Learn about China through the Confucius Institute
The Confucius Institute and Academic Extension are sponsoring a series of non-credit workshops and credit courses for the community starting in fall 2011. The UO Confucius Institute highlights activities related to four themes: Chinese culture across borders, China futures/global futures, Chinese culture on a world stage, China and global sustainability. High school students, teachers, business and community members are encouraged to attend. No prior knowledge of Chinese is necessary for the courses.
The Confucius Institute at the University of Oregon was established by the Office of International Affairs in partnership with Hanban (Chinese Language Council International), based in China, and East China Normal University in Shanghai. This partnership encourages a growing national and international trend to expand educational ties with China, to promote Chinese language training, and to further intercultural understanding.
Survival Chinese for Cultural Interaction and Business in China
This is a course for anyone interested in China or Chinese culture and interacting with Chinese people for business, educational, or recreational purposes. Instruction will be in English and classes will feature a variety of fun communicative activities to introduce everyday speaking and listening skills. A portion of the class will also be devoted to introducing information about Chinese culture and customs, enabling students to develop their cross-cultural understanding to effectively communicate and interact with Chinese people.
Chinese Calligraphy
This class offers a basic introduction to hands-on practice with the art of Chinese calligraphy. The instruction will be in English, introducing the basic materials—brush, ink, and paper—and how to use them. Students will learn basic Chinese characters while "tracing the vermilion" (miao-hung) and learning the basic brush strokes. Demonstrations and projects during the course will include Chinese Spring Festival couplets, Tang poems in k'ai-shu, creating a name seal, and more, with the final project being a planned exhibit of students' work.
EALL 199: Spoken Mandarin Chinese
This course is designed for high school students who are interested in learning Chinese but have little or no Chinese language background. The class will focus on learning very basic speaking and listening skills and will feature a variety of fun activities to practice these skills. Beginning Chinese grammar will be introduced as a function of the language expressions taught in class, paving the way for future study of Chinese.
Students will earn 3 credits for the successful completion of the course. EALL 199 is a self-support fee course. The cost listed is paid regardless of student residency status or total course load. This self-support fee replaces the cost of regular tuition. UO Academic Extension has set tuition for this class at the unusually low rate of $180. The low tuition is possible because the Confucius Institute is providing instructors and Academic Extension is donating administrative support.
To register or learn more about these courses, visit http://center.uoregon.edu/special/ci/