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Academic Program

The CIEE Chinese Language and Cultural Studies program opened in spring 2007. It offers students an opportunity to learn about China through an interdisciplinary lens. The program takes full advantage of MUC’s multicultural campus environment in which students from China’s 56 nationalities, including Tibetan and Uyghur (Muslim) minority groups, are enrolled. This program is ideal for students majoring in the social sciences with an interest in human ecology, multi-ethnic issues and policy, development studies, and modern life in Beijing. Students interested in staying for a full year should contact CIEE about options for a second semester of study.

What You'll Learn

The goal of the Chinese Language and Cultural Studies program is for participants to gain understanding and insight into the rich cultural diversity of Chinese society through language and culture immersion and ethnographic experiences. This is achieved through a specially designed core course, a 10-day fieldwork component, elective course options, Chinese language coursework, Chinese peer tutors, group excursions, and directed individual exploration throughout the greater Beijing area.

Academic Culture

Students attend language classes from Monday through Thursday for a total of eight hours per week for 12 weeks. The three required area studies courses take place three times per week for three hours each. The general area studies class format is a seminar setting in which students are expected to come prepared to discuss issues learned in their assigned readings.

Nature of Classes

Participants take classes with other CIEE students only and not with Chinese students. MUC guest professors may bring their students to interact with CIEE students.

CIEE Language Commitment

As students gain proficiency in Chinese, resident staff encourage them to use their language skills in everyday settings. The more students participate, the more a community that contributes to Chinese language proficiency and understanding of Chinese culture and modern society develops.

Internship

This program does not currently offer an internship. For a list of programs that do, visit Search for a Program and search for "internships" under "what do you want to study."

Grading System

Grades are determined by two monthly exams (80%), homework and quizzes (10%), and attendance and participation (10%). Letter grades of A, B, C, D, and F are given with pluses and minuses.

Program Requirements

A full course load is three courses. Students take the required area studies course, one Chinese language course, and one elective course. Students are placed at a language level based on a language placement exam taken during orientation.

Credit Description

Total recommended credit for the semester is 15 semester/22.5 quarter hours. Chinese language course contact hours are 135 hours with a recommended credit of 9 semester/13.5 quarter hours. All other course contact hours are 45 hours with a recommended credit of 3 semester/4.5 quarter hours.

Courses

Required CIEE Language Courses

CHIN 1001 CCUN
Chinese Language—Elementary
This course is designed for students with no previous Chinese language knowledge and introduces students to modern Mandarin Chinese. The course begins with an introduction to the sound system of Mandarin Chinese and moves on to training of basic skills in listening, speaking, reading, and writing. Through intensive drills and various types of practice, students are able to use vocabulary and sentence patterns in meaningful contexts. The course has an additional aim of introducing students to Chinese culture. Textbook: New Practical Chinese Reader, Volume 1, Beijing: Beijing Language and Culture University Press

CHIN 1002 CCUN
Chinese Language—Beginner
This course is designed for students with a beginning level of Chinese. It is most appropriate for students with one semester of college Chinese in the U.S. or the equivalent. Students at this level are trained to speak and write coherent and correct paragraphs rather than sentences, and to be able to communicate in Chinese regarding simple topics related to everyday life. Textbook: New Practical Chinese Reader, Volumes 1&2, Beijing: Beijing Language and Culture University Press

CHIN 2002 CCUN
Chinese Language—Low Intermediate
This course is designed for students with a low intermediate level of Chinese. This course is most appropriate for students with two semesters of college Chinese in the U.S. or the equivalent. Students at this level are trained to speak and write coherent and correct paragraphs rather than sentences and able to discuss and write about topics related to modern Chinese society. Textbook: New Practical Chinese Reader, Volumes 2 & 3, Beijing: Beijing Language and Culture University Press

CHIN 2003 CCUN
Chinese Language—Intermediate
This course is designed for students with an intermediate level of Chinese, typically three or four semesters of Chinese. The equivalent of this course is “Intermediate Chinese II” in a U.S. curriculum. This course continues to develop the four skills of aurally understanding, speaking, reading, and writing in Chinese. Students are required to comprehend and produce paragraph-level Chinese with high accuracy and fluency. Textbook: New Practical Chinese Reader, Volumes 3 & 4, Beijing: Beijing Language and Culture University Press

CHIN 3001 CCUN
Chinese Language—Advanced
This course is designed for students with four or five semesters of previous Chinese. The equivalent of this course is “Advanced I” in a U.S. curriculum. The purpose of this advanced Chinese language course is to assist students to acquire advanced grammatical structure and literary expressions by reading and understanding original Chinese texts. The contents of the selected texts contained in the course textbook are excerpts from modern Chinese literary works and newspaper articles. Through reading and interpreting course materials, students are expected to advance their reading comprehension, speaking ability, and creative and critical thinking with Chinese language patterns. Throughout the instructional process, students develop reflexive linguistic responses to Chinese socio-language environment. Textbook: Boya Chinese Advanced, Beijing University Press.

