College of Arts and Sciences

Foreign Language Studies

Modern Arabic and Mandarin Chinese

Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (ERAU) continues to develop a dynamic series of strategic foreign language offerings in Modern Arabic and Mandarin Chinese.Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (ERAU) continues to develop a dynamic series of strategic foreign language offerings in Modern Arabic and Mandarin Chinese. These include an intensive 5-week program within our Summer Foreign Language Institute, outstanding education offerings for the Department of Education TRIO programs—Upward Bound and Math Science Regional Center, and semester courses for our undergraduate students. In our globalized world, this language expertise will be crucial to student success.

 

Foreign Language Institute

Watson Lake Prescott ArizonaThe Foreign Language Institute (FLI) summer program teaches students either Arabic or Chinese languages. Two types of classes are available: the Enrichment class, which is tailored to those who want to learn Arabic or Chinese primarily for travel or business purposes, and the Academic class, which allows students to earn up to 6 college credits. The program also includes fun cultural activities like calligraphy, tea parties, cooking, arabian nights, and more! For more information download the FLI flyer (PDF).

2007-STARTALK

The 2007-STARTALK funding will help expand the Chinese program with a course for 3 college credits to Upward Bound students and with training for teachers. We anticipate expansion to Arabic in the summer of 2008. In all these ways, ERAU will establish a regional center for critical-language learning for high-school and college populations and a practical training center for the teaching of Chinese and Arabic for both high school and college-level courses.

Curriculum

The curriculum of the college Chinese course is based on the National Standards in Chinese which include the ability to communicate in various forms, cultural understanding, connection to other fields of knowledge, community-oriented learning, and ability to make linguistic and cultural comparisons.

Textbook: Integrated Chinese Level 1, Part 1, 2nd edition.

Upon completion, a student should be able to:
  1. Read aloud Chinese words and sentences given the phonetics;
  2. Comprehend both literal and implicit meaning of simple spoken and written messages;
  3. Make grammatically correct and culturally appropriate basic dialogues in Chinese;
  4. Behave in culturally appropriate ways;
  5. Have a willing attitude towards communication with native Chinese;
  6. Express new knowledge in history and geography.

Instructional Activities

Instructional Activities include: social introduction, interviewing local Chinese over tea, singing Chinese songs, telling time differences around the world in Chinese, watching a film about a Chinese family, making snacks, playing cards and games, “Show and Tell” to local Chinese audience, a fieldtrip to the Phoenix Chinese Cultural Center, and a visit to Chinese and Asian Studies Programs at the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque.

Year-long learning

To provide year-long learning after the summer program, the College will contact participating schools to obtain administrator, teacher and IT support for continuous learning and make sure that necessary online access will be available to students. Each student will sign a learning contract that offers free ERAU credits if conditions are met.

Teacher training

Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (ERAU) continues to develop a dynamic series of strategic foreign language offerings in Modern Arabic and Mandarin Chinese.Teacher training will be guided by professional standards set up by the National Council of Teacher Education and Arizona Department of Education, standards in foreign language teaching established by the American Council of Teachers of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) and Chinese language teaching standards by the Chinese Language Teachers Association (CLTA). Among the participants are active scholars in 2nd-language and collaborative teaching, education specialists, director of ERAU Center of Teaching Excellence, and high-school educators.

College of Arts and Sciences

Contact information: Leeann Chen, 928-777-6682, chenl@erau.edu