Enrollment in Chinese classes remains steady

By Mitchell Voth

Friday, September 19, 2008

Enrollment in Chinese classes has stalled. The number of University of Kansas students enrolled in a Chinese class has remained fairly stable since Fall 2006. That semester, 103 students were taking Chinese at the University. This semester, the number sits at 102, which is less than one-half of 1 percent of the 29,272 students enrolled at the University.

The China Daily said in its March 26 issue that, by 2030, “China’s economy will be 138 percent of the U.S. economy.” University of Kansas students are not flocking to capitalize.

Students may stray from the language because they think it is too difficult.

“Most people know [all East Asian languages] are hard,” said Maggie Childs, Chair of the Department of East Asian Languages and Cultures.

However, Childs said, “most people who have studied Chinese think it’s easier than the others,” Childs said.

— — Edited by Becka Cremer

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