Beijing Frequent visitors to Beijing marvel at the city's constant state of flux. Nothing is as it once was. In recent years, as the city raced to prepare itself for the 2008 Olympic Games, development touched every corner of the city and Beijing was rebuilt from the ground up. Now, the polished city is ready to welcome foreign visitors. But questions remain about the price that has been paid for this rapid development and the reality that lies beneath the glossy surface. CET's Chinese Studies program takes advantage of this critical juncture in the history of the city to explore the conflicting realities it now embodies--rapid economic development and its environmental price, an increasingly large disparity between the "haves" and "have-nots", internal legal policies adopted for external consumption. Beijing is a unique and exciting stage from which to explore critical issues of 21st century China.
Campus Capital Normal University (CNU), a national university
located in the central western part of the city, hosts CET's center.
With its nearly 10,000 undergraduate students and sizable graduate
population, the campus offers a vibrant community of students from both
Beijing and other parts of China. As one of China's top 100 key
universities, Capital Normal University enjoys investment priority from
Beijing municipality. All CET students live with their Chinese
roommates in a brand new, state-of-the-art foreign students'
dormitory. Classrooms and faculty offices are also housed in this building, and the campus library is right next door. Students have full access to the academic and residential
facilities provided to CNU's larger community.
Chinese Roommates CET administers
some of the only programs in Beijing that offer students the
opportunity to live with Chinese roommates. Chinese roommates are
undergraduates enrolled at CNU and hail from all parts of China. They
are individually selected to live with CET students and have varying
degrees of English proficiency. CET students wishing to have more opportunities to
practice Chinese language skills may request to live with a Chinese
student less proficient in English. Similarly, CET students with
minimal Chinese language skills may request a roommate with higher
English proficiency. Chinese roommates participate in this housing
arrangement in order to engage in cultural exchange with CET students.
This unique arrangement offers the opportunity to practice language
skills, make local friends and experience Chinese student life.
Housing and Meals CET
students live with their Chinese roommates in a newly-renovated international students' dormitory
on the CNU campus. All student rooms offer a private phone line, a television and a
computer with internet access. Each floor has a shared kitchen equipped
with a sink and a microwave. Electric burners may be checked out by
students. The building also houses classrooms, staff offices, a gym and a swimming pool.
Meals
are not included in the program fee; however, Beijing has an abundance
of reasonably-priced eateries, and CNU's campus offers
two cafeterias.
Orientation Students
begin their term with a three-day orientation session that introduces them to their CET classmates and Chinese roommates, and familiarizes them with the program and its facilities. On the final day
of orientation, students and roommates participate in a city-wide
scavenger hunt designed to acquaint them with the city and its resources.
Activities and Trips The
Chinese Studies program includes at least one overnight excursion to a
location outside of Beijing. The trip may be in conjunction with the program's capstone course, "21st Century Beijing", and will help students broaden their
understanding of China's disparate social and economic landscape.
CET
also arranges a host of weekly lectures, extracurricular classes and
activities, including visits to historical and cultural sites in and
around Beijing. Most activities involve Chinese roommates and allow
students the chance to practice Chinese language skills. In addition,
residence staff frequently recruit local experts to enhance visits to
sites. A local artist might accompany students on a visit to a modern
art gallery, or an historian might give a talk about the history of the
Summer Palace. All activities aim to show students a side of China that
they might not be able to see on their own.
Faculty-Led Field Trips A unique feature of CET's Beijing Chinese Studies program is its emphasis on experiential
learning. Each area studies course, including the program's mandatory capstone course, "21st Century Beijing", includes at least three out-of-classroom activities as a part of the course curriculum. Such activities may involve a trip to the former residence of a May 4th
Era author, a trip to hear monks chant at a local Buddhist temple or a
lecture by a member of a non-governmental organization about the effects of the Olympics on local environmental protection efforts. These excursions are led by course
faculty and are designed to extend students' learning experience
beyond the walls of the classroom.
1920 N Street, NW, Suite 200 - Washington, DC 20036 - (800) 225-4262 - cet@academic-travel.com
