Calvin College is the only Christian college in North America to offer extensive programs in both the Chinese and Japanese languages. We offer four years of both Japanese and Chinese language instruction.

Majors & Minors
Students may choose to major in either the Chinese or Japanese language through the Asian Studies major by taking eight courses in either language and at least four culture courses related to Asia. Students may also minor in either the Chinese or the Japanese language by successful completion of seven semesters of Chinese or Japanese language classes. A minor is also available in both Chinese as well as Japanese culture, which requires four semesters of the respective language plus three courses related to East Asia, including East Asian history, religion, philosophy, art, or an interim trip to the respective country.

Faculty
Our faculty for the Japanese and Chinese language programs includes three professors: an American-born professor who teaches the introductory courses in both Japanese and Chinese; a native speaker from Japan to teach the upper-level Japanese language courses; a native speaker from China to teach the upper-level Chinese courses. We feel that perhaps a non-native speaker with considerable teaching experience is better equipped to help the students in the early stages of learning these languages so different from their own, and that in the upper-level courses it is of great benefit to the students to have a native speaker with whom to refine their spoken language skills.

Off-Campus Programs
The Chinese and Japanese Language Programs at Calvin offer students various opportunities for travel to China and Japan. There are May/June summer “interim” trips to either China or Japan in alternate years led by a Calvin professor. Students receive course credit for these trips. The trips to Japan include homestays with Japanese families all across the islands. The trips to China also attempt to bring the students into close contact with the Chinese. Both interim trips give students a chance to observe daily life in the country whose language they are studying, to make friends with the people of that country, and to practice and improve their language skills. In addition, Calvin also offers semester programs in both China and Japan. The semester program in China is held each fall at Capital Normal University in Beijing, where students take intensive courses in Chinese language and culture. The semester program in Japan is held in Hikone, on the shore of Lake Biwa, and involves intensive Japanese language study as well as a course in Japanese culture.

Career Opportunities
About twenty Calvin graduates have been accepted in the past decade to teach English in Japan for the Japanese government through the prestigious JET Program. Most have stayed for the maximum of three years and are paid $30,000 per year for part-time teaching. Likewise, many Calvin grads have gone to China to teach English at various universities and to give witness to their faith as opportunity allows. These experience linked with their background in Asian languages and cultures makes them all the more attractive to future employers.

Calvin students who graduate with a knowledge of either Chinese or Japanese language and culture find that a large number of North American and Asian businesses are anxious to recruit the few young western college graduates who know about these important cultures. Many of our graduates have gotten jobs with companies in North America that deal with China and/or Japan. Recently many others have moved to China or Japan, or to Korea, where they have found work in the fields of education, business, computers, and missions. Other graduates have been hired to work in U.S. and Canadian consulates in Asia. Some have continued their study of Chinese or Japanese language with full fellowships in graduate programs at the University of Michigan and Ohio State. A few are getting joint degrees in law and Chinese or Japanese in order to specialize in international law.

Our Mission
The mission of our program in Chinese and Japanese languages mirrors the mission of Calvin College as a whole. We seek to help our students transform the world through Christian love and service. Our language classes are designed to provide the students with the knowledge of the language and the appreciation of the culture they need in order to better understand and communicate with the peoples of Japan, China, Taiwan, and Singapore. We pray that this interaction will help our graduates to serve as a bridge between our culture and that of East Asia, to help foster peace and mutual understanding, and to spread Christ's love in the world.

For more information see: Overseas Study and Internships - Career Opportunities