Assessing the State of English Departments in Lebanon

Abstract

Some studies in the United States (such as Schalin 2015 a & b; Bunch 2010, 2013; Bailey and Butler 2003) reported that the number of students studying English as their major has declined. It is significant to see whether the Lebanese context where English is a foreign language is comparable. All universities in Lebanon offer degrees in English language and literature and expect graduates to become teachers of English. The paper aims at finding out whether English departments at universities in Lebanon are at the risk of witnessing a serious decline, and to what extent is English as a major chosen by high school students. Data were collected to find out recent enrollment in four English departments and high school students’ opinions about choosing teaching English as a career. The results are presented and compared to those in the review of literature and recommendations are made.