Maryland’s intensive language institute to teach Chinese

After three years of teaching Arabic and Persian to students across the country in an immersive course at the University the Maryland, the school’s Summer Language Institute (SLI) is once more adding Chinese to their course options.

“There’s a big demand in the market, especially in our location next to the White House and D.C.,” said Minglang Zhou, an associate professor who will oversee the Chinese Summer Institute’s academic program. Zhou’s research focuses on bilingualism and teaching Chinese as a second language.

Beginning this summer, the nine-week program will offer 12 credit hours of either elementary Mandarin — CHIN101 to 103 — or intermediate Mandarin — CHIN201 to 204.

The goal is “an intensive course, so a student can learn a full year’s worth of Chinese in the class and be on track” with the next level, said Chelsea Sypher, director of special programs for the School of Languages, Literature and Culture.

That makes it ideal for upperclassmen who are behind on requirements for a language major, said Zhou. The program is open to college students, working professionals and high schoolers from across the country.

Like Arabic and Persian, Chinese is considered a critical language by the U.S. government. There is a “national shortage” of speakers of all three, Sypher said.

The SLI tried to teach Chinese and Russian at its first institute in 2012, but lacked sufficient enrollment, Sypher said. The university’s Chinese program has been on an upward trajectory since then, though, and now rivals the prominent Arabic and Persian programs.

“We wanted to get the ball rolling and strike while the iron’s hot,” Sypher said. The Chinese Summer Institute’s program is one of a series of new Chinese programs and initiatives, she said, including a new global professional program.

The language curriculum is nearly the same as university’s regular Chinese courses, though it’s highly condensed, Zhou said. The additional level of support and cultural activities, including tutors, native language partners, workshops, guest lectures and field trips, set it apart.

“You’d be almost constantly thinking about Chinese, unlike during the school year, when you have classes and jobs and other distractions,” said Julia Lamb, a sophomore chemical engineering major studying introductory Chinese.

The program was first funded by the school’s SLLC, who gave the fledgling project the green light years ago, but is now entirely self-funded, Sypher said.

Applications for this year’s program, set to run from June 1 to August 5, will open in February.

Photo by Lynn Lin via Flickr Creative Commons.