Curriculum Overview CETs China's Globalization in Shanghai program provides students with a general foundation in Chinese language and modern Chinese history while targeting the specific areas of economics, politics and international relations through specialized classes, internships, activities and field trips. Chinese language classes help students further that understanding and electives in economics, international relations and political science target learning about China's role in globalization. All Chinese language courses are taught in Chinese. History of Shanghai in the Modern Era, andThe Chinese Economy, are taught in English.
Students of any language ability level are welcome to apply to the program's Internship Track, where they will intern at an organization or company that specializes in an area of particular interest to them. Fall and Spring 2010 students in the program take courses according to the following schedule:
General Track
Chinese Language--10 hours/week History of Shanghai in the Modern Era--3 hours/week The Chinese Economy--3 hours/week
Internship Track
Chinese Language--10 hours/week Internship-- 8+ hours/week Issues in the Chinese Workplace (Internship Course)--1.5 hour/week History of Shanghai in the Modern Era and/or The Chinese Economy--3 hours/week
Summer 2010 students take courses according to the following schedule:
General Track
Chinese Language--6 hours/week History of Shanghai in the Modern Era--5 hours/week The Chinese Economy--5 hours/week
Internship Track
Chinese Language--6 hours/week Internship-- 8+ hours/week Issues in the Chinese Workplace (Internship Course)-- 1.5 hours/week
History of Shanghai in the Modern Era or The Chinese Economy-- 5 hours/week Back to top
All students are eligible to apply for the program's Internship Track. Students will intern at an organization or company that specializes in an area of particular interest to them. Students participate in internships for eight or more hours per week and attend an internship course, Issues of the Chinese Workplace, which provides them a forum to discuss the observations they are making at their internship placements.
CET asks Internship Track students to provide information about the kind of internship that they would prefer. However, students must realize that placing students in internships is an intricate process that relies on many factors outside of CETs control, such as location, work schedule, availability of supervisor, overall work environment, etc. Therefore, final internship placement is determined by the program staff.
CET encourages Internship Track students to approach their internship opportunities with an open mind and understand that the ultimate goal of the internship is not merely gaining work experience but also learning about Chinese culture vis-à-vis typical Chinese work environments. With ten years of experience implementing internship programs in China, CET believes that often the most important discoveries are those which go against the student's preconceived notions of what he or she will find.
The following kinds of internships may be available:
Wholly Foreign Owned Enterprise/Joint Venture (WFOE/JV) internship -- Students intern at a western company based in Shanghai. Students can expect to speak comparatively more English with their colleagues and will typically engage in more traditional clerical work--running errands, making copies, etc.
Special skills internship -- Typically the most successful type of internship, students are placed at organizations where they can put into practice their specialized knowledge or skills. These internships are generally suitable for students with unique talents, including speaking a third language fluently, using programming or website skills, performing, cooking or working in the arts.
NGO/NPO/Charity/Volunteer Organization internship -- There are ever increasing numbers of organizations in this category, some of which might be similar to the WFOE/JV category above as they are run and managed by Western personnel. In these types of organizations, students can expect to speak more English with their colleagues and engage in traditional clerical work related to the organization's mission. In locally run organizations, students would likely find themselves doing tasks like basic translation, English polishing, and grant-proposal writing.
Service industry internship -- Students take an entry-level position at a restaurant, a hair salon, a department store or the like, in an effort to better understand the lives of the people who typically engage in such work. This category of internship is challenging, but ultimately extremely rewarding and enlightening.
Embassy or consulate internship -- This category of internship is highly competitive and available only to outstanding applicants with strong resumes.
Public sector internship -- These internships include placements at orphanages, schools, hospitals or public offices. Internships such as these are rare and difficult to arrange, but do become available on occasion.
Connection-based internship -- For this kind of internship placement, the student comes to the program with an internship site selected and initial arrangements made, usually via personal or family connections. CET will vet the site on the student's behalf and provide a final stamp of approval.
All students take daily Chinese language classes, including one hour of one-on-one tutorial per week. Classes use an integrated approach to language learning, placing equal emphasis on the basic areas of language competency: listening, speaking, reading and writing. One-on-one tutorials supplement group class work and provide students the chance to practice and refine sentence production. In the intermediate and advanced levels, vocabulary targets Business Chinese.
CET can accommodate students of all language levels, from beginning to advanced, including heritage learners. Students with specific learning needs are encouraged to call CET's DC office (800-225-4262) for more information.
Time: 10 hours/week (6 hours/week in the summer)
Enrollment limit: This course is required of all students. Class size averages 6 students per class. Students are placed into appropriate levels upon arrival in Shanghai.
Instructors: Language faculty come from Donghua University and are trained and managed by CET's Academic Coordinator. For more information about the CET program staff and faculty, visit the Faculty & Staff page.
The course will focus on the emergence of Shanghai as one of the largest and most dynamic cities in modern China through an exploration of the city's economic structure and development, as well as local politics, taking into account the influence of factors like population diversity, Western influence, and Shanghai's unique historical situation. Important geographical factors like early trade links and the role of treaty ports and foreign influence in the history of Shanghai will all be analyzed. This will serve as an underpinning for discussion and analysis later in the course which will focus on the post-1949 era, the Opening and Reform Policy period, rapid economic development, contemporary politics, and Shanghai's position in modern China.
Time: 3 hours/week (5 hours/week in the summer)
Enrollment limit: When enrollment exceeds 20 students, multiple sections of the course may be offered.
Suggested cross listings: East Asian Studies, History
Instructor: Li Tiangang (co-taught with Dr. Jeffrey Wasserstrom Summer, 2010)
This course
is meant to provide an introduction to and overview of China's
economy. Students will begin with an analysis of China's economic reform policies and
their impact on economic development from 1949 to the present day. After
covering the reform period, students will shift to a focus on modern-day financial
markets. Midway through the term, China's securities and monetary markets
will be covered and students will focus on recent reforms and policy directions. In
the final four weeks of the course, students will step back and situate the
Chinese economy within a larger global context and learn about the larger
issues affecting China's
economy. The last topic will be a review of the 2010 Shanghai World Expo.
Time: 3 hours/week (5 hours/week in the summer)
Enrollment limit: 14 students
Suggested cross listings: East Asian Studies, Economics
This course introduces students to some of the broad
issues involved with working in China -- management and hiring systems,
workplace hierarchy and other cultural issues, separation of work and
personal life, etc. The course provides students a forum in which to
discuss their weekly internship experiences. Throughout the term,
students produce quarterly writing assignments which focus on different aspects of their work experience.
Students submit a 10 to 15 page final paper at the end of the term and
give a formal presentation to peers and faculty about their internships
and the issues they faced.
Time: 1.5 hours/week
Enrollment limit: This course is required of all Internship Track students
Suggested cross listings: East Asian Studies
Instructor: Jeremy Friedlein, Ken Hammond (advisor)
Recommended Credits: 3 in fall and spring; 2 in summer (for course and internship)
Credits and Transcripts Each area studies course is intended to be worth the equivalent of one semester-long course taken at the home institution. Fall and spring Chinese language classes are intended to cover the equivalent of one semester of college-level Chinese, and summer Chinese language classes are intended to cover one quarter of college-level Chinese. However, as CET does not award credit for its classes, these are recommendations only. Students are issued transcripts and must apply for credit at their home institution. For more information about transcripts and credits, click here.
