Pitzer Study Abroad Program in China

Description

The program is centered in Beijing, the capital city of China since the Yuan dynasty in the 13th century, and the heart of cultural and political life in China. Among the broad modern avenues and picturesque traditional hutongs, students will find the nation's central government departments, leading universities, medical schools, and centers of art and media. Home to more than 22 million people, Beijing provides a rich environment for studies of China past and present.

* The Host Institution:
The program is affiliated with Beijing University, one of the premier institutions of higher education in China, with a student population of more than 30,000.

* The Core Course: Chinese Society and Culture
The core course combines lectures, readings, discussions, and the writing assignments of the Field-book with the more experiential program components of dorm stays with Chinese roommates, family stays, and study trips. Lectures given by scholars and specialists introduce students to a range of topics, including history, politics, economics, population, environment, and rural China. The course also includes complementary instruction in Chinese calligraphy and tai chi, a simplified Yang style of 24 movements.

* Intensive Chinese Language:
Chinese is offered at the elementary, intermediate, and advanced levels. The classes emphasize proficiency in speaking and listening, as well as the reading and writing of Chinese characters. You will be asked to sign a Language Pledge to devote them to speaking Chinese with your Chinese tutors, host family, staff and friends in the community.

* Directed Independent Study Project:
The directed independent study project (DISP) is designed to provide you with an opportunity for an in-depth exploration of one aspect of Chinese culture. Projects are assisted by a Chinese graduate student tutor as well as program staff and other area specialists. All projects require a final written report with a significant analytical component as well as other appropriate documentation of learning depending on your topic. The program strongly recommends you select a project that involves field research, oral interviews, participant observation and other ethnographic research techniques that facilitate cultural immersion over those involving primarily library research. Topic selection may be limited due to available resources and local conditions but a wide range of topics have been covered in past programs including various research projects (see side panel), internships at schools, TCM clinics, and with a variety of NGOs, apprenticeships in art or music, film making and laboratory projects in neuroscience.

* Elective Courses:
In order to provide further opportunities for students to pursue areas of interest, several courses are available. Electives are generally awarded a half-course credit. These include a seminar in Traditional Chinese Medicine (organized and taught in collaboration with Beijing University Health Sciences Center), courses in advanced Chinese language and a course in calligraphy. Other courses can occasionally be arranged on a case by case basis. Some electives require prerequisite knowledge or experience.

Study Trips: To deepen your understanding of topics covered in the Chinese Society and Culture course, you will travel to various locations in China. Destinations may change from semester to semester, but the two major trips aim to expose you to one of China's remote provinces where you can observe the daily life of ethnic minority groups and to the heartland of Han civilization to visit historic sites and cultural attractions.

* Accommodations:
During most of the semester you will live in dorms on campus with Chinese roommates. You may also have an opportunity to participate in a brief homestay with a family in Beijing and with a farming family in a rural village, dependent on permission from the University and local authorities. Urban families often live in small apartments and speak little or no English. Most rural families live in small brick homes with limited modern amenities. Though there are challenges in adjustment (e.g. lack of privacy), most students find the roommate experience to be a highlight of their culture and language learning on the program.

Highlights

Traditional Chinese Medicine, Media Studies, Study Trips, Living with Chinese Roomates.