The Chinese, Japanese, Koran, and Russian Programs offer conversational hours to invite language learners and native target-language speakers on campus and local communities to practice the language by engaging in meaningful conversations. In addition, each program offers a variety of unique outreach and public engagement events and activities.

Chinese: Collaborate with Iowa City Area Chinese Association (ICACA) on Chinese cultural celebration activities and events; Provide translation service to needed organizations of Iowa community; offer international academic conference on Chinese Applied linguistics and regional academic conferences and workshops to promote Chinese education; publishing JUHE magazine to serve as a platform for Chinese learners in North America to exchange their Chinese essay writing experience.

Japanese: Offer Bunkasai (Japanese Culture Festival) to Iowa community.

Korean: The Korean program, along with the King Sejong Institute, has been serving the public by providing Korean language courses and cultural activities. The Korean cultural events we have held include Korean cooking demonstrations, Korean holiday events, Korean speech contest, K-pop contest, and academic lectures on Korean studies. These activities have provided meaningful opportunities for students and community people to gain a richer understanding, not only of language, but also Korean culture.

Russian: Offers the Russian festival Kapustnik (Cabbage festival). During the festival students from the Russian Program perform skits, play Russian games, and other activities to present Russian culture and traditions. The Festival is extended to the local community; collaborate with the University in Milan for language and cultural exchanging activities.

Public Engagement in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences

The University of Iowa’s core mission extends beyond the classrooms, laboratories, studios, and libraries where we educate students, conduct our research, and create new artistic work. Equally important is our engagement with communities throughout Iowa, across the nation, and around the world. 

Our faculty, students, and staff work to solve problems, imagine new approaches to challenges, and improve quality of life, often through service-learning courses in which students earn academic credit. 

It’s a virtuous circle: When UI expertise is harnessed to help a community or region improve the lives of its residents, the experience adds unique educational value to students’ academic journeys, and advances the research and creative production of our faculty. In turn, that new knowledge empowers us to help more communities, solve more problems, and improve more lives. 

The UI is not just the University of Iowa, we're the University for Iowa—and throughout the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, we are proud to serve.