Program Introduction by Flagship Instructional Director, Carl Falsgraf
Interviews with University of Oregon Chinese Flagship students
UO Brochure
The aim of this government-sponsored Language Flagship program is to exponentially increase the number of American students graduating from college with professional levels of Mandarin Chinese. This initiative is part of the National Standards for Foreign Language Learning in the 21st Century and the effort to increase American competitiveness in the global workforce.
The University of Oregon's Center for Applied Second Language Studies (CASLS) and the Portland Public School (PPS) district are joint recipients of the National Security Education Program's (NSEP) Language Flagship grant to oversee a K-12 and undergraduate articulated Mandarin Chinese language-learning program. The UO and PPS collaborate with committed partners to develop, evaluate, and disseminate the Chinese K-12 and integrated undergraduate language-learning model.
UO Chinese Flagship Program
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"I believe Chinese is the language to be learning in our current society. For America to be successful in its international endeavors both politically and economically, it is critical to have people that know Mandarin and understand the Chinese culture." -- Lauren Dickey, UO Flagship graduating class of 2011 |
We offer undergraduate students the opportunity to develop professional-level language proficiency while pursuing academic majors of your choice. Internships, overseas study, and cultural activities complement students' academic work. The University of Oregon's Chinese program welcomes students from all entry points to commit to accelerated Mandarin learning. Individualized study, study groups, peer tutors, an immersive language learning dorm, and summer intensive courses help students develop the prerequisite intermediate-high to advanced proficiency needed to enter Flagship course and program offerings.
The Department of East Asian Languages and Literatures (EALL) and the Chinese Flagship program provide academic and professional training as well as real-life experiences to nurture global professionals with the cultural, academic, and linguistic tools required to negotiate the changing U.S.-China dynamic in the twenty-first century. There are currently seven other Chinese Flagship programs located at Arizona State University, Brigham Young University, Indiana University, San Francisco State University, The Ohio State University, University of Rhode Island, and Western Kentucky University.
The Flagship program takes advantage of the academic experts on campus teaching cross-disciplinary content courses in Chinese. Course offerings include Psychology: Mind and Brains; Linguistics: Language, Culture, and Society; English: Globalization in Chinese Film; History: Chinese History Past and Present; Leadership and Change: Urbanization of Modern Chinese Cities; and Political Science: State of the World. These classes are supported by specially designed Language Strategies.
Flagship is an exciting opportunity for students who are academically driven and focused on securing careers in which they will utilize their Mandarin. The Language Flagship is a government initiative aimed at graduating students with the academic and linguistic preparation for high-caliber graduate programs or high-profile professional positions. Graduates who obtain the national Chinese Language Flagship certification have professional-level Mandarin skills, and step into fields as diverse as their own learning interests, such as economics, government service, biochemistry, architecture, law, political science, international business, marketing, and intelligence analysis.
For more information and links to the various Flagship programs, please visit The Language Flagship website: http://www.thelanguageflagship.org.
