Study Abroad in China: Intensive Chinese Language in Harbin – Academics

Harbin Curriculum: How the Academics Fit Together

CET Harbin is for students who are ready to up the ante.

Students come to Harbin as seasoned language learners: the program requires at least four previous semesters of Chinese language study. Then, CET Harbin provides a more specialized, targeted, diverse and intense curriculum than what most students have experienced before. Here’s how:

More specialized. Students design their own one-on-one tutorial on a topic of choice. China’s currency policy, Manchurian culture and customs, housing and urban development in a population of 1.3 billion people, organic mushroom farming in Heilongjiang Province—you can study almost anything in your one-on-one.

More targeted. The one-on-two course focuses on error correction and fluency. This is where students learn to sound like a native-speaker. They finally fix that pesky second tone.

More diverse. In small group electives, students can take their language skills in specific directions—Business Chinese for entrepreneurs, Chinese Newspaper Reading for journalists, Classical Chinese for literati.

More intense. There’s more to studying language than attending classes. CET Harbin packs it in: a full-time Chinese language pledge, local roommates, excursions and activities.

In the end, students leave Harbin with a level of Chinese they never thought possible.

Harbin Fall & Spring Academic Requirements

All students enroll in intensive Chinese language courses, according to their preferred track.

• Regular Track: Most students enroll in this track. It is suitable for intermediate and advanced learners. Curriculum includes: one-on-one tutorial, two small group electives and a one-on-two drill.
• Research Track: This track is open to students with at least four years of previous Chinese language study. It is suitable for students with plans to attend graduate school or conduct independent research in China. Curriculum includes: one-on-one tutorial (extended hours) and two small group electives.

All students design a one-on-one tutorial. Students explore a topic of their choosing in Chinese. One-on-one’s are language courses bent towards the chosen topic. They utilize targeted readings, lectures and site visits. Some past students have used tutorials as a stepping stone for thesis research. Regular Track: 56 total hours. 3 recommended credits. Research Track: 112 total hours. 6 recommended credits.

While politically sensitive topics should be avoided, students are encouraged to be creative with their one-on-one topics. Sample topics studied by past students include:

• Chinese Herbal Medicine
• Chinese Urban Growth and Land Cover Change
• Problems in Chinese-American Joint Ventures
• Chinese Myths and Fairy Tales
• The Cultural Revolution in Manchuria

All students choose two small group electives. Course topics include: business, literature, newspaper, conversation and classical Chinese. Research Track students are encouraged to select Introduction to Classical Chinese as one elective. 84 total hours each. 6 recommended credits each.

Regular Track students enroll in a one-on-two drill course. This course targets pronunciation accuracy and fluency. The course includes field trips and exercises outside the classroom: a visit to a doctor’s office, a shopping excursion to a local market, a trip to the bank to open an account. 56 total hours. 2 recommended credits.

View all course options and download syllabi.

Harbin Summer Academic Requirements

All students enroll in intensive Chinese language courses, according to their preferred track.

• Regular Track: Most students enroll in this track. It is suitable for intermediate and advanced learners. Curriculum includes: one-on-one tutorial, two small group electives and a one-on-two drill.
• Research Track: This track is open to students with at least four years of previous Chinese language study. It is suitable for students with plans to attend graduate school or conduct independent research in China. Curriculum includes: one-on-one tutorial (extended hours) and two small group electives.

All students design a one-on-one tutorial. Students explore a topic of their choosing in Chinese. One-on-one’s are language courses bent towards the chosen topic. They utilize targeted readings, lectures and site visits. Some past students have used tutorials as a stepping stone for thesis research. Regular Track: 32 total hours. 2 recommended credits. Research Track: 64 total hours. 3 recommended credits.

While politically sensitive topics should be avoided, students are encouraged to be creative with their one-on-one topics. Sample topics studied by past students include:

• Chinese Women Authors
• Peking Opera Performance
• Readings from Archeological Journals
• China’s Relationship with Vietnam
• Etymology of Chinese Characters

All students choose two small group electives. Course topics include: business, literature, newspaper, conversation and classical Chinese. Research Track students are encouraged to select Introduction to Classical Chinese as one elective. 48 total hours each. 3 recommended credits each.

Regular Track students enroll in a one-on-two drill course. This course targets pronunciation accuracy and fluency. The course includes field trips and exercises outside the classroom: a visit to a doctor’s office, a shopping excursion to a local market, a trip to the bank to open an account. 32 total hours. 1 recommended credit.

View all course options and download syllabi.

Classroom Matters

Prerequisites

This program is open to students with at least four semesters of previous Chinese language study. We encourage beginning students who are interested in a language-intensive program to consider Intensive Chinese Language in Beijing instead.

Language Class Placement

Chinese language class placement is determined by:

• The results of a placement exam taken upon arrival in Harbin.
• The student’s transcripts.
• The student’s Chinese language ability as demonstrated in the application.

Adjustments to placements are made during the first week of classes.

Chinese Language Pledge

Practice makes perfect. All students uphold a full-time Chinese language pledge. Students tell us that the pledge is challenging and frustrating at first, but well worth it in the end.

Because the language pledge depends on the commitment of the students, CET accepts only those who are excited for the challenge.

Academic Rigor

Students take a full load of Chinese language courses. They can expect to spend at least one hour preparing for every hour spent in class. This curriculum, coupled with the program’s Chinese language pledge, results in an intense academic experience.

How do students survive? First, they mentally prepare themselves before departure for this challenge. Second, they soon discover language learners’ fuel: the thrill of discovering that you can suddenly express in Chinese an idea that, just last week, was out of reach.

Heritage Learners

Every term, this program welcomes students who have acquired some Chinese language (usually speaking skills) from their home environment. CET has many ways to accommodate these students. In the past, we have arranged one-on-one character-writing tutorials, or special group classes for learners with similar needs. Bottom line: CET’s curriculum is flexible and can be tailored to meet the needs of every student.

Outside the Classroom

Orientation

CET Harbin students first converge in Beijing for a preliminary orientation. Then, they travel to Harbin together by train—the hard-sleeper, overnight train ride is itself an orientation to life in China. Once on campus, orientation continues with city and campus tours, group meetings and the language placement exam.

Activities

Weekly activities give students and Chinese roommates a chance to unwind at the end of the week. Some activities show students the unexpected side of Harbin: Russian-influenced architecture, an orthodox church, a mosque, a synagogue or a Korean minority village. Some aim for the lighter side. Bowling (baoling qiu) is a whole new experience in Chinese! And Chinese roommates always delight in teaching CET students the latest Chinese pop songs for karaoke singing.

Overnight Excursions

Twice each term, students depart Harbin and venture on an overnight excursion together.

• The Weekend Trip. This three-day excursion takes students to a nearby city like Dalian or Dandong. Part of the experience is the getting there. Students travel as locals do—by hard-sleeper train to simple, but comfortable, hotels.
• The Immersion Retreat. This overnight trip takes all students, teachers and roommates to the rural countryside for a weekend of Chinese activities. Students hike in pristine mountains, interact with villagers and eat local food.

Extracurricular Classes

CET Harbin students get to try their hand at a number of Chinese pastimes: Chinese calligraphy, Chinese cooking, Tai Chi and karaoke, to name a few.

Have an idea for an extracurricular? The residence staff is all ears!