Standard II - Ethics
Candidates design and select media, technology, and processes that emphasize the diversity of our society as a multicultural community.
Artifact 9. Rangos Prize competition proposal.
Artifact Description:
In the Fall of 2019, I proposed a technology-enhanced Chinese language course for the Rangos Prize. The course was designed to emphasize the diversity of the society as a multicultural and multilingual community. Dr.Heo was my advisor for the project who gave me valuable advice and guidance throughout the application process. As of Fall 2019, the enrolled student population at Duquesne University is 78% White, 5.27% Black or African American, 3.55% Hispanic or Latino, 3.31% Asian, 2.63% Two or More Races. The Department of Modern Languages and Literatures at Duquesne only offers language courses in Spanish, German, French, and Italian, whereas many universities (the USA or internationally) offer Asian language courses such as Chinese and Japanese. For example, both University of Pittsburgh and Carnegie Mellon University offer a variety of Chinese language courses. Therefore, I proposed a new course that would empower Duquesne students to become multilingual, tech-savvy, and culturally sensitive. The proposed Chinese course will be beneficial for Duquesne University to promote linguistic and cultural diversity.
Reflection and Rationale:
My background in Second Language Acquisition gave me inspiration for the idea of proposing a new Chinese language course to promote the multicultural diversity at Duquesne. I have taught the Chinese language in both U.S. and Europe to both K-12 and university students before I went to Duquesne. When I came to Duquesne, I was very surprised that Asian languages such as Chinese were not offered among language courses. Language diversity was one of the critical aspects of a multicultural society. Therefore, I proposed the Chinese language course in which I designed and select media and technology resources including Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR). I wished the course would be a window for students to learn about Chinese culture which is different from many other cultures. I was grateful that the proposal was accepted for the Rangos Prize final pitch competition. I gave a presentation to the Duquesne community including judges, faculty, and students. Although the proposal was not selected for the final prizes, I received many positive feedbacks after the pitch from different faculty members. In the future, I hope to have the opportunity to promote cultural diversity in my professional work at Duquesne University.