Students at American University of Sharjah (AUS) will have even more opportunities to broaden their global outlook, as the university will commence offering Korean language courses in Fall Semester 2023.
The announcement comes after AUS has signed an agreement with the Korea Foundation, a South Korea-based non-profit organization that supports and promotes Korean language and culture around the world.
With the assistance of the Korea Foundation, the AUS College of Arts and Sciences (CAS) will offer two elementary Korean language sections starting in Fall 2023 and will add two intermediate Korean language courses by Fall 2024. Based on the agreement, the Korea Foundation will conduct a Korea-wide search to identify the best candidates to come as a visiting faculty member to teach these courses.
AUS students have already shown interest in Korean culture, having established the Korean Cultural Club, which participated in this year’s Global Day event.
“Language learning is an essential component of a well-rounded education. By adding Korean language courses, we are not only meeting the demands of our students, but also preparing them to be active members of a globalized world,” said Dr. Mahmoud Anabtawi, Dean of CAS.
Speaking about the importance of the upcoming course, Dr. Ahmad Al-Issa, Associate Dean for Undergraduate Affairs in CAS and Korean Language Project Coordinator, said: “South Korea is one of the world’s leading economies with a rich cultural heritage and a growing language popularity among young people, making it an important language to learn. We have conducted a survey among AUS students which revealed a strong interest among our students to learn Korean, making us confident that this program will not only meet the demands of our students but also provide them with valuable language skills that will be beneficial in their future careers.The partnership between AUS and the Korea Foundation presents an excellent opportunity to showcase our commitment in CAS to language and cultural education.”
CAS is dedicated to promoting diversity throughout its disciplines and teaching, research and service endeavors. It is home to undergraduate degrees in English language and literature, international studies, mass communication, psychology, biology, chemistry, environmental sciences, mathematics and physics, as well as 22 minors. It also offers master’s programs in teaching English to speakers of other languages and mathematics, as well as a PhD program in materials science and engineering. All AUS undergraduate students take courses in CAS as part of the university’s general education program.
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