Description

The summer Intensive Chinese Language study abroad program at Peking University in Beijing, China is designed for students who have studied one to three years of college-level Mandarin Chinese and who wish to further develop their language skills and cross-cultural training within a beautiful university campus in Beijing. Students are divided into four levels for intensive Mandarin language training: intermediate, high intermediate, advanced I, and advanced II. CIEE students are partnered with a Peking University student upon arrival to facilitate cross-cultural discussion and individual tutoring of the Chinese language.

The program supplements the language training with weekly excursions to various areas in Beijing and has an experienced on-site director to support each student.

Academic Program
Established in 1982 as the first study abroad program at Peking University, the CIEE summer language program offers intermediate and advanced students an opportunity to improve their fluency in spoken and written Mandarin Chinese while gaining insight into life in China's capital city. Students applying for this program must have completed a minimum of two semesters of Chinese or the equivalent. Equivalency may be based on a language professor's evaluation or a language proficiency exam score. Students with superior-level Mandarin language skills (using the ACTFL scale) may not be appropriate for this program.

CIEE Chinese Language Advisory Board
The CIEE Chinese Language Advisory Board (CCLAB), made up of specialists in the learning and teaching of Chinese, serves to promote the highest standards of education at the CIEE Study Centers in Mainland China and Taiwan. Specifically, the Board advises CIEE administrators, and offers guidance to CIEE teachers on curriculum issues such as goals and objectives, instructional innovations, assessment, and progress and program evaluation. Additionally, the Board offers its expertise on ways to integrate language courses into area studies curricula, encouraging the use of Chinese in area studies courses. Through close communication with both CIEE staff and members of U.S. sending institutions, the Board plays a pivotal role in providing course articulation for the CIEE Study Centers in Mainland China and Taiwan.

Academic Culture
Students take one Readings in Chinese and one Spoken Chinese course at the appropriate level. The pace of the courses are quite fast, so all students are expected to spend at least four to five hours each afternoon and evening preparing for the next day's class.

The Readings in Chinese course consists of five, two-hour Chinese classes per week. Each textbook lesson is covered in two days, totaling four hours of class time, and is broken up into the following five components: Mastering Vocabulary, Explanation of Readings and Grammar, Exercises, Dictation, and Correction and Feedback on Homework. The Explanation of Readings and Grammar section requires students to form three person discussion groups. These courses emphasize the study of written Chinese and are designed to advance reading and writing skills through the study of short essays and stories. Coursework includes exercises in tone drills, vocabulary, and grammatical usage. Every textbook includes 10 to 12 lessons, completed in eight weeks. In addition, students have an exam every week.

The Spoken Chinese course consists of five, two-hour Chinese lessons per week. Each lesson is divided into the following four components: Mastering Vocabulary, Explanation of Readings, Drills, and Dictation. The Drills section requires students to form two or three person groups to review grammar and present group dialogues to the larger class.

The Spoken Chinese course includes two one-on-one sections each Monday and Wednesday afternoon, pairing two students with one language instructor to work individually on pronunciation and speaking fluency with each student. These courses emphasize conversational Chinese through texts, which include exercises in vocabulary, grammar, and sentence construction. The exercises are content-oriented and provide students with practical vocabulary through dialogues and pattern drills. Every textbook includes 12 lessons completed in eight weeks.

Highlights

• Enhance future career prospects in China by studying at Peking University, the most prestigious university in China
  
• Improve your language skills through 20 hours of in-class language coursework per week and two-on-one tutorials with Peking University language instructors
  
• Learn outside the classroom with the help of peer language tutors
  
• Visit the Beijing Opera and an acrobatics performance and explore culturally significant sites such as the Great Wall, Summer Palace, Tiananmen Square, and the Temple of Heaven

Cultural Reimbursement
As a means of encouraging students to enrich their study abroad experience in Beijing, CIEE offers a Cultural Reimbursement Program, allowing students to be reimbursed for their participation in local cultural activities such as tickets to Chinese movies, theatrical performances, traditional music concerts, visits to local museums, and historic places of interest.

Special Lectures
Students are invited to meet with locals and expatriates including journalists, diplomats, educators, and business people to gain ideas and views on living and working in Beijing and China. Past speakers have included a U.S. Embassy officer, the Vice President of the American Chamber of Commerce, and a former CIEE participant who owns a business in Beijing.

Immersion
Peer Language Tutors
Program participants are paired with Peking University students for weekly one-on-one Chinese language tutorials. These tutorials provide students with extra conversational practice in Mandarin, help with homework assignments, and offer students an opportunity to see firsthand the lifestyle of their Chinese peers. Language tutors are an integral part of the program and are considered a student's best link into the nuances of the Chinese language. Past students have stated that their peer tutors were one of the best and most unique aspects of the CIEE program.

Target Language Meals
To encourage students to utilize their Chinese, CIEE arranges for students to eat meals with their tutors or Chinese friends, and Chinese instructors. Students participating in the language meals are required to only speak Chinese while learning more about the Chinese culture through their tutors, friends, and instructors.

Degree Level

Bachelors Degree (Undergraduate)

Subject Areas

• Asian Studies
• Chinese Language
• Culture
• Intensive Language

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.

*Two meals per week are included in the homestay option. No meals are included in other housing options.

Experience Required

yes

• Overall GPA 2.75
• 2-8 semesters of college-level Mandarin Chinese or equivalent
• 1 semester of college-level Chinese studies recommended
• Peking University does not accept students who are citizens of the People's Republic of China, Taiwan ROC, Hong Kong SAR, or Macau. This includes those who are permanent U.S. residents.

This Program is open to

Worldwide Participants.

Typical Living Arrangements

• Dormitory
• Group living
• 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