Teaching of values in language enhancement course and globalization

This study aims at investigating the role of values in a course on classical Chinese in the context of globalization. Globalization and internationalization are receiving widespread attention at tertiary institutions across the world. Universities are aiming at helping students to gain a global perspective to meet the needs of the society. However, globalization cannot be thrived without a strong foundation of moral and social values. On the other hand, many studies confirm that there is a deep relationship between language, culture and values. Through mother tongue learning, people could enhance their understanding of the nation's culture and foster the sense of cultural and ethnic identity. This can then foster global awareness based on understanding cultural heritage of mankind. To prepare tertiary students in a global context, a Chinese enhancement course on classical Chinese was developed to enhance students’ awareness of the issues of values. This course aims to enrich students’ knowledge of Chinese literary works, so as to develop students culturally through learning of the language. Elements of traditional Chinese values in the course, and how these values could help students meet the global needs will be presented. Effectiveness of this course was evaluated by students’ feedback. Subjects of this study were undergraduate students of a university in Hong Kong. The research methodology includes content analysis, questionnaire survey and interviews. Findings from this research may contribute to the curriculum design in a global context. Copyright © 2019 ACEID.