Required CIEE Area Studies Course

ANTH 3001 CCUN
Visual Anthropology of Contemporary China
Through this course, students gain a clear understanding of contemporary China via local visual productions, as well as through their own visual projects. Students develop familiarity with scholarly literature on critiquing Chinese films and documentaries. They learn to use interdisciplinary-oriented theories to articulate their own understandings and critiques. Students also learn ethnographic research skills. On the technical side, students learn to use film editing software as they develop the skills needed to plan, produce, and complete the post-production aspects of a video. Instructor: Dan Smyer Yü

CIEE Elective Courses
Students choose one of the following courses. Elective courses may change from year-to-year, depending upon instructor availability and new course elective options.

ANTH 3002 CCUN/ PHED 3002 CCUN
Ethnic Dance in Western China
Students learn the history and cultural functions of traditional dances from the regions of Tibet, Uyghur, Dai, and Wa. Students also learn to identify the differences between traditional dance genres and their altered counterparts in modern performing arts. Through somatic experiences with these dance forms and through course readings, students learn to theorize the impact of modern forces on traditional dance genres.

EAST 3000 CCUN
Ethnic Diversity in China
This course examines the construction of the Chinese identity, minority identities, and the relationship of these groups to the Chinese state. Ethnic identities have real impact on political relationships and in the lives of people whose opportunities, rights, and livelihood are impacted by ethnic affiliation. This course discusses the nature of “Chineseness,” nationalism, ethnic relations, objectification of minorities, language and identity, nomadic sedentary relations, gender and ethnic asymmetry, and religious identity and representation.

TBET 1001 CCUN
Spoken Tibetan—Amdo Dialect
The main goal of this course is to ensure that students have the ability to speak Tibetan Amdo dialect at a basic level by the end of the semester. Students are able to conjugate sentences that are commonly used for self-introduction, daily functional needs, and learning about one’s surroundings while traveling or living in the Amdo region of China. Although this course is designed as a spoken language class, students start with Tibetan phonetic system, grammar, and vocabularies. By the end of the semester, students make sentences, have a 2,000-word vocabulary, and have competent listening

This course listing is for informational purposes only and does not constitute a contract between CIEE and any applicant, student, institution, or other party. The courses, as described, may be subject to changes as a result ofongoing curricular revisions, assignment of lecturers and teaching staff, and program development. Courses may be cancelled due to insufficient enrollment. Syllabi for the CIEE courses listed above are available upon request.


CIEE Study Center Syllabi
To view the most recent syllabi for courses taught by CIEE at our Study Centers, visit our syllabi site.

Faculty

All Chinese language courses are taught by faculty from MUC’s Department of Chinese Language and Literature, who specialize in Teaching Chinese as a Second Language. The area studies courses are taught by faculty from MUC’s School of Ethnology and Sociology and adjunct faculty in Beijing. Participating professors and guest speakers include such leading figures in the social sciences in China as Professors Zhang Haiyang, Wang Jianmin, Yang Shengmin, Dr. Huang Jianbo, Chen Xia, Tsering Thar, Hu Xiaojiang, Miguel Salazar, Hwanbar Dorji, and Su Faxiang, to name a few.

Cultural Activities

Cultural Activities and Field Trips
Guided field trips are organized to historic and cultural sites in and around Beijing such as the National Minorities Park; Zhoukoudian, the original site of Peking Man; the Temple of Heaven; Drum Tower and Hutong cultural areas; and various other temples. There are additional site visits to supplement the area studies courses. Cultural activities may include group meals and cultural panels by local students. Although there are no formal community service activities in this program, volunteer opportunities can be arranged by CIEE staff.

Intercultural Experience in Northwest China
Each semester students take part in a 10-day mid-semester field trip to several rural areas in northwestern China. Students prepare for the experience by completing reading assignments and seminar discussions on the ethnic diversity of China prior to the trip. Prior to their departure, students also receive fieldwork assignments from both language and area studies instructors. The field trip typically includes homestay experiences with Tibetan farmers, nomads, and traditional artists in eastern Qinghai and southern Gansu Provinces. Students engage in reflective discussions both during and following their trip so that they can put it in context of their broader experience living and studying in China.

Cultural Reimbursement Program
As a means of encouraging students to enrich their study abroad experience, CIEE offers a Cultural Reimbursement Program. Through this program, students are reimbursed for their participation in such cultural activities as Chinese film screenings, theater performances, traditional music concerts, and visits to local museums and historic places of interest. Students are encouraged to invite peer tutors to such events when possible.

Immersion

Peer Language Tutors
Program participants are paired with local Chinese students for weekly one-on-one Chinese language tutorials. These tutorials provide students extra conversation practice in Mandarin, as well as help them with their homework assignments and give them the opportunity to experience firsthand the lifestyle of their Chinese peers.

Target Language Meals
To encourage students to utilize their Chinese in an informal setting, CIEE arranges bimonthly group meals for students, their language teachers, peer tutors, and resident staff. Students attending the optional meals are required to speak only Chinese with their teachers and peers.