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Programs > Beijing, China > Summer Term Courses > Courses

China Now: Development, Politics, and Social Change 

Hosted by Beijing Language and Culture University

Summer Curriculum

This program offers students 15 class hours per week of Chinese language as well as the opportunity to examine modern China through selecting a course in English from among several disciplines. (Please note that the number of Chinese language hours was increased from 12 hours per week to 15, beginning Summer 2009.)

Summer Term Course Selection Form [pdf]

The Alliance has been chosen to administer two of the U.S. Department of State's Critical Languages Scholarship (CLS) sites in China. Students who are awarded the full scholarship will study intensive Chinese in Summer 2010 at BLCU or Fudan University in Shanghai.  Classes will be offered at the intermediate or advanced level.  During the 8-week program, students will enroll in 20 hours per week of Chinese language, live with Chinese roommates (Shanghai) or host families (Beijing), have a peer language tutor, and participate in organized activities and excursions. All program fees, round-trip air travel, meals, activities and excursions will be covered by the scholarship. For more information please visit https://clscholarship.org/home.php.  Students who are not awarded the CLS scholarship may still apply for the Alliance scholarship.

Credit

Students receive 9 credits for the summer program, including 6 language and 3 non-language credits. The program is 8 weeks long, with 7 weeks of instruction.

Courses

Chinese Language (REQUIRED, 15 class hours per week, 6 credits)
No prior language study is required for admission. Upon taking a placement exam after arrival, students will be placed into the appropriate language level. All courses emphasize listening, reading, speaking and writing.  Click here to view a full listing of textbooks and lessons by Alliance program and course.

During the summer, students take one Contemporary China course taught in English. Each course meets for six class hours per week. All students participate in a Capstone Project as part of the English course they select.

BEIJ SOCS 260 Issues in Contemporary Chinese Society and Culture [pdf] (6 class hours per week, 3 credits)

Professor Matthew Ferchen's CV [pdf]

This course examines the transformation in Chinese society since the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949, with emphasis on the changes brought about in the wake of the economic reforms of the 1980s and 1990s. Topics will include the developments in urban and rural social transformation introduced by the reforms, the changing relationship between individual and society, the urban and rural divide, population control and the one child policy. Students will explore the social consequences of China's rapid integration into the global economy. All students complete a Capstone Project as part of this course.

BEIJ FSCF 360 Contemporary China through Film [pdf] (6 class hours per week, 3 credits)

Professor Teng Jimeng's CV [pdf]

This course will examine contemporary China through study of the themes in Chinese cinema from the May Fourth and Republican era (1911-1949), the Maoist era (1949-1978) and the Reform era (1979-present), including films by 5th and 6th Generation Chinese directors. Students will explore the artistic merits of these films and will consider Chinese representations of the themes of cultural, social, and political change.

BEIJ ECCD370 China's Economic Development: 1978 to the Present-and Beyond [pdf] (6 class hours per week, 3 credits)

Professor Matthew Ferchen's CV [pdf]

In the last twenty-five years, China has been the fastest growing economy in the world. In this course, students will explore the historical stages and effectiveness of the economic policies that have shaped China's emergence as a major player in the global economy. Students will examine the challenges posed by economic development and the prospects for China's economic future.

BEIJ CFPL 370 Introduction to Chinese Foreign Policy [pdf] (6 class hours per week, 3 credits)

This class provides an overview of Chinese foreign policy from 1949 through 2008. The first six weeks of class present historical and cultural background from 1949-2002. The remaining portion of the semester is devoted to exploring China's foreign policy during the Hu Jintao administration (2003-present), providing an overview of foreign policy structures, principles, general practices, and characteristics of China's current interstate relationships.

BEIJ ENVI 380 China and the Environment (6 class hours per week, 3 credits)

Understanding and responding to China’s environmental challenges is one of the most important tasks facing not only the Chinese government and its people but also the international community. This course will offer a comprehensive overview of the full range of these challenges, from water and soil pollution, to desertification and reforestation, to energy and agricultural production.  The course will draw on interdisciplinary resources, beginning with a historical overview of different phases of China’s relationship with its environment.  It will then analyze China’s environmental challenges in their political, economic and demographic dimensions.  The course will also analyze the ways in which China and the international community, including both governmental and nongovernmental organizations, are attempting to understand and respond to various local, regional and global dimensions of China’s economic growth and its environmental implications.

BEIJ INTS380 Internship [pdf] (3 credits)

Professor Matthew Ferchen's CV [pdf]

Students with at least three semesters of Chinese may elect to participate in a 3 credit internship to replace one of their area studies courses. Interns are placed in Chinese, joint-venture, or foreign-owned companies. Interns spend 20 hours per week at the internship site and complete a research project that includes a 5,000 word paper and oral presentation. Internships are supervised by faculty advisor, Dr. Ferchen, who meets with the student individually every two weeks. (Note that in addition to language, summer students only take one area studies course. If a student selects the internship course, they will not take any other content courses.)

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