Pitzer in China
| Courses | Course Credits |
Semester Units |
| Chinese Society and Culture | 1.0 |
4 |
| Intensive Chinese Language | 2.0 |
8 |
| Directed Independent Study Project | 1.0 |
4 |
| Elective Courses | 0.5 |
2 |
| TOTALS | 4 to 5 |
16 to 20 |
| Suggested Preparation Coursework in Chinese area studies. Prior Chinese language study is strongly recommended. Students planning to study TCM are recommended to take courses in medical anthropology or alternative healing traditions. |
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| Program Dates Fall: Mid August to mid December Spring: Mid February to mid June |
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| Accommodations Students are based in dorms with Chinese roommates for the entire program. The program strives to provide students with both a city and rural homestay, contingent on local conditions and permission from authorities. |
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Location
The program is centered in Beijing, the capital of China since the Yuan dynasty in the 13th century, and the heart of cultural and political life in China. Among the broad modern avenues and picturesque traditional hutongs, you will find the nation's central government departments, leading universities, medical schools, and centers of art and media. Home to more than 15 million people, Beijing provides a rich environment for studies of China past and present.
Host Institution
The program is affiliated with Beijing University, one of the premier institutions of higher education in China, with a student population of more than 30,000.
The Core Course: Chinese Society and Culture
The core course combines lectures, readings, discussions, and the writing assignments of the Fieldbook with the more experiential program components of dorm stays with Chinese roommates, family stays, and study trips. Lectures given by scholars and specialists introduce you to a range of topics including history, politics, economics, population, environment and rural China. The course also includes complementary instruction in Chinese calligraphy and tai chi, a simplified Yang style of 24 movements.
Intensive Chinese Language
Chinese is offered at the elementary, intermediate, and advanced levels. The classes emphasize proficiency in speaking and listening, as well as the reading and writing of Chinese characters. You will be asked to sign a “Language Pledge” to devote yourself to speaking Chinese with your Chinese roommates, host family, staff and friends in the community.
Directed Independent Study Project
Elective Courses
In order to provide further opportunities for students to pursue areas of interest, several courses are available. Electives are generally awarded a half-course credit. These include a seminar in Traditional Chinese Medicine (organized and taught in collaboration with Beijing University Health Sciences Center), courses in advanced Chinese language and a course in calligraphy. Other courses can occasionally be arranged on a case by case basis. Some electives require prerequisite knowledge or experience.
Study Trips
To deepen your understanding of topics covered in the core course, you will travel to various locations in China. Destinations may change from semester to semester, but the two major trips aim to expose you to one of China's remote provinces where you can observe the daily life of ethnic minority groups and a trip to the heartland of Han civilization to visit historic sites and cultural attractions. Past trips have included:
Hangzhou and Jiangnan Area
Known as the “paradise on the earth” and encompassing the Yangtse River delta and including Shanghai, this is an area of natural beauty powered by cultural and economic strength. Historically the trading centers for salt, tea and silk, today the Jiangnan region still serves as the national center of trade and finance.
Xi’an
A city of ancient elegance, Xi’an, has witnessed the glories of Zhou, Qin, Han and Tang dynasties. The city wall built in the Ming Dynasty is still kept in its original form. View the Terra-cotta Warriors and Horses, first discovered in the 1970s by a local farmer. In the old city, students will feel a strong touch of Islamic culture brought by immigrants from the West during ancient times, who maintain their traditional lifestyle and religious activities.
Wutaishan
The center for the Bodhisattva of Wisdom, Wutaishan is shaped by both Han and Tibetan traditions in this concentration of 47 temples, monasteries, and nunneries.
Kaili in Guizhou
With a mix of beautiful landscape and well preserved Miao villages, Kaili presents a vivid example of China’s diversity in ethnic cultures. Due to the difficulty in transportation in this mountainous province, regions like Kaili, have been turned into “reservations.” This trip is a dramatic contrast after your days in Beijing.
Gannan Tibetan Region
South Gansu province, with access to Tibet and Qinghai, is mostly inhabited by ethnic minorities, the majority Tibetan. Among the pastoral landscapes here students will visit Tibetan villages, monasteries and a Tibetan Buddhist college.
Dorm Stay and Family Stays
During most of the semester you will live in dorms on campus with Chinese roommates. You will also have an opportunity to participate in a homestay with a family in Beijing and with a farming family in a rural village, dependent on permission from the University and local authorities. Urban families live in small apartments and speak little or no English. Rural families live in small brick homes with limited modern amenities. Though there are challenges in adjustment (e.g. lack of privacy), most students find the homestay experience to be a highlight of their culture and language learning on the program.