Recommendation:

That the Faculty recommend to the Dean approval of the proposal to establish a minor in Chinese, as structured in the program description below.

Rationale:

See Section III below.

I. Program Identification

1.1 Title of Program: Minor in Chinese (Mandarin)

1.2 Department or Functional Equivalent: Department of Foreign Languages and Linguistics

1.3 School, College, or Functional Equivalent: College of Letters and Science

1.4 Timetable for Initiation: Spring, 2007

II. Program Description

The minor in Chinese consists of 19 credits distributed as follows:

• Chinese 201: Third Semester Chinese, 5 credits
• Chinese 202: Fourth Semester Chinese, 5 credits
• Chinese 301: Fifth Semester Chinese, 3 credits
• Chinese 302: Sixth Semester Chinese, 3 credits
• An additional upper level, 3 credit, language requirement to be met one of three ways; Chinese 497: Study Abroad, 3 credits; Chinese 310: Business Chinese, 3 credits; or Chinese 699: Advanced Independent Study, 3 credits

III. Rationale

UWM has been offering Chinese language courses since the fall semester of 1992. Since that time the Chinese program has enrolled 559 students in its first year courses, 203 students in its second year courses, and 87 students in its third year courses. In 2000, UWM hired a full-time assistant professor in Chinese and officially began building a Chinese program. Enrollments in first semester Chinese have tripled in those five years, with the highest ever enrollments this fall 2006 semester.

In order to facilitate the study of Chinese and to encourage students to continue with language study into upper division courses, a minor is necessary. Also, in 2007 a new charter Milwaukee Public School will open that will specialize in Mandarin. There is currently a shortage of qualified teachers in the Milwaukee area who specialize in Mandarin. A minor in Chinese will help facilitate language training for potential teachers. Many current Chinese language students have expressed interest in pursuing a minor in Chinese, if it were available.

IV. RELATION TO INSTITUTIONAL MISSION, STRATEGIC PLAN, GOALS AND OBJECTIVES

With the growth of the Chinese economy to one of the largest in the world, it has become an inevitable fact of global existence in the twenty-first century. As China continues to grow and prepares to become the world's largest national economy, it is crucial for UWM to prepare our student's effectively work with the Chinese, this means language proficiency and communicative skills in Chinese.

Chinese language study complements UWM's commitment to the Milwaukee metropolitan area through the Milwaukee Idea. A number of large and small corporations in the greater Milwaukee area recently have set up offices or branches in various cities in China. A Chinese minor will encourage students to achieve proficiency and communicative skills in Chinese that the students later can use in the workplace.

V. RELATION TO OTHER ACADEMIC PROGRAMS IN THE UW SYSTEM, THE REGION, AND, IF APPROPRIATE, THE NATION

Chinese language courses are offered at four UW-System campuses; UW-Steven's Point, UW-La Crosse, UW-Madison and UW-Milwaukee. Currently at Steven's Point and La Crosse students can take only introductory courses and cannot earn a major or minor. At UW-Madison students can earn a major in East Asian Languages and Literature with a focus on Chinese.

However across the Midwest, Chinese programs are quite popular. This signifies the increasing importance of language learning, especially of the Lesson Commonly Taught Languages.

VI. PROJECTED SOURCE OF RESOURCES

The Department of Foreign Languages and Linguistics currently has one full-time assistant professor of Chinese and four teaching assistants. The program will benefit greatly from a full-time lecturer next year. The administrative aspects of the new minor (processing declaration of the minor forms, advising, and clearance for graduation) will be handled by the existing structures in the Department and the College.

VII. SPECIAL COMMENTS

The following is the description that will be placed in the UWM Undergraduate Catalog:

Course of Study: Minor in Chinese

The minor in Chinese consists of 19 credits, distributed as follows:

• Chinese 201: Third Semester Chinese, 5 credits
• Chinese 202: Fourth Semester Chinese, 5 credits
• Chinese 301: Fifth Semester Chinese, 3 credits
• Chinese 302: Sixth Semester Chinese, 3 credits
• An additional upper level, 3 credit, language requirement to be met one of three ways; Chinese 497: Study Abroad (3 credits), Chinese 310: Business Chinese (3 credits), or Chinese 699: Independent Reading (3 credits)

A minimum of nine credits must be taken at the 300 level or above. A minimum of nine credits must be taken in residence at UWM. Students entering with no previous Chinese language experience should enroll in Chinese 101. Students entering with previous knowledge of or high school preparation in Chinese, or transfer students who have studied Chinese in other colleges, are assigned to courses on the basis of a departmental placement consultation with the Chinese program coordinator. Students placed into a course beyond the 101 level, who complete their first course with a grade of at least a 'B', may receive retro-active credits, to a maximum of 14 credits, for the courses leading to the one into which they are placed.