Course work means more than taking notes in class.   Teachers from schools in the West will be supervising classes, but you can expect to hear from local experts, to be taught by artists and musicians, to hear panels discussing and debating current topics, and to give presentations yourself on what you have learned from your experiences beyond the classroom.  

Basic Courses (all Students)

Intensive Mandarin
Mandarin classes will meet for three periods each class day.   The major instruction will be in tutorials of four to five students each with similar levels of proficiency in Mandarin as determined by placement tests given at the beginning of the program.   Teachers will be native-speakers, undergraduates or graduate students trained at one of the four Shanghai universities that offer degrees in teaching Mandarin to non-native speakers   For beginners, there will be a focus on conversational Mandarin that will enable the students with no previous background in Mandarin to function in the culture.   Work on vocabulary that is based on what students will need for day to day living, navigating the city, or ordering in a restaurant will equip the students to practice immediately what they have learned.   Those with ability in Mandarin will have programs tailored to their particular level and interest.   More advanced students will read Chinese texts and have classes conducted exclusively in Mandarin.   A wide variety of teaching aids will assist the small-size tutorials in greatly increasing each student’s facility in the language.   Books and training materials of the appropriate level will be furnished to the students.   The advanced facilities of the Gezhi High School language laboratory will be available to students to help increase their listening ability and perfecting their mastery of Mandarin tones.   Perhaps most importantly, everywhere the students turn there will be opportunities to practice, practice, practice the Mandarin that they have just learned.  

Beginning Level:

Objective: by a combination of class work and interaction with people in Shanghai, students will

1. gain a certain level knowledge about the Chinese, its people, language and culture
2. gain basic language skills and confidence to handle communication needs of most common aspects of daily life and a number of transactional situations on predictable and familiar topics
3. establish skills to use on-line language learning tools to enhance further learning

Course content will include:

• China, the Middle Kingdom
• All about the language: spoken and written
• Greeting, leave taking, courtesy expressions
• Number fun and functions
• Negotiating time in various contexts
• Getting around town
• Let’s go shopping
• Dining in a variety of eating establishments

Instructional methods:

• Purposefully designed interactive activities that engage students in actively learning the language through using the language
• Collaborative learning activities that enable and require each group member’s contribution in completing a communicative tasks
• Employs the acquisition process of skill getting and skill using: introduction, task based comprehension drills, more practice, controlled use
• Take advantage of being in Shanghai to have frequent interactions with the locals using learned language and learn new language

Beyond Beginning Level:

Objective: by a combination of class work and interaction with people in Shanghai, students will
1) Strengthen and expand existing language skills
2) Gain certain level of proficiency in using on-line tools to enhance and facilitate self learning, and engage in Chinese instant messaging communication
3) Gain a good level of ease and confidence in creating with the language to engage in conversation at one sub-level higher than in-coming proficiency level

Course content will include:

• Expanded and extended content to be covered in beginning levels
• Other topics per learner interests

 

Dynastic China: Shang to Qing
Providing a basic background for the students, this course meets three times and will highlight the key features from the dynastic age that have had a continuing influence on contemporary China.  

 

Building Modern China: 1910-2011
This class follows the story of how China has transformed itself from the weak empire of the late Qing Dynasty to taking its place among the world’s super powers in 2011.   The fundamental differences between the Nationalists and Communists, why and how the Communists defeated the Nationalists, the effect of the war against Japan, the Mao years (national consolidation, the Great Leap Forward, and the Cultural Revolution), Deng Xiaoping and “reform and opening,” post-Deng China, economic growth, foreign policy issues, the changing roles of women, traditional China vs.   modern world culture, the current structure of the national government–these and many issues will be considered both in class and in the field.  

 

Shanghai: World City
Students will trace the development of this fascinating city through its transformation from a key commercial port in dynastic China to its status today as one of the most dynamic cities in the world. Students will examine the architecture and interview residents in a wide variety of living conditions; learn the character of the distinct neighborhoods of the city such as the old Chinese city, the French Concession, and the International Settlement; and discover how new development projects are dealing with questions of historical preservation and opportunities for investment. What are the results of such rapid growth? What about the growing disparity in income? How is Shanghai dealing with these issues? All topics for stimulating discussions!

 

Arts of China: Calligraphy, Painting, Ceramics
This course combines information and studio work; classroom time and field studies. An overview of Chinese art will precede studio work under the guidance of a Chinese artist. This new knowledge and experience will enhance visits to the three museums, the Shanghai Museum, Shanghai Art Museum, and Shanghai Museum of Contemporary Art, near our home school. Visits to the studios and discussions with current Chinese artists will shed light on the new directions Chinese art is taking. Through this wide range of experiences, the course will enable students to gain an understanding of the sweep of Chinese history as seen through its art and artists.

 

Chinese Music: Ancient to Contemporary
Chinese music often sounds strange to Western ears because it is based on a different system and played with unfamiliar instruments. Through an explanation and demonstration of those differences, students will understand more about music’s place in traditional culture and possibly come to appreciate traditional Chinese music. Then the focus will switch to what kinds of music contemporary Chinese high school students like and listen to. Students will hear performances of both classical and current pop music. Throughout the course, young Chinese will serve as guides to this musical odyssey.