In 2000, Chinese Prof. Licheng Gu had no students in his fourth-year Chinese class. This year, he expects to have at least 50.
To accommodate increasing demand, Northwestern will begin to offer a new major in Chinese language and civilization next fall, said Gu, who is also director of the Program of African and Asian Languages and coordinator of instruction of the Chinese program.
The Chinese department has added two beginner classes since last year, making a total of five beginner classes.
The program currently offers only a minor in Chinese language and civilization, but student demand and competition with other universities prompted NU to broaden its offerings, Gu said.
“It’s a shame that Northwestern does not have anything like this for so long,” said Gu, adding that University of Chicago, Princeton, Yale, Columbia and University of California Berkeley have this major.
The major will include two tracks, a classical Chinese and literature track and a business-oriented track, Gu said. The classical and literature track will teach students about Chinese culture and how to read classical Chinese. The business track will train students how to write contracts and business letters.
The major comes at a time of an increase in demand for Chinese speakers worldwide, as China is gaining global prominence and has a booming economy.
Elementary schools around the United States are offering Chinese classes, and Advanced Placement Chinese will be available in high schools next year, according to the College Board’s Web site.
It is increasingly important that students learn Chinese to gain a cultural understanding of a growing nation, Gu said, adding that NU plans to hire more faculty to teach advanced Chinese. The department has faculty from both Taiwan and mainland China.
Many NU students take Chinese to give them a boost in finding a career, Chinese Lecturer Hong Jiang said. Financial institutions such as Merrill Lynch and companies such as Motorola already have branches in China.
“If they know some Chinese, whether a lot or a little, it will help them in their career,” she said.
About 20 students filled Jiang’s first-level Chinese class on Thursday. Enrollment in Chinese classes has increased dramatically, Jiang said.
Weinberg freshman Micah Friedland, a student in Jiang’s Chinese class, said he thinks he might go into finance or real estate. His two older siblings also have studied Chinese. Learning Chinese is important for entrepreneurs, Friedland said.
“I just feel like China is where the business will go,” he said.
Some students taking Chinese have parents from mainland China and consider it part of their heritage to learn the language, Jiang said.
Weinberg junior Tiffanie Wong decided this summer to start studying Chinese to get in touch with her roots.
“I wanted to learn Chinese, because I am Chinese, and it’s kind of bad if I don’t know how to read or write my native language,” she said.
It is also helpful for Americans to learn Chinese, since many advertisements, pieces of furniture and tattoos now feature Chinese characters, Jiang said.
“I think it’s more like a China fever,” she said.
Jiang emphasized the difficulty of learning the four different tones of Chinese pronunciation in first-level Chinese, and said she hoped she could encourage students to keep studying the language.
“I do see enthusiasm at this point, and hopefully, I can keep that going,” she said.
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