ABSTRACT
This chapter sets the stage for the volume Sharing Less Commonly Taught Languages in Higher Education: Collaboration and Innovation. First, the authors showcase the various commonly accepted definitions of less commonly taught languages (LCTLs) and some shared features and challenges of these languages. Next, the timing of the volume is discussed, especially in light of the current conversations in the academy and funding sources to spur innovative sharing initiatives. Three broad models of sharing LCTL courses across institutions (bilateral language exchange, language consortium, and asymmetrical language exchange) are then introduced to help readers better understand typical course sharing arrangements. Finally, the overall structure of the volume is explained; the volume is structured to highlight the affordances and challenges of sharing LCTLs through the lens of established consortial and sharing structures, adjustments to curricula, program capacity building, individual case studies, and recommended strategies for sharing.
