Summer: Rutgers-Intensive Mandarin in Beijing

Note: All details of the program described below are tentative and subject to change. Finalization of the program plan is usually made by the early months of the Spring semester.

blcu bannerIntroduction: The Rutgers University Department of Asian Languages and Cultures now offers a summer language program in Beijing, China at Beijing Languages and Cultures University (BLCU). Located in the heart of Beijing’s northwestern university district, within walking distance of Tsinghua University and a short bus ride from Beijing University, BLCU is the premier institute for language study in China. BLCU’s primary educational mission is to provide intensive training in languages, including the teaching of Chinese language and culture to foreign students, educating Chinese students in foreign languages and other relevant subjects in the humanities and social sciences, and training teachers who teach Chinese as a foreign language. BLCU’s Chinese language textbooks are widely adopted in university programs in China and abroad. Over the past 50 years or so, BLCU has taught Chinese language and culture to over 100,000 international students from 160 countries and regions around the world, most of who are now proficient in Chinese and familiar with Chinese culture. More than 10,000 international students and over 5,000 Chinese students study at BLCU each year. The Rutgers in Beijing program is designed to provide students with an opportunity to study Chinese in a native environment. On the BLCU campus, students will have access to the Internet, and dining and gym facilities. There are also many restaurants and several marketplaces nearby; and the Beijing subway is a short walk away. The program is held under the direction of a Professor of Chinese at Rutgers.

Eligibility: The program is open to anyone over the age of 18 who is interested in learning Chinese. Current and prospective Rutgers students in particular are encouraged to join the program. Applications will be considered on a rolling basis as soon as they are complete; and the applicant will be notified of the decision promptly. Applications received after April 1 will be processed on a space available basis.

Dates: Six weeks in July and August, generally corresponding to the Second Term of the Rutgers Summer Session.

Housing: Students are housed in double rooms on the BLCU campus. Note: Because of the short length of the program, it is not possible to arrange Chinese roommates for the program. But students in the program will have an opportunity to make Chinese friends and have Language Tutoring and Exchange Partners.

1 top photo img_0125Cultural Activities: Students have the option to participate in various cultural activities offered in the afternoon, such as Chinese kung fu and traditional Chinese painting.

Cultural Excursions: Program participants join in afternoon and weekend group excursions within Beijing, to such places as the Tian’anmen Square, the Forbidden City, and the Temple of Heaven, and to various famous sites nearby, including the Great Wall and the Ming Tombs. There is also a longer excursion in the last week of the program, to cities such as Xi’an, Shanghai, Nanjