Graduate Institute of Teaching Chinese

as a Second Language

Teaching Objectives

With the prediction that the 21th century will become the century of Pacific basin, and the truth that Chinese is the common language of one quarter of the world’s population, Chinese language has set off an upsurge in the world. Learning Chinese has become a global academic trend with increasing demands, needs for teaching Chinese as a second language bloom worldwide in recent years. Taiwan has its own characteristics on teaching materials and methods, however, the teachers and teaching materials in Taiwan are not enough to meet the global demands. Therefore, we expect to (1) nurture excellent Chinese teaching talents for overseas teaching works to meet the great demands from Chinese market, (2) improve the practicability of Chinese teaching materials by developing better materials for specific teaching objects (3) develop into top graduate institute of teaching Chinese as a second language equipped with e-teaching system in Taiwan, (4) become the center of Chinese teaching and teaching R&D services in southern Taiwan.

Teaching Features

     Other than the common curriculums in Chinese teaching field specified by the Ministry of Education, we offer a diversity of courses and teaching practice programs with excellent faculty and research environment. Our program is featured with:

1. Advanced theory and practice in Chinese language teaching
2. Advanced Chinese linguistics
3. Compilation of Chinese teaching materials and digital distance learning courses
4. Connotation and application of Chinese culture
5. Multiple courses of foreign languages
    

Research Features

1. Excellent faculty: 21 full-time and 1 visiting professors
2. National interscholastic academic platform: academic platform of five graduate institutes of teaching Chinese as a second language in Taiwan (Wenzao is the only private university among them)
3. International academic exchanges and cooperation: multi-national academic exchanges combining with Wenzao’s advantage of foreign language
4. National and international academic conferences: organizer of 2013 International Conference of Association of Teaching Chinese as a Second Language
5. Professional academic journal: « Journal of Applied Chinese », two issues per year

Internship Program Features

1. International: we offer internships in across many countries, and have long-term partners
2. Step by step: from national to international; from fundamental to professional
3. Diversified: including basic, business, and distance learning Chinese
4. Leading: The only organizer of teacher selection program for teaching Chinese in Vietnam commissioned by Ministry of Education

Professional Equipment

1. Multifunctional Resource Center of Chinese Culture
2. Multifunctional Resource Center of Bilingual Learning
3. Digital Media Studio of Chinese Language
4. Professional Recording Studio

Curriculum Planning

1. 1. Each candidate for a master's degree must accrue 33 credits in total including 15 credits of required core courses (3 credits of master’s thesis included), and is required to take at least 2 elective courses in the field of teaching Chinese as a second language, and at least 1 elective course in the field of Chinese society and culture.
   2. Each candidate for a master's degree must present a language proficiency certificate fulfilling one of the following conditions before graduation: A. meet the qualified criteria of foreign languages of the Certification Examination for Proficiency in Teaching Chinese as a Second/ Foreign Language administered by Ministry of Education; B. accrue at least 8 credits of courses on any language beyond the languages under the aforementioned qualified criteria.
   3. Each candidate for a master's degree must complete at least 72 hours of teaching practice (evidences of teaching practice are available for exemption of practice hours ). We will assist students in arranging campus and off-campus internships. For campus internships, students can attend activities of Chinese language center to interact with international students and learn teaching skills by observing the teachers. Students can also register as teachers or provide one on one after-school tutoring services in Chinese language center. For off-campus internships, we will arrange academia and industry collaborations, or send students to sister schools and overseas Taiwanese companies to teach Chinese. After the internship, we will issue the students with internship certificates.

Faculty

     Our faculty has a diversity of specialties including teaching Chinese as a second language, Chinese traditional philosophy of spoken and written language, second language acquisition, bilingual teaching, and computer teaching. We invite professors in related fields for part-time teaching for every semester, and visiting professors on an irregular basis to enrich the connotation of our students.

Prospects After Graduation

• Advancing to a domestic or international graduate institute for Ph.D. degree in a related field.
• Teaching Chinese and take up advanced studies abroad according to personal language ability.
• Teaching Chinese in a department of Chinese or Chines language center of a domestic public or private institution.
• Develop Chinese language teaching materials.
• Work as a remedial language instructor.