Chinese teaching minor offered Spring 2012
A new Chinese teaching minor is one of the newest curricula made available to USU students, which according to a recent survey will accommodate the growing interest in learning how to speak and teach Chinese.
The program, proposed by the department of languages, philosophy and speech communication, was approved by the USU Board of Trustees on Monday, Nov. 7 and will become available for declaration next semester.
“This minor will develop students’ knowledge of Chinese language and culture and skills in teaching Chinese,” the LPSC department’s proposal states. “This minor aligns clearly with the department’s philosophy of training students for fulfilling careers in their field by providing a strong Chinese teacher training program.”
Bradford Hall, head of the department of LPSC, said, “Currently we have teaching minor options in Spanish, German and French. So adding the teaching minor in Chinese is a very positive step forward.”
According to a foreign language survey conducted by the Modern Language Association, more than 2,500 U.S. colleges and universities — about two-thirds of all higher education institutions in the nation — discovered that enrollment in Chinese courses recently grew by the highest percentage since 2006.
The survey reported about 61,000 students at those 2,500 schools study Chinese, which is an increase of 18 percent since 2006.
“During the development stage of this minor, many students were asked about the idea of a Chinese teaching minor,” the LPSC department’s proposal stated. “We believe there is a strong interest and demand among our student body for this minor.”
The Modern Language Association stated other signs of the growing interest in Chinese language programs include creation of teacher certification programs for Chinese instruction, a project for grades K-6 to integrate Mandarin nationally, as well as uses for technology for learning Chinese.
The State of Utah Office of Education stated one of its goals is to create dual immersion programs in 50 schools statewide by the year 2015, with one of the target languages being Chinese.
“This flourishing interest in learning Chinese in the U.S. has resulted in an increased demand for qualified Chinese language teachers,” the LPSC proposal stated. “Students in the Chinese teaching minor will be prepared for a wide variety of Chinese teaching positions and careers.”
Ko-Yin Sung, assistant professor of Chinese, said students minoring in Chinese teaching will also need to take teaching method classes.
“If students want to be licensed to teach in public schools in Utah, they need to take courses offered by the education department,” she said.
A total of 21 credits are needed from a selective list of courses in order to receive a minor in Chinese teaching, the proposal stated. Students who enter the field of Chinese language instruction will improve their position within the current job market, according to the proposal.
Li Guo, assistant professor of Chinese, said, “I think it is exciting news, truly exciting. I think it will contribute meaningfully to our community and will be a great resource to students.”
– amber.murdoch@aggiemail.usu.edu