Curriculum:

The curriculum of the Brockport EducAsian "China - Three Cities" Program consists of four highly interdependent elements:

a. Instruction in the Chinese language at the level most appropriate to the participant's ability. Each participant's ability in spoken Chinese will be assessed at the start of the program and throughout for purposes of accurate placement.

1. Absolute Beginners (participants who have had very little or no Chinese language instruction prior to their admission to the program) will be enrolled (sequentially, depending on their ability) in the two Beginning Survival Chinese courses (Chinese A/106 and Chinese A/107, described below) and will, by successfully completing these courses, earn eight credits of Chinese Language credit at the 100 [or beginning] level.

2. Intermediate Learners (participants who have had one year of Chinese language instruction [or its equivalent] prior to their admission to the program) will be enrolled (sequentially, depending on their progress) in the two Intermediate Survival Chinese courses (Chinese B/206 and Chinese B/207, described below) and will, by successfully completing these courses, earn eight credits of Chinese Language credit either at the 100 or 200 level (i. e., beginning or intermediate level) depending on the student's progress in these courses.

3. Advanced Intermediate Learners (participants who have had more than one year of Chinese language instruction [or its equivalent] prior to their admission to the program) will be enrolled (sequentially, depending on their ability and scores on a placement exercise) in the two Advanced Survival Chinese courses (Chinese C/306 Chinese C/307, described below) and will, by successfully completing these Chinese language courses, earn eight credits of Chinese Language credit either at the 200 [intermediate] or 300 [ advanced intermediate] level, depending on the student's progress in these courses.

b. Four courses in Chinese History, Culture, Business and Economics taught in English:

1. In Beijing participants enroll in: "Pre-Modern Chinese History" (3 credits) and "The Arts of China" (2 credits).

2. In Shanghai participants enroll in: "Chinese Economic History" (3 credits) and "Management and Finance in Modern China" (2 credits).

c. A Capstone Week in Hong Kong during which participants will be introduced (at a very rudimentary level-one hour per day) to the Cantonese dialect and will attend a series of lectures, as well as participate in various field trips and excursions that are designed to enable them to better understand the nature of this "Special Administrative Region" and its relationship to the rest of the People's Republic.

d. Various tours, sightseeing excursions and numerous other educational activities that take place throughout the semester (described below).

The Chinese Language Courses

In both Beijing and Shanghai, participants spend two hours a day studying Mandarin Chinese. In Hong Kong (during the final week of the program) the emphasis of the language element of the program (one hour per day) will shift to the Cantonese dialect.

All language courses are specifically tailored to enhance participants' ability to function independently (travel, conduct business, etc., etc.) in China. Emphasis will be on the pinyin pronunciation system and the most basic and essential phrases necessary for traveling, sightseeing and doing business in China. Material provided will include core textbooks as well as additional course-specific materials prepared by the host universities specifically for these courses.

Chinese A/106: Beginning Survival Chinese 1:

Course length: 6 weeks Total classroom hours: 120

This course consists of two hours a day of language instruction focusing on the essentials for communication. The course is designed primarily for students who have had very minimal or no previous study of the Chinese language. While its main focus is on spoken Chinese, students will be exposed to Chinese characters and learn to recognize basic and important characters. The principles of writing and some very limited practice of writing will also be taught. The emphasis of this course is on tone differentiation and pronunciation as well as survival language skills so that students will develop both the good habits and the confidence that comes from successfully completing daily tasks in a foreign language. Numbers, greetings, basic etiquette, customs, food names, directions and place names are covered in the vocabulary while basic grammar is taught. By the end of this course students should be able to ask directions, navigate by taxi or mass transit, buy a wide variety of products, bargain with vendors, buy tickets for events or transportation, and hold a basic but polite conversation with a person of any age (as well as find a bathroom anywhere in China). In addition, students will be able to read and write simplified Chinese characters, handy pinyin and use a Chinese dictionary. Uses of simplified characters and the handy pinyin method of romanization will also be studied. Students will study a minimum of 150 characters and should have a working vocabulary of at least 300 words upon completion of this course.

Chinese A/107: Beginning Survival Chinese 2:

Course length: 6 weeks Total classroom hours: 120

This course is a continuation of Chinese A/106 and consists of two hours a day of language instruction focusing on the essentials for communication. Students will study a minimum of 250 characters and should have a working vocabulary of at least 600-750 words upon completion of this course.

Chinese B/206: Intermediate Survival Chinese 1:

Course length: 6 weeks Total classroom hours: 120

This course is for students who have already studied a minimum of one to two years of Chinese listening, speaking, reading and writing, while reviewing grammar and introducing more idiomatic expressions. Instruction will also provide an additional focus on writing that is achieved through daily journals and assigned writing topics. This course is conducted entirely in Chinese. Students taking this course should have a base knowledge of 600 to 800 characters, and an additional 250 to 300 characters and 400-500 new vocabulary words will be introduced. Upon completion of this course, students should have a working vocabulary of 1,000-1,250 words as well as have a strong proficiency in the language and solid foundation for future study towards fluency.

