In keeping with its mission of meeting the needs of the community, Grand Rapids Community College will offer for the first time Arabic and Chinese language classes for beginners starting this fall.
Laurie Chesley, GRCC Dean of Arts & Sciences, says the four-credit classes will be held for 15 weeks in the downtown Grand Rapids campus.
“We’re very excited about it,” she says, adding the college is pleased to have found two professional instructors who are proficient in the languages and the cultures of those countries.
“In the world we live in today, there is a great interest in China and the Middle East,” Chesley says, noting that 11 students have already enrolled in the Arabic class and five in the Mandarin Chinese course. If interest remains high, the college will develop additional courses so students could complete two years of studies in those foreign languages.
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