With the support and coordination of the College of Foreign Languages, since the beginning of the 2023-2024 session, the Department of Foreign Language for Non-Majors has established cultural general courses in key languages for students of the whole university, including the 8 key languages of Japanese, Russian, French, German, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, and Arabic. A total of 227 students from all departments chose the 11 courses in Jinnan and Balitai campuses. With the students’ high enthusiasm, many of the classes’ seats were filled up quickly. The course of Primary Japanese was required to increase seats for many times.
The establishment of the eight curricula is helpful in broadening general educational resources, leading students to know more about the diversity of human civilizations at the same time inheriting great Chinese cultural traditions, cultivating the students’ international horizons and language communication abilities. Since their very beginning, the courses have gained high recognition and compliments from students, who can not only grab basic language knowledge and skills of listening, speaking, reading, writing, and translating but also know more about customs, societies, culture, and development situations. In the class, besides careful explanation, the teachers also pay attention to interacting with students. For example, Dewa Akiko, the Japanese teacher of the Primary Japanese course, who can speak fluent Chinese, adopts multi-media measures to enrich the content of the class, increasing students’ vocabulary, stimulating their interests in learning the language, cultivating their international horizons, cross-cultural communication, critical thinking, and academic writing ability.
Lv Liangchen, one of the students of Primary Japanese, said that although this course is introductory level, he could learn more than simple language knowledge. Ms. Dewa Akiko brings a kaleidoscope of Japanese culture, vivid knowledge, and the fascinating charm of Japan. Her advanced teaching ideas are close to mother-tongue training mode, helping more students know both how and why. Those who know it are not as those who love it; those who love it are not as those who find their joy in it. It is believed that the Primary Japanese course of Dewa Akiko will open a window for many NKU students, leaving a spiritual wealth beyond geographic and cultural limitations in a more and more confusing time.
According to Li Han, a student of the Primary Italian course, this course taught her basic Italian pronunciation, grammar, and daily dialogue, satisfying her demand to study a second language. Moreover, it opens a door to Italian history and culture for her. Apart from explaining the knowledge of Italian language in a comprehensible way, Dr. Feng Lisi always teaches Italian history, art, food, geography, culture, and customs carefully, from which Li Han learned a lot.
