Asian Languages Fair

The Department Asian of Asian Languages and Cultures recently held a fair to feature the thirteen Asian languages that are currently taught by the department. The fair included faculty from the Chinese Language Program, Korean Language Program, Japanese Language Program, South Asian Language Program, and Southeast Asian Language Program. 

Students had the opportunity to interact with faculty and to learn more about the languages and cultures represented by the different programs. Mini-lessons were held throughout the fair, affording students the chance to experience language-learning firsthand.  The fair also featured live cultural performances, including a Kendo demonstration and performances by the Korean drumming group Sinaboro and the Michigan Bhangra Team, as well as Chinese, Filipino, Thai, Vietnamese, and Indonesian cultural dances. 

More than eighty students attended the event, in addition to advisors from the LSA Newnan Advising Center and other academic departments. Prospective students who were visiting the university for Campus Day also stopped by and visited the language tables. 

This event is one of the ways in which the department works to engage current University of Michigan students with Asian studies. It encourages students to explore the many opportunities for language learning within the Department of Asian Languages and Cultures, as well as to engage with the different cultures that these languages represent.