ISU students interested in the Chinese culture have a new way to expand their studies with a new minor.

The Chinese studies minor is going through an approval process and is expected to be offered next fall.

“We think that China is one of the world’s oldest and richest cultures. It includes a quarter of the population of the world, and it’s time to give Iowa State students the opportunity to study the unique aspects of the culture,” said Madeleine Henry, associate professor and chairwoman of foreign languages and literatures.

Bai Di, adjunct assistant professor of foreign languages and literatures, said many students have expressed an interest in the subject.

“Students are constantly asking about courses in Chinese, but with no minor or major currently available, there isn’t much incentive for students to take the courses,” she said.

The proposal to offer a new minor must go through an extensive approval process. Henry said, in addition to being approved by the department and college, the other regent universities must agree that the subject doesn’t overlap too much with their current programs.

She added that the proposal has already been approved by the University of Iowa and the University of Northern Iowa and is going through the Liberal Arts and Sciences Curriculum Committee.

“We hope to be approved sometime this year,” Henry said. “The minor should be available by next fall.”

The university requires minors to include 15 credits, and the foreign language department requires nine credits at or above the 300 level. Henry said the Chinese studies minor courses should include culture, history, politics, anthropology and film instead of just language and literature.

“The students are very interested. We have 70 students enrolled in Chinese language and film classes right now, and we’re excited about that,” Di said.

Henry said students interested in the new minor can begin preparing for it now.

“Students hoping to add the Chinese minor should take courses in beginning Chinese and any Chinese language or literature courses,” she said.

Henry said the new program will also be beneficial to the Foreign Language and Literatures Department.

“The program will enrich our department. [It will] formalize and give credit to a curriculum we have wanted and the students have wanted,” she said. “We’re not anywhere near the top of our peers in terms of foreign languages that we offer. This is a necessary improvement for our department.”

The department plans to hire an additional permanent faculty member to expand the Chinese program, Henry said. She said they are hoping to add an Asian studies program in the near future.

“We have a lot of reasons to believe the minor will be of interest to students,” she said. “For the first time ever we have two full sections of beginning Chinese, and we added a third-year class for the first time. Every week we have students coming in who want to minor.”