ABSTRACT
The publication of the MLA (2007) report offers specific objectives and recommendations for foreign language degrees in the United States, which have led departments to try to address, at least in part, the separation of language and content resulting from the ‘two-tiered structure’. The report also offers a specific recommendation for language majors, namely that they should develop ‘deep translingual and transcultural competence (p. 3). The chapter reviews the recommendations made in the MLA (2007) report and discusses ways in which US foreign language departments have responded to these recommendations. It further reviews reports published in the UK, which similarly identify intercultural competence as an important graduate attribute and a key aspect of language learning. The importance of comparisons between cultures is further emphasised both in the National Standards (2006) and in the ACTFL Proficiency Guidelines (2012) and is also reflected in the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR). It is suggested that the use of the TL as the main medium of instruction along with adopting a language and content-oriented approach towards the degree would allow for greater consistency and clearer course objectives. This could also facilitate ways in which the curriculum explicitly addresses students’ development of intercultural competence across all degree components.
