View Content #1072
| Contentid | 1072 |
|---|---|
| Content Type | 1 |
| Title | Chinese Officials and College Board Announce Advanced Placement Course in Chinese Language and Culture New Curriculum Is Response to China's Growing Economic Importance and the Increasing Diversity in U.S. Classrooms |
| Body | From: collegeboard.com WASHINGTON - Representatives of the People's Republic of China and College Board President Gaston Caperton today announced the creation of an Advanced Placement Program ® (AP®) Course and Examination in Chinese Language and Culture, citing China's growing economic significance and the College Board's commitment to promoting cultural understanding in America's schools as motivating forces behind the decision. Yang Jiechi, Ambassador of China to the United States, and Yan Meihua, director general of China's National Office for Teaching Chinese as a Foreign Language, participated in the announcement at the Dirksen Senate Office Building."On behalf of the Trustees and members of the College Board, I would like to thank the People's Republic of China for the generous financial support that will help to create this new college-level course for American high school students," said Caperton. "I am pleased to make this announcement just prior to Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao's official visit to the United States." Chinese is the national language of the 1.3 billion inhabitants of China and is the predominant language of 31 million Chinese people living overseas. "Our education system needs to respond to an increasingly interconnected global economy and to the growing cultural diversity in the United States," Caperton said. "It is our hope that this partnership will become an educational bridge to China, a country whose political, cultural, and economic impact on the Asia-Pacific region-and the world-is paramount. The study of Chinese will not just connect high school students with the language but also with the literature and rich history of China. Knowledge of another civilization-and the ability to communicate across cultures-can have a humanizing and enriching effect on a young person's development.""People-to-people contact between China and the United States is important for increasing mutual understanding, fostering friendship, and expanding bilateral relations," Yang said. "The bridge of understanding and friendship cannot be built without language. Today's announcement just prior to Chinese Premier Wen's official visit to the U.S. has a special importance for both sides. It will further promote Chinese language education in the U.S. and increase mutual understanding and exchange between the younger generations of our two countries. This will undoubtedly expand bilateral economic and trade relations, and strengthen China-U.S. exchanges and cooperation in all fields."In a letter to President Caperton, Chinese Minister of Education Zhou Ji wrote, "This announcement represents special importance to both sides. It is very wise and foresighted of the College Board to approve the AP Course and Examination in Chinese Language and Culture alongside the three other languages of Italian, Russian, and Japanese. For further press inquiries, contact the College Board Public Affairs Department at (212) 713-8052. |
| Source | Collegeboard.com |
| Inputdate | 2004-01-11 13:01:00 |
| Lastmodifieddate | 2004-01-11 13:01:00 |
| Expdate | Not set |
| Publishdate | Not set |
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| Active | 1 |
| Emailed | 1 |
| Isarchived | 1 |
