Description

The summer Business, Language and Culture study abroad program in Shanghai, China is designed for students who wish to immerse themselves in the exciting, rapidly developing economic engine of China that is Shanghai. Students take intensive Chinese language course work in small classes, while also attending a weekly seminar on the historic and modern roles of Shanghai in China's international relations. The summer program encourages beginner through advanced level language students to apply.

Academic Program
CIEE has been operating study abroad programs in Shanghai since 1981. Established in 1998, the CIEE Study Center in Shanghai has been hosted by East China Normal University since 2001. The Summer Business, Language, and Culture program is designed to help participants gain a deeper understanding of China as it emerges to take a leading role in the global economy.

The program is appropriate for students with a major or minor in economics, international business, business management or marketing, international relations, and is open to students with no previous experience in the Chinese language, as well as those with up to seven semesters of previous college-level Chinese. All students take one Chinese language course at the appropriate level, and choose one elective, including a business course on the changing nature of business in China taught in English, or an organizational internship. Students with at least four semesters of previous Chinese can choose an entirely Chinese language curriculum by selecting an elective in Business Chinese instead.

Academic Culture
Students attend required Chinese language classes two hours per day, Monday through Thursday, from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m., and on Fridays from 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m., which includes two hours of language activities led by the instructor outside the classroom on Fridays. The language classes are small, with an average of four students and no more than eight students, so active participation is very important. Classes are typically co-taught by head language instructors who introduce new content and assistant language instructors who focus on accuracy and consistency of pronunciation through daily drills and other exercises in smaller sections when necessary. In addition students meet with their peer tutors in structured tutorials for a minimum of two hours per week, and more tutorial hours can be arranged upon request

Highlights

• Choose from Chinese or English language business electives or engage in an organizational internship
  
• Learn Mandarin Chinese at all levels through small language classes, target language activities, peer language tutors, and language clinics
  
• Learn outside the classroom through volunteer opportunities, cultural activities, and a three-day fieldtrip with excursions to Chinese companies and factories
  
• Live with a Chinese host family or on-campus with a Chinese or CIEE roommate

A number of optional, extracurricular classes are available to program participants, including Chinese cooking, calligraphy, martial arts, music, mahjong, and Shanghai dialect.

Immersion
Peer Language Tutors
Participants are paired with ECNU students for structured, one-on-one Chinese language tutorials for a minimum of one hour twice weekly. Additional tutorial hours are available upon request. Tutors are undergraduate or graduate students who major in teaching Chinese as a foreign language.

Target Language Activities
CIEE head teachers organize group meals and other activities for the students, their language teachers, peer tutors, and resident staff to encourage students to utilize their Chinese in an informal setting. Students attending the optional activities are expected to speak only Chinese.

Chinese Language Clinic
Chinese language instructors assist students with special or unique problems in language study by arranging an optional language clinic that meets for one and a half hours five evenings per week from Monday through Thursday and Sunday in the campus residence hall.

Teaching and Volunteering
CIEE maintains relationships with a number of schools and not-for-profit organizations, and is able to offer a limited number of teaching and volunteer opportunities to interested students. These part-time opportunities vary in time commitment and skills required and are unpaid and not for credit.

Degree Level

Bachelors Degree (Undergraduate)

Subject Areas

• Business
• Chinese Language
• Culture
• History
• International Business
• Journalism / Broadcasting

Cost in US$:

Please check the CIEE website for current program pricing

Program Fees Include:

The CIEE fee includes an optional on-site airport meet and greet, tuition, housing, orientation, full-time program leadership and support, cultural activities, local excursions, field trips, pre-departure advising, visa fees, and a CIEE iNext travel card which provides insurance and other travel benefits.

*Students placed in homestays will receive breaksfast and dinner during the week and some weekends.

Experience Required

yes

• Overall GPA 2.75
• 0-7 semesters of college-level Mandarin Chinese or the equivalent
• 1 semester of college-level coursework in Chinese studies recommended
• East China Normal University will not accept students who are citizens of the Peoples Republic of China (PRC), Taiwan ROC, Hong Kong, SAR, or Macau. This includes those who are permanent U.S. residents. Students of Chinese ancestry who hold U.S. passports are welcome.

This Program is open to

Worldwide Participants.

Typical Living Arrangements

• Dormitory
• Home-stays

Participants Travel

Independently

Scholarships are Available

We have several scholarships that students can apply for. Contact CIEE for details.

Application Process Involves

• Letters of Reference
• Transcript
• Written Application
• Other

CIEE's Mission Statement

Since 1947, the Council on International Educational Exchange, known as CIEE, has been in pursuit of its mission, "to help people gain understanding, acquire knowledge, and develop skills for living in a globally interdependent and culturally diverse world. Our services to young people studying, working, teaching, and traveling abroad are more important than ever.

Year Founded

1947