The university's new language programmes target people from all walks of life
THE DEPARTMENT of Linguistics and Modern Languages was established last year at the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK).
On offer are a bachelor's degree in linguistics and several minors and elective courses. At the postgraduate level are a master of arts, a master of philosophy, and a PhD in linguistics.
'The university has identified linguistics as a very important area of studies,' said Gladys Tang Wai-lan of CUHK's Linguistics and Modern Languages department.
'It is also because of our expertise in linguistics. We are now an independent department and offer a fully-fledged linguistics programme for our students. We have added some new courses and restructured the curriculum.'
The programmes target people from all walks of life. Not surprisingly, language teachers - especially those teaching English as a second language - account for a significant ratio of the students in the programmes.