ASU to offer accelerated introductory Mandarin Chinese, Swahili, in fall 2008

June 11, 2008 -- As Arkansas State University-Jonesboro prepares to welcome more international students to its campus in the fall semester of 2008, ASU students will have a chance to begin learning two of the world’s major languages: Mandarin Chinese, which numbers almost one billion speakers, and Swahili, numbering about 100 million speakers.

Mandarin Chinese and Swahili will be taught as intensive courses for six hours of semester credit. Xiaoyun Winnie Wu will be teaching accelerated introductory Chinese, CHIN 1036-001 (CRN 64897), at 8 a.m., Monday through Friday. Isaac Ong’oa will teach accelerated introductory Swahili. This class, WLAN 1936 (CRN66735), will meet four days each week, Monday and Wednesday at 3 p.m. and Tuesday and Thursday at 2 p.m.

Both Wu and Ong’oa are international doctoral students in ASU’s Heritage Studies PhD program in the College of Humanities and Social Sciences. Ms. Wu has extensive experience in teaching Mandarin to international students in Beijing. She holds a master’s degree in international relations from Beijing Normal University, where she also received her undergraduate degree majoring in Chinese language and literature. Mr. Ong’oa completed his master’s degree in political science at ASU before enrolling in the Heritage Studies PhD program. In his undergraduate degree program in education from Eggerton College in Kenya, Mr. Ong’oa completed two majors, one in history and government and the second in Swahili language and literature. He has taught Swahili language and literature in his home country.

The accelerated introductory courses are available only in the 2008 fall semester, because each instructor will teach an accelerated intermediate course for six hours of credit during the 2009 spring semester. Students will thus be able to have twelve semester hours of credit in either language.

For more information, contact the Department of Languages, (870) 972-3887, or contact Ms. Wu at Xiayun.Wu@smail.astate.edu or Mr. Ong’oa at Isaac.Ongoa@smail.astate.edu.
            

###