five decades? Dive into fifty-five years of language enrollment history with the MLA’s comprehensive Language Enrollment Database, 1959–2013. Easily navigate twenty-three surveys of student enrollment in languages other than English at American colleges and universities. Select survey year(s), and search up to 8 of... Read More