Chinese Studies

       Being a part of FIU’s Chinese language and culture events and courses has been a great experience in Global Learning. Throughout the coursework, I learned about the intricacies of pronunciation, and the art of writing characters. Some of the most interesting topics covered in and out of class included geography, cinema, music, and art, all of which increased my awareness of the vast cultural heritage and complex demographics of the China, and the Sinosphere overall. I also had a lot of fun putting my skills into practice through video assignments! I have participated in several Chinese Culture events and competitions, emceed for some of those events, and engaged with the language learning community to improve my fluency and comprehension. One of the courses I took that gave me a totally new experience was called Studying and Travelling East Asia through Virtual Reality. Through movies, art, videos, and essays, we learned about the modern human experience in China/Taiwan, the Koreas, and Japan.
       Chinese culture and history, and a general review of East Asia, was an area I had limited knowledge on before enrolling in relevant courses. I learned how the Chinese dynasties came to power and collapsed, the history of the Korean peninsula, and the evolution of Japan; I also read about the rise of communism in East and Southeast Asia, the shift in some countries to private and market-based economics, and the development of democracy in some states (or non-states). With this knowledge, I am better able to assess current issues, even such as the animosity between many east Asian countries and Japan, and why it’s a problem over 70 years after WWII, the recent developments in Xinjiang province, and the One China policy. I believe this education has given me some insight as to the expansion of the Chinese sphere of influence, and why it’s taking the course it is in many developing countries.