Most universities require 1 or 2 years of foreign language (FL) study in at least 1 program as part of their general education requirements, yet many students with learning disabilities (LDs) find it extremely difficult to complete traditional FL courses. In this paper I describe some of the salient characteristics of these learners and common pedagogical assumptions of FL faculty that may make it difficult for students with LDs to complete the FL general education requirement. I list specific strategies that, according to students with LDs that I have interviewed, address some of their needs as FL learners. I then propose a systems approach to instructional design that faculty teams could use to redesign beginning Spanish language classes in order to accommodate students with LDs. I conclude that faculty, with administrative support, can collaborate in the design of inclusive FL courses in which all students—both those with LDs and those without—can experience success.

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For years the leading voices in foreign language education have spoken to the issue of how to incorporate culture study in the second language classroom. There are essentially two schools of thought about culture study: a traditional “activity” approach and an “anthropology‐process” model. Both schools have inspired innovative and successful techniques, yet seldom do the theorists of either group relate these to a specific language acquisition theory. A theoretical foundation for any model of culture study is important to practitioners, as it provides a blueprint according to which teachers can judge the adequacy of the activities in their repertoire. In this essay, I describe three integrated activities that students and teachers can use as tools to construct and evaluate a culture study unit at the novice level. I conclude with a summary of a psycholinguistic theory of language acquisition and append examples and evaluation forms.