Arriving in China: a scene at the Beijing International Airport from a video clip of the new course.
In 2009-10, the Language Institute and the Department of East Asian Languages and Literature will offer a two-semester sequence of online Chinese courses designed for business professionals.
The courses are based on a series of original video clips, filmed by the Language Institute in Beijing, that follow an American businessman on a trip to China to meet with prospective partners.
The courses introduce students to basic conversational Chinese, with a focus on understanding and appreciating cultural beliefs, attitudes and practices, especially in a business or professional context.
They are taught by Yang Liu, a doctoral candidate in Second Language Acquisition and an experienced language instructor from Beijing.