Shanghai, China. UHWO is offering Chinese language classes for the first time this spring
UH West Oʻahu will offer its first-ever Chinese language and culture class in the upcoming spring 2018 semester. The beginner-level course (CHNS 100) provides a gentle introduction to the Mandarin language and Chinese cultural components.
UH West Oʻahu also feature two other new language classes in the form of JPNS 202 – Intermediate Japanese II and KOR 101 – Elementary Korean I.
In total, UH West Oʻahu will offer classes in the spring 2018 semester in Chinese, Hawaiian, Japanese, Korean and Samoan. UH West Oʻahu also has classes in Ilokano, which will be offered in fall 2018. UH West Oʻahu began offering an Asian Studies Certificate in fall 2017 that requires proficiency in an Asian language up to 202, or two languages at the 100 level (101/102). More on this semester’s new classes:
- CHNS 100 – Chinese Culture and Conversation for Beginners is designed to introduce students to the Mandarin language and Chinese culture and arts, without the pressure of focusing on writing characters or grammar. Chinese is a language in demand by employers and the government, and will be of beneficial to students career opportunities.
- JPNS 202 – Intermediate Japanese II requires students have taken JPNS 201, or have instructor consent. The 4-credit course will serve as the basis for future 3rd year courses and internships. There are nearly 1.5 million Japanese visitors to Hawai’i and so Japanese language ability is in high demand by employers.
- KOR 101 – Elementary Korean I is the first half of an elementary course on spoken and written Korean, with students receiving fundamentals of the language and the culture of modern Korea. The 4-credit course can help students understand Korean dramas and K-pop lyrics. Also, Korean has been designated a critical needs language by the government due to the critical shortage of people who can speak korean.
UH West Oʻahu also offers back credit for languages known or taken. If students have previous knowledge of a language, either as a native speaker or from high school (e.g. 1 or 2 years of Hawaiian in high school), they may be able to skip beginning-level courses and receive credit without having paid for the course.
UH West Oʻahu offered Chinese this semester through the Early College course in high schools, but the spring semester will be its first offering of Chinese to the general population.