Mount Holyoke College :: Summer Program in Beijing China

The Mount Holyoke summer program offers eight weeks of intensive language study that provides an immersion learning experience covering the equivalent of one year of Chinese as normally taught in an American college classroom. Students must have completed at least one year of college-level Chinese language study, and will be placed at the appropriate language level (intermediate or advanced) in Beijing.

A city of ancient as well as modern importance, Beijing is the cultural and political center of China. With its long history, rich culture, and hospitable inhabitants, Beijing mesmerizes visitors with its beauty and charm. Students will have the opportunity to walk on the Great Wall, visit the imperial palace of the Ming and Qing dynasties, see the Beijing Opera, and taste the most authentic Beijing duck. But, most important of all, they will have a first-hand experience of Beijing life and improve their Mandarin in an environment where the standard Mandarin is spoken.

Beijing Language and Culture University
The summer program is hosted by the Beijing Language and Culture University and all of the courses will be taught by BLCU faculty. BLCU specializes in teaching Chinese as a foreign language and has more than five thousand international students on campus studying Chinese at different levels.

BLCU is located in the northwest part of Beijing, on a beautiful campus with a lot of phoenix trees. It has a newly built international student residence hall, a modern gym, a Japanese tavern, a Korean restaurant, and a Muslim dining hall, in addition to several Chinese cafeterias.

The University is a ten minute walk from a commercial area called Wudao kou, where local residents and international students shop and entertain themselves. A city railway in this area conveniently takes one to the downtown area of Beijing.

The Program
The program runs from early July to the end of August, and facilitates learning through both curricular and extra curricular activities. Every day, classroom teaching is divided into lectures and drill sections in the morning, which are reinforced by individual help from language partners in the afternoon. Every two students will be assigned to a Chinese language partner who, in addition to individual tutorials, is responsible for arranging language-related activities outside the classroom.

Elective culture courses, such as Taiji Boxing, Taiji Sword, Chinese Calligraphy, Chinese Songs, and Cooking, will also be offered by the program. These courses will usually meet in the afternoon. Four major cultural tours will be arranged by the program, including visits to the Great Wall, the Forbidden City, the Beijing Opera, 798 Art Community, the Temple of Heaven, and the Chinese Acrobats.

MHC students who complete the program successfully will receive a total of eight credits toward their Mount Holyoke degree. These credits are treated as transfer credits, and count against the maximum of 8 summer school credits that students may use toward the Mount Holyoke degree. Students from other colleges will receive a transcript of their work from BLCU and should consult their home institution about credit transfer.

Housing
Students will live in double rooms in BLCU's new international hall. Rooms are equipped with air conditioning, television, refrigerator, and private bath. Every floor has a laundry room and kitchen.

Fees
The program fee for summer 2007 was $3,800, covering tuition, program and application fees, and accommodations. The fee for 2008 is expected to be comparable, and will be announced in early spring. Students will be responsible for their own airfare (estimated at $1,300) and for their meals and personal expenses while in China (estimated at $1,000).

Requirements & Application
The program is open to students who have completed successfully (B- or better) at least one year of Chinese language in college. Students who studied Chinese in high school (or elsewhere) but have not taken the language in college should consult with Prof. Ying Wang to determine whether they are at the appropriate level for the program.

To apply, submit the program application form and waiver of liability to the McCulloch Center for Global Initiatives by February 15, 2008. Mount Holyoke offers a limited amount of financial assistance to Mount Holyoke students only. Students from other colleges should check with their home institution about financial aid.

We encourage all eligible students to apply for the national Freeman-ASIA program scholarships, for awards up to $3,000; the deadline for summer is likely to be early in March, 2008.

Students will be notified of the results of their application within two weeks of the deadline, and will be required to pay a deposit at that time to hold their place on the program. The program requires a minimum enrollment of ten students in order to run.

Comments from Summer 2006 Program Participants:
"I really like this program, especially the language partners. I think that has been really helpful for enforcing the lessons and for picking up new vocabulary."

"Great balance of classroom and conversational Chinese with the opportunities to explore the city and practice our Chinese outside of the college."

Questions about the program may be directed to:
Ying Wang
Associate Prof. of Asian Studies
Telephone: 413-538-2281

Photos from the top: Tian-an men Square, Beijing, Beijing Opera, gymnasium at BLCU, Basketball courts at BLCU, Confucius statue at BLCU.