Foreign-language learning made its first appearance 100 years ago, in 1896. At that time the library contained 2,300 volumes and there were 247 students. A unilingual method is used, based on conversation, humorous anecdotes, interesting short stories, and scientific articles. The student is taught to think in the foreign language in a direct association of thoughts with foreign expressions. The meaning and use of foreign expressions are taught by a direct appeal to real objects, gestures, pictorial illustrations, cognates, context, comparisons, contrasts, and associations.
Instruction is given three to four hours per week.
Examinations consist of translations and of questions and answers. No English appears in an examination. Professor Rudy's methods were far ahead of their time. It took many years for such a culturally rich communicative approach to foreign-language teaching to become as widespread as it is today in the American educational system. Today the department still uses many of Rudy's innovative methods as well as video, television, interactive computer programs, and the Internet to provide optimal immersion in the foreign language learning process as the key to fluency.