Centre announces new Chinese language major and minor

“This is truly the result of a decade-long collaborative effort between faculty, staff and students,” said Mei Li Inouye, assistant professor of Chinese. “Chinese majors and minors will be prepared for graduate school in a variety of disciplines. They will also be prepared to enter a myriad of professions.”

Career readiness is just one part of the Centre experience, and the new major and minor will have an abundance of opportunity for students in that regard. Given that one-fifth of the world’s population speaks Chinese, Inouye said that the Chinese program regularly introduces students to Chinese-speaking professionals in fields ranging from agriculture to diplomacy, education to medicine, and venture capitalism to filmmaking. Students will explore Chinese language, culture and society in a comprehensive way.

“With a professional level of proficiency in what has been called a critical language by the U.S. State Department, Chinese majors and minors will take their place among the next generation of bilingual professionals, an essential skill in today’s global economy,” Inouye said. “They will serve as culturally, historically and linguistically informed global ambassadors who are trained to communicate and problem-solve alongside Chinese speaking communities and the outside world.”

Centre’s study abroad program in China represents one of many ways students can take advantage of the experiential learning offered by the College in conjunction with the program. The skills learned by students with this new major and minor—abroad and on campus—will prepare them for a wide range of career and post-graduate opportunities.

To fulfill the major, students will be required to take four language courses in the 100-200 levels, two additional language courses at the 300 level, three additional electives at the 300 level and above, and one Asia-related elective in a non-Chinese-language course. An immersion stay of a minimum of six weeks in a Chinese-speaking country is also highly recommended for those students pursuing a Chinese language major.

To fulfill the Chinese minor offering, students will be required to take two years of Chinese language classes as well as two elective courses at the 300 and/or 400 levels.

Learn more about the new Chinese major and minor here.
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