A Minor In Chinese Language And Culture In Fall 2012

This fall, East Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania will become one of only two universities within the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education (PASSHE) to offer a minor in Chinese language and culture, thanks to the growing interest of ESU students and employers. The minor was approved by the PASSHE Office of the Chancellor in April. The expanded course offerings will be enhanced by ESU’s student and faculty exchanges with its two sister schools in China: Shanghai Normal University in the city of Shanghai and Shenyang Normal University in the Liaoning Province, northeast of Beijing.

“The growing importance of China on the world stage and in global markets makes it vital that we offer our students greater opportunities to learn the language and culture,” said ESU President Robert Dillman. “This minor will open up new careers and give students a better understanding of their world while making them more attractive to employers nationally and internationally.”

In the last decade, American exports to China increased 500 percent and imports jumped 400 percent, according to the U.S.-China Business Council. The U.S. government has identified Chinese as one of the “critical languages” both for defense and commerce purposes, and the Department of Labor says jobs in translation and interpreting are steadily rising.

ESU’s proximity to New York and Philadelphia, with their international markets and government agencies, makes it a natural for creating the new minor, according to Dr. Marilyn J. Wells, vice provost. Eight Chinese or Taiwanese companies, including Sinacom North America and Apptec Laboratory Services, with several hundred employees, have a presence near ESU.

That, coupled with rising demand from students, helped the university earn approval for the minor in Chinese. According to Wells, enrollment at ESU for one of its Chinese language courses increased 50 percent in the last year alone. “The Department of Modern Languages realized there was an opportunity to draw on our strengths,” Wells said. For the minor, students will be required to take at least six 3-credit courses. Four of them will be in the Chinese language and two in Chinese culture.

Dr. Peter Hawkes, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, envisions the new course of study being a great advantage to students majoring in such fields as business management, history, political science, environmental studies, and communication studies.

“While the language is key, gaining an understanding and appreciation of Chinese culture will help students in large and small ways,” said Wells, who traveled in China in 2008. For example, in America business cards are often exchanged at the end of a meeting and quickly put away. “In China, that would be an intolerable insult,” Wells said. “Business cards are exchanged at the beginning of a meeting, and you receive the card with two hands and take time to show respect to your Chinese colleague.”

Faculty and student exchanges with Shanghai and Shenyang universities have proven popular. On May 20, ESU professors took a group of students to China for a three-week study abroad program.

“The exchanges have been enlightening to both cultures,” Hawkes said. “Shenyang University is interested in our business management program,” he said. And Shanghai University is “very interested in how we teach graphic design and how creative our students are.”

For more information, contact ESU’s Department of Modern Languages, Dr. Jeffrey Ruth, chair, at (570) 422-3407.

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