Using Student Expectations and Perceived Needs to Rethink Pedagogy and Curriculum: A Case Study

Because the mission of language departments in large research universities was traditionally the training of graduate students in literary analysis, less attention was devoted to the teaching of lower level language courses. Recently, however, revitalizing language programs has become a major concern for many departments. This study discusses a case of such revitalization at a major metropolitan university. The paper presents results of a pilot study aimed at assessing students' needs and redefining the goals and objectives of a traditional French language program.