Media Alert
SPELMAN LAUNCHES NEW CHINESE LANGUAGE COURSES
ATLANTA (Aug.11, 2008) According to most statistics, Chinese, specifically Mandarin, is the most widely spoken language in the world. To ensure that Spelman women have the tools needed to interact within this social and professional network, the College will launch its new Chinese language and culture courses this fall. Part of the interdisciplinary curriculum established by the Lehman Brothers Center for Global Finance and Economic Development at Spelman College, the courses will fall under the department of world languages and literature.
Based on its sustained and rapid economic growth, leading economists predict that China will become the world’s largest economy by 2035. The U.S. Department of State has designated Chinese a critical language, and in 2005, legislation was introduced to provide federal funds for Chinese language and culture programs.
“Asia, in particular China, has experienced tremendous cultural and economic growth in the 21st century, and it’s important that our curriculum reflects this paradigm shift,” said Johnnella Butler, Ed.D., provost and vice president of academic affairs. “This new language offering will not only prepare Spelman women to compete in the global arena, but enhance their understanding of Chinese culture.”
Designed to help students achieve functional proficiency, the new Chinese language and culture courses will be taught by Zhengbin (Richard) Lu Ed.D., a native speaker of Mandarin. Lu’s career includes a stint at Qingdao University in China, where he taught English courses as well as time at a consulting firm in Shanghai where he taught Chinese to English-speaking corporate executives. He is currently working on a case study that examines how Web-based communications can be used to enhance interactions with Chinese language and culture.
The program will include three courses. Elementary Chinese I, the first in the series, will serve as an introduction to Mandarin Chinese. It will help students with no Chinese-speaking background develop basic language skills and introduce them to Chinese culture. China and the West will be taught in English and examine Chinese interactions with major Western countries from ancient times to the present. Understanding Modern China, also taught in English, will explore the social, cultural, and economic transformation of modern China.
“The establishment of the Lehman Brothers Center and the Chinese language offering is a very foresighted endeavor that will provide great opportunities for the College, especially for our students,” said Dr. Lu. “I am proud to have been chosen to help launch this exciting new program.”
About Lehman Brothers Center for Global Finance and Economic Development
In 2007, Lehman Brothers and Spelman College established a groundbreaking corporate-academic partnership. As part of this endeavor, the global investment bank committed $10 million for the development of the Lehman Brothers Center for Global Finance and Economic Development at Spelman College, and an interdisciplinary curriculum and courses. The program is designed to prepare Spelman women for active participation in the global marketplace and increase the pipeline of women ready to enter the financial sector.
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Spelman College:
Founded in 1881, Spelman College is the only historically Black college in
the nation to be included on the U.S. News and World Report's list of top
75 "Best Liberal Arts Colleges — Undergraduate," 2005. Located in Atlanta,
Ga., this private, historically Black women's college boasts outstanding
alumnae, including Children's Defense Fund Founder Marian Wright Edelman;
U.S. Foreign Service Director General Ruth Davis; authors Tina McElroy Ansa and
Pearl Cleage and actress LaTanya Richardson. More than 83 percent of the
full-time faculty members have Ph.D.s or other terminal degrees and the
student-faculty ratio is 12:1. Annually, nearly one-third of Spelman
students receive degrees in the sciences. The students number more than
2,186 and represent 43 states and 34 foreign countries. For more
information regarding Spelman College, visit: www.spelman.edu.