Chinese B/207: Intermediate Survival Chinese 2:

Course length: 6 weeks Total classroom hours: 120

A continuation of Intermediate Survival Chinese, this course is for students who have already studied a minimum of one to two years of Chinese outside of China. Designed to strengthen and develop the communication skills of listening, speaking, reading and writing, while reviewing grammar and introducing more idiomatic expressions, instruction will also provide an additional focus on writing which is achieved through daily journals and assigned writing topics. This course is conducted entirely in Chinese. Students taking this course should have a base knowledge of 600 to 800 characters, and an additional 250 to 300 characters and 400-500 new vocabulary words will be introduced. Upon completion of this course, students should have a working vocabulary of 1,400-1,600 words as well as have a strong proficiency in the language and solid foundation for the future study towards fluency.

Chinese C/306: Advanced Survival Chinese 1:

Course length: 6 weeks Total classroom hours: 120

This course is for students who have already studied a minimum of two to three years of Chinese outside of China. Students taking this course should have a base knowledge of 1,200 to 1,500 characters, and will study an additional 300 to 400 characters and 500-700 new vocabulary words will be introduced. Upon completion of this course, students should have a working vocabulary of about 2,000 words as well as read simple books and compose essays using proper Chinese grammatical patterns and idiomatic usage.

Chinese C/307: Advanced Survival Chinese 2:

Course length: 6 weeks Total classroom hours: 120

A continuation of Advanced Survival Chinese, this course is for students who have already studied a minimum of two to three years of Chinese outside of China. Students taking this course should have a base knowledge of 1,500 to 1,700 characters, and will study an additional 300 to 400 characters and 500-700 new vocabulary words will be introduced. Upon completion of this course students should have a working vocabulary of about 2,500 words as well as read simple books and compose essays using proper Chinese grammatical patterns and idiomatic usage. Students completing this course should also have achieved basic fluency in the language.

The Courses Taught in English For the second two hours of each weekday morning in Beijing and Shanghai, participants in the Brockport/EducAsian "China - Three Cities" Program will be enrolled in two History/Culture [in Beijing] and Business/Economics [in Shanghai] courses taught in English.

In Beijing, (in addition to the Chinese Language courses described above) participants will take the two following courses taught in English:

Chinese History: Pre Modern Chinese History - Ancient Times to 1911:

Course length: 6 weeks Total classroom hours: 36

This course traces the history of China from its ancient origins through the principal dynasties to the downfall of the Qing dynasty. All of the dynasties, their important leaders and events will be introduced. Particular emphasis will be placed on common themes and recurring historical themes that have shaped and continue to affect modern China.

Chinese Culture: The Arts of China:

Course length: 6 weeks Total classroom hours: 24

This course focuses on the arts of China, giving participants a thorough introduction to all of the traditional Chinese arts. Topics range from music, painting, calligraphy, film, architecture and Chinese Medicine. Classroom instruction is supplemented by excursions and specialized lectures including:

A performance of Peking Opera A calligraphy demonstration and lesson Screening and lecture on Chinese film Guided visit to the Beijing Central Art Gallery Demonstration of and lecture on Chinese medicine Demonstration of and lecture on Traditional Chinese music Guided visit to various architectural sites: Lama Temple The Temple of Heaven The Forbidden City

In Shanghai, (in addition to the instruction in Chinese language described above) participants will take the following two courses taught in English:

History: Chinese Economy History:

Course length: 6 weeks Total classroom hours: 36

Covers the economic history of China from antiquity to present with an emphasis on economic developments in the 20th Century. Divided into three basic periods: Antiquity to 1949, 1949 to 1978, 1978 to the present, with particular emphasis on the socialist economy established under the PRC and the policies of Deng Xiao Ping, Jiang Ze Min and Zhu Rong Ji. Particular emphasis is placed on the transition from socialist to market economy and the concept of a socialist economy with Chinese characteristics.

Business: Management and Finance in Modern China:

Course length: 6 weeks Total classroom hours: 24

After giving a brief background to traditional trade with China, lectures are given on the manner in which business is conducted in China today. Topics will include joint ventures, state owned industries and private Chinese and foreign firms. Particular attention will be paid to general working conditions, current policies foreign investment and environmental regulations. Several case studies will be presented. Covers the practical elements of doing business in the PRC. Important culture concepts such as guanxi (relations) and mianzi (face). Classroom instruction is supplemented by excursions and specialized lectures such as:

The Shanghai Stock Exchange Lectures from prominent businessmen on various practical elements of business in modern China Case studies of and visits to Shanghai firms Lectures at the American Chamber of Commerce

All instruction in the Brockport EducAsian "China - Three Cities" Program is by members of the faculties of Beijing University, Shanghai Jiaotong University, or Hong Kong University.