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SISU launches Swahili language program to promote African studies


12 April 2018 | By Yin Zhixin, Long Jing, Xu Yechuyi and Zhou Jiawen | Copyedited by GU Yiqing

English
  • Swahili language

    Swahili, also known as Kiswahili, is a Bantu language. It is a lingua franca of the African Great Lakes region and other parts of Southeast Africa.

    S

    hanghai International Studies University (SISU) has been approved to set up the Swahili language program, according to the official announcement of Chinese Ministry of Education.

    This bachelor's degree program will be established in SISU’s School of Asian and African Studies and the school plans to recruit 10 to 12 undergraduates every four years.

    The Swahili language, spoken by more than 100 million people in the world, is one of the most widely used African languages. Students of the Swahili major will learn not only language skills, but also theories and knowledge about African literature, history, politics, economy and diplomacy. English is also included in the program as a minor, assuring students will reach the level of TEM-4 during junior year and be able to apply for TEM-8 during senior year.

    SISU has established an inter-collegiate relationship with University of Bayreuth in Germany, hired Swahili linguistics experts as international faculty, and regularly sent professional teachers to Germany and East Africa for short- and long-term trainings, exchange visits and academic seminars. Students are able to carry out exchange studies in Germany, Kenya, Tanzania and other countries through China Scholarship Council, exchange programs and other foundations.

    In recent years, SISU has actively embraced the Belt and Road Initiative. Having adapted to the needs of regional economic and social development, the university has established the vision of developing a world-class university for global studies with distinctive characteristics in domains of knowledge of nations, regions and the globe. Responding to national development, SISU has taken the lead in proposing "Multilingual+" initiative, with a focus on promoting "key languages" and cultivating talents in less commonly taught languages and area studies.

    SISU has set up a series of language degree programs in the past three years, including Hungarian, Polish, Kazak, Uzbek, and Czech. The university has also improved strategic language courses by opening Swahili, Sanskrit, Urdu, Malay, Javanese, Pashto, Tajik and other less-commonly taught language courses for students.

    Up to now, the total number of bachelor's degree programs at SISU has increased to 45, including 31 language-related majors. SISU currently offer courses in 33 modern languages, and 6 classical and constructed languages.

     

     

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    Press Contact

    SISU News Center, Office of Communications and Public Affairs

    Tel : +86 (21) 3537 2378

    Email : news@shisu.edu.cn

    Address :550 Dalian Road (W), Shanghai 200083, China

    Further Reading