University of Virginia Library

No Evidence

But I failed to find anyone
citing any studies showing that in
fact the study of languages or, for
that matter, any other subject, has
the liberalizing, humanizing effect
attributed to them. I doubt if any
ch studies have been published.

I would like now to draw on a
piece of research which throws
serious doubt on the assumption
that any particular subject matter
has liberalizing or humanizing effects.
Unfortunately this study has
not been published, largely because
those of us interested and engaged
in it have scattered ourselves over
several continents and much of the
data must remain confidential.

In 1963 I was associated with
the Peace Corps Program at Cornell
University which was concerned
with the training of Peace Corps
Volunteers for (mainly) teaching
activities in Sierre Leone, West
Africa. Virtually all the Volunteers
were college graduates. Those of us
engaged in training activities were
especially concerned with:

• (a) Whether the courses of
  study provided the Volunteers
  would enable them to
  carry out their service successfully
  i.e., with a minimum
  of "culture shock," without
  alienating the people of
  Sierre Leone, etc.

• (b) What kinds of Volunteers
  would be most successful.