Don't ever study languages at Monash [and other subjects to avoid]

[ninwa]

because it's run so poorly you'll want to kill yourself

don't say I didn't warn you

[Cthulhu]

This extends to all of arts.

[Edmund]

Yah

[Whatlol]

u serious.... damn )=

[eOkee]

What's wrong with it

[IntoTheNewWorld]

*prays even harder for transfer*

[ninwa]

They're not just language subjects, they're literature and media subjects. You will be forced to analyse obscure poems, novels and movies in whatever language you're studying (which are obscure for a reason - because they are terrible).

It's called a culture component and is compulsory to every language subject at Monash except Japanese (IIRC). And it is absolutely, completely worthless.

Don't do it. Study abroad at the country for a semester or two instead. You will gain far more language proficiency that way that you will ever get at Monash.

Coming from someone who will have wasted 4 years of her life studying two languages at this shithole - please learn from my mistake.

[eOkee]

What about the short courses they offer that go for like 8 weeks? Are those any good? I know they dont technically .. you know .. add points to your course, but if you want to learn a language!

[ninwa]

What about the short courses they offer that go for like 8 weeks? Are those any good? I know they dont technically .. you know .. add points to your course, but if you want to learn a language!

I don't know what they're like, but if they're only 8 weeks long I'm guessing they won't have time for the "cultural" crap.

Nothing beats spending some time in the actual country though. My friend went to New Caledonia for only 6 weeks and the improvement in his French was incredible.

[slothpomba]

Woah i refreshed the page and saw the huge red thing on ninas profile suddenly appear ( i think im blind)

What about the short courses they offer that go for like 8 weeks? Are those any good? I know they dont technically .. you know .. add points to your course, but if you want to learn a language!

They cant be that bad (probably more concentrated and cut out the crap), if you want to learn a language outside of uni there are plenty of other options like a tafe or something or some independant language learning kind of thing

(side note: anyone know what happened to irc)

[tram]

hmmmmm not sure if the sig makes it obvious enough ninwa..........

[Chavi]

What about the short courses they offer that go for like 8 weeks? Are those any good? I know they dont technically .. you know .. add points to your course, but if you want to learn a language!

I don't know what they're like, but if they're only 8 weeks long I'm guessing they won't have time for the "cultural" crap.

Nothing beats spending some time in the actual country though. My friend went to New Caledonia for only 6 weeks and the improvement in his French was incredible.

Obviously immersing oneself in a culture and being surrounded by a language at all times is going to assist the learning process more than studying the language at uni for a year. Is it that you have a problem with learning languages at Uni per se, or that you just dislike the way that languages are taught at specific Unis.

[ninwa]

Obviously immersing oneself in a culture and being surrounded by a language at all times is going to assist the learning process more than studying the language at uni for a year. Is it that you have a problem with learning languages at Uni per se, or that you just dislike the way that languages are taught at specific Unis.

Well the topic is in the Monash forum and the thread title has "Monash" in it...

AFAIK other universities don't have this compulsory cultural component.

[Chavi]

They're not just language subjects, they're literature and media subjects. You will be forced to analyse obscure poems, novels and movies in whatever language you're studying (which are obscure for a reason - because they are terrible).

I don't get it. Isn't analysing poems and films are major part of studying a language at uni? The kids who take tert hebrew @school have found the subject way more enjoyable than VCE,

[ghadz7]

Coming from someone who will have wasted 4 years of her life studying two languages at this shithole - please learn from my mistake.

Out of curiosity, which languages did you study?