Hmong Minor available Fall 2016 at California State University, Fresno

Web announcement: www.facebook.com/HmongMinorFresnoState/   

In the Central Valley, home to 47,000 Hmong Americans, California State University, Fresno is offering a new minor emphasizing the learning of Hmong language and culture for heritage and foreign language learners starting August 22, 2016. The Hmong minor has 20 units divided in 6 courses. The first five courses will focus on language learning from beginning to advanced levels. In the sixth course, learners will study the Hmong language and culture within the various multicultural environments in Asia, and in the Diaspora (Americas, Europe and Australia) to better understand the formation of the Hmong identity.

The Hmong minor will contribute to educate, nurture and reflect on the Hmong experiences in a global fashion in the multicultural and globalized world. Serving as a bridge of (re)connection with the Hmong culture and a source of pride for the first-Hmong generation students, it will provide a strong foundation of academic knowledge to reinforce all learners’ critical thinking skills toward understanding the Hmong contemporary issues. Moreover, it will provide language abilities and cultural sensitivity to the professional workforce in the Central Valley and elsewhere. It will particularly prepare future bilingual teachers to take the California Subject Examination for Teacher (CEST) –Hmong.

To encourage the study of the Hmong language and culture, Dr. Kao-Ly Yang, French and Hmong language professor, makes sure the textbooks remain affordable. For the whole minor, the cost of the textbooks will be about $150. For more information, contact Dr. Kao-Ly Yang, coordinator of the Hmong Program at kayang@csufresno.edu.