<p>I do disagree. If Swarthmore’s Linguistics and Arabic Studies departments are anything like their Film Studies dept., they would not be enough to propel them ahead of the pack in terms of broad curricula, that is, unless one were to apply the rather desperate standard that “something is better than nothing”. On the contrary, if the result is that people graduate from Swarthmore convinced that they know anything about the film industry or that they can actually speak fluent Arabic, it may actually cause harm to the individuals involved. So, in that respect, it’s a close question whether Swarthmore is broadening its curriculum or merely adding to a long list of narrowly opportunistic faculty hires.</p>