In this new UNC pilot program, students will learn Vietnamese alongside students enrolled at SOAS in London and other international learners from around the world. The synchronous teaching from an institution highly ranked for its pedagogy will allow students to begin learning the national language of Vietnam, spoken by more than 90 million people in Southeast Asia and worldwide.
SOAS is a great partner for this pilot because of its long and respected history offering less-commonly-taught languages. With instruction in more than 40 languages and leading experts on the linguistics, cultures, politics, and societies of Africa and Asia, SOAS is a highly ranked university in the United Kingdom. The SOAS teaching staff are acclaimed for their pedagogy, and these language courses are designed for English speakers with no prior experience with the Vietnamese language. In Fall 2020, the pilot will support twelve selected students to enroll in Vietnamese Language 1A, and those students will have the opportunity to continue into Vietnamese Language 1B in Spring 2021.
Questions can be directed to Dr. Kevin W. Fogg, associate director of the Carolina Asia Center, at kfogg@email.unc.edu.
Applications for Fall 2020 are due August 5, 2020. Class will run from September 28, 2020 to December 18, 2020.