A boost in Asian language learning at Duke may help to increase study abroad enrollment in the region.
Only 11 percent of American college students choose an Asian country when they study overseas, according to a March 14 article in The Chronicle of Higher Education.
At Duke, study abroad in Asian countries also lags behind study in European countries. But participation in elementary Asian languages has been on the rise in the last decade.
Statistics provided by the Asian and Middle Eastern Studies department indicate that enrollment numbers for students in elementary Chinese, Hindi, Japanese and Korean classes have increased in the last 10 years.
The growth in interest in Asian languages has taken a gradual trajectory at the University. In Fall 2000, 35 students took elementary Chinese, but by Spring 2010 that number increased to 46 students. Enrollment in the course reached its peak in Fall 2007 when 81 students enrolled. Elementary Japanese, Hindi and Korean courses have also experienced increases in enrollment.
Whether that increased interest in language studies will lead to higher participation in study abroad in Asia, however, is still unclear.
Duke in China is currently the only Asian program sponsored by the University, though in Fall 2010, the Global Semester Abroad program will allow students to study in both China and India.
Junior Alexandra Tirado—who participated in the Duke in China program in both the Spring and Summer of 2009—noted that there are many aspects of the Chinese language which are best learned in an immersion setting, such as tones and intonations. She said this contributed to her decision to study abroad.
“I was looking for a program that would help me fulfill my major requirements,” said Tirado, who is an Asian and Middle Eastern Studies major with a concentration in Chinese. “Not many people choose to do the [Duke] program, but I figured the best way to learn Chinese was to go to the country and become immersed in it.”
Carolyn Lee, professor of the practice of Chinese and director of the Duke in China program, said a desire for language learning is a critical factor for students that participate in the program. She noted that the focus of the experience is language immersion in a cultural context.
“Students chose to apply for Duke in China for both language development and cultural experience,” Lee said. “The program offers intensive language training with a cultural focus.”
Margaret Riley, director of the Office of Global Education for Undergraduates, noted in an e-mail that the Duke in China summer program enjoys the largest enrollment of any of Duke’s summer programs.
But in the past three Springs, Duke in China has had just 24 students study abroad. This Spring, Duke in China was not offered so that the program could be moved to the Fall semester, when the majority of Duke students study abroad. The move may increase enrollment numbers.
“I think one of the problems with the program is that it was in the Spring and at Duke it is typical for juniors to go in the Fall semester,” Tirado said. “I think having the program in the Fall will increase the amount of people that participate in the program.”
The increased interest in Asian languages, combined with the move, might result in greater Duke participation.
“The program has only been growing in the past few years,” Lee said. “Students are more willing to take on a more challenging subject.... The whole spectrum of their intellectual interest has developed and expanded.”
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