Chinese Studies Certificate

This is content from the Catalog 2019–2020 back issue. Please visit the current catalog for current information.

Languages Department Chair: Faith Mishina, Ph.D.
Email: mishina@hawaii.edu

Program Coordinator: Jiren Feng, Ph.D.
Email: jirenf@hawaii.edu

Humanities Division Office:
Office: Kanakaʻole Hall, Room 214
Tel: (808) 932–7216

Languages faculty:

Affiliated faculty:

The Chinese Studies Certificate program involves significant multidisciplinary studies of Chinese civilization centered on a core of language study. It should be of special interest to students who intend to pursue advanced degrees and/or careers in Chinese Studies or in related professional areas, including international business, tourism, journalism, government service, the arts, translation, and, in general, culture brokerage between China and the United States. Anyone interested in Chinese society and culture will derive considerable benefit from study of Chinese Studies.

Mission

The mission of the Chinese Studies Certificate is to offer a broad range of coursework and research opportunities for students that are designed to develop an understanding of China in all of its dimensions: culture, society, language, art, political science, history, and others. The Chinese Studies Certificate provides undergraduate research opportunities, a liberal arts foundation, and preparation for a variety of careers.

Program Learning Outcomes

  • Understanding the general nature of human language, first language and second language and verbal and nonverbal – its structure and use
  • Manifest the skills, understandings, and dispositions necessary to be a language specialist within the context of their professional work and social practice
  • Deepen their knowledge of the language and the culture through study of language, language pedagogy, literature and culture
  • Demonstrate an understanding of local language and language arts education issues of Hawai’i and the Pacific in their professional work
  • Improve the quality of learning and teaching of second, foreign, and heritage languages and area studies, in the state of Hawai’i, domestically, and abroad
  • Interpret the history of teaching foreign language and culture and its contemporary issues and critically evaluate and make use of research into the learning, use, structure, and its pedagogy

Goals for Student Learning in the Certificate Program

Among the learning goals for majors are the development of:

  1. Appropriate language ability:
    • Chinese language ability and expertise for non-native speakers of Chinese
    • English language ability and expertise for native speakers of Chinese
  2. An appreciation of how the Chinese cultural background may influence communications, styles of interaction, and family structure.
  3. An ability to integrate information from the different approaches to the study of China and shape it into an overall understanding of Chinese language, culture, and behavior.

Curricula