--- List of Languages --- American Sign Language Amharic Bengali Czech Chinese Greek (Modern) Gujarati Hausa Hungarian Igbo Irish Gaelic Japanese Kannada Kikuyu Korean Malayalam Oshiwambo Panjabi Pashto Persian Polish Portuguese Shona Spanish Swahili Tagalog Taiwanese Tamil Telugu Thai Turkish Twi Urdu Vietnamese Wolof Yoruba Zulu

  

Pre-Term Language Program for MBA students
(August 4-13, 2008)

The Penn Language Center (PLC) offers a series of Pre-Term courses in Chinese and Spanish with a business language focus. Each class meets for two and a half hours a day for the total of nine contact hours. The fee for the class is $450, including course materials. (The fee for this program is not included in the Wharton Pre-Term fee.).

Language Placement and Proficiency
On-site placement testing will be available upon arrival. If, after a placement test, you find the level inappropriate, you may move to an appropriate class. Upon completion of the language course, you may take a proficiency examination. The results of the exam will be accompanied by a letter from the PLC and Wharton certifying your level of proficiency.

Course Contents and Levels

The following language courses will be offered.  Please note that pre-term language courses only cover a portion of material usually covered during a semester-long course. 

Beginning Business Chinese

This course is designed for students and working professionals who have little or no prior Chinese language background and are interested in learning Chinese in a business context. It is a fundamental course for those who plan to travel to China in the near future. This introductory course will build the foundation of the Chinese language with a focus on speaking and listening. The course units will cover language skills in various business settings, such as exchanging business cards, socializing with colleagues, attending banquets as well as daily conversations.

Intermediate Business Chinese

This course is a continuation of Beginning Business Chinese that will continue with development of language skills.  This course is designed to train students' practical language skills in business Chinese context.  Text materials include dialogues and readings on the themes in the business transaction cycle that bring out  characteristic words or phrases used in international trade.  Students will be guided to conduct simulating business activities, learn to read and write
business letters and documents, and trained to read economic news.

Advanced Business Chinese

This course draws extensively on original business cases.  The topics of assigned readings range from China's foreign trade strategies after entering the World Trade Organization, to the impact of China's economic reform on its people and society at large. Special terminology in international trade, management, finance, and economic laws is introduced.  Most readings are expository essays written in formal or colloquial Chinese.

Beginning Business Spanish

Beginning Business Spanish course provides students with vocabulary and communicative skills with a special emphasis on business contexts.   Through readings, presentations, discussions, and video materials, we shall analyze those cultural aspects that characterize the business environment in the region.

Intermediate Business Spanish

This course is designed to provide students with a business terminology and vocabulary and to improve communicative skills within the cultural context of several developing Latin American countries.  Focusing on topics such as politics, economy, society, health, environment, education, science and technology, the class will explore the realities and underlying challenges facing Latin America. 
 
Advanced Business Spanish

Advanced Business Spanish course is specifically designed for advanced speakers of Spanish. Students  will study corporate dynamics of a number of countries in Latin America, focusing on their economies and markets, as well as on the cultural and business protocols of each region.

ACTFL Standards

All language courses address the 5 Cs of the ACTFL standard (American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages): communication, cultures, connections, comparisons, and communities. The instruction is balanced between the thematic and communicative approach to learning language.

Beginning Level
students with no experience or very limited familiarity with the language classes involve introduction to the most basic elements of the language development of oral proficiency emphasized so that students may be productive in the language within a short time appropriate level for students who want to try out a new language with intensive training one may be able to place into a more advanced class in subsequent term

Intermediate level
assumes a limited working knowledge of the language initial focus of instruction on reinforcing those skills already at the student's command subsequently classes will introduce more advanced grammatical material speaking and listening proficiency will be paramount, but assignments also given to enhance reading and writing skills

Advanced level
students who consider themselves to have a high level of proficiency in at least one aspect of the language (speaking and listening, reading, writing) emphasis on bringing student performance to a high level in all aspects aim to raise speaking proficiency to fluency or near fluency in various topical contexts.

Registration & Payment Process
More information and online enrollment form available at http://www.plc.sas.upenn.edu/whartonsummerenroll.php.
Registration and $75 non-refundable deposit due: July 7, 2008.
Balance due by first day of class: August 4, 2008.
Payment must be made to the Penn Language Center directly (credit card or by mailing it to address above). Your deposit will reserve a place for your participation in the course and will be credited against the full tuition.

Minimum Enrollment
Please be advised that to offer at least one class in any language, a minimum of six students must request instruction in that language. As a consequence, it is possible that lack of interest may preclude the offering of some classes. PLC will do its best to accommodate the needs of all students. Contact Penn Language Center for more information at plc@ccat.sas.upenn.edu.