Atlanta — January 26, 2005

Do you have an interest in learning another language, but you just can’t fit regular classes into your schedule? Why not consider signing up for an on-line course in Japanese, Chinese or Russian offered by the University System of Georgia this fall?

“This distance-learning initiative is being offered by the University System’s Office of International Education through a grant from the U.S. Department of Defense’s National Security Education Program (NSEP),” said Dr. Richard C. Sutton, senior advisor for Academic Affairs and director of the Office of International Education. “We developed these on-line, interactive, multi-media courses in Japanese, Chinese and Russian to expose students to less commonly taught foreign languages.”

“These are languages that Georgians would do well to learn,” commented Dr. Jeffrey M. Humphreys, director of economic forecasting at the Selig Center for Economic Growth in the University of Georgia’s Terry College of Business.” Japan is Georgia’s single-largest foreign investor, and China is its largest potential export market. With this initiative, the University System is helping to position Georgia to better serve the international businesses that have invested in this state or are interested in doing so.”

Any student enrolled at a University System college or university that does not offer traditional classroom instruction in the desired language may register for one of the courses, but the clock is ticking - the deadline for registration is March 1, and each course is limited to 20 students. Space permitting, even non-students interested in learning these languages may register.

Each language involves a four-semester sequence of courses. Scholarship opportunities offering a study-abroad experience are available to students who finish the first year of study. Special scholarships await those who complete the entire course sequence. Faculty members from Georgia Tech will teach the Japanese and Chinese (Mandarin) courses, while Georgia State University faculty will teach the Russian courses.

In addition to on-line instruction delivered via streaming audio/video, as well as recorded exercises, technical assistance and interactive linguistic and tutorial services will be provided to students enrolled in the courses. Each three- to four-credit course counts towards the University System’s required core curriculum. Students who already have completed their core requirements may negotiate with their individual USG schools and departments regarding whether the on-line language courses qualify as electives.

For more information on studying Japanese, Chinese or Russian online, contact Ryan Thornton, assistant director for special projects in the Office of International Education, at Ryan.Thornton@usg.edu or visit the Office’s web site at http://www.usg.edu/international_ed/.

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