For some students just the thought of having to take four semesters of a foreign language is enough to make them pick a new major.

Josh Keeling, a communication junior, said “I was really dreading having to take four semesters of a foreign language”.  Keeling heard from other students at IU Southeast the foreign language classes were difficult and demanding. He said hearing this made him even more scared to start his foreign language courses.

Keeling said his foreign language class is not his easiest class, but there are many resources to help him.

“I would use every available resource I can to help me be successful in my spanish class,” Keeling said.

According to IU Southeast Academic Affairs, in order to get a Bachelor of Arts degree at IU Southeast, you need to take four semesters of a foreign language, except for education and nursing degrees. Foreign languages offered at IU Southeast are Spanish, French, German and Japanese.

Students can get permission from the school to take sign language at University of Louisville instead of taking four semesters of a foreign language at IU Southeast.

Other universities in the surrounding area do not require nearly as much time dedicated to a foreign language. University of Louisville requires students to take two semesters, depending on the degree, they might not have to even take a foreign language. Ivy Tech Community College in Sellersburg, Ind. does not require students to take any foreign language courses.

Mindy Badia, associate professor of Spanish and international studies said that it’s not possible to fully grasp a language in just two semesters.

“It takes the four semesters to develop a language,” Badia said.

Badia said that it depends on the student and the language if a student can get fluent in the language after four semesters. She said the student needs to invest time and energy on the course to benefit from it.

Gabriela Calzada, an alumnus, speaks Spanish fluently. Calzada said she believes four semesters is not enough time for a student to learn another language fluently.

“I personally think that it is good to know another language, especially today when the Hispanic population is growing” Calzada said.

Amy Zink, senior lecturer in Spanish, said learning another language helps you get comfortable with another country’s culture and that these skills are important for any college student.

“The exposure to another culture is invaluable in helping students move beyond ethnocentric viewpoints and learn about ethno-relativity”. Zink said.

In addition to traditional classroom learning, many language professors are starting to go to online work and interactive YouTube videos to help students learn more effectively.

Keeling said online work required in foreign language courses provides a different avenue of learning outside of lectures and reading the textbook.

“I think this is a great tool for students to use in their foreign language classes,”Keeling said.

Keeling also said the online tools will only benefit students as much as they use it. He said “there might be students who do not prefer using this method, but it’s designed to help us learn the language we are studying.”

Badia said online work is a great tool for a student to use because it gives the student an opportunity to hear other voices, not just of the professor. It gives them a wider variety. This type of work gets students visually inclined.

Zink said learning a language requires several different learning strategies that students will find useful in other courses.

“Just like with any class, you get out of it as much as you put into it,”Keeling said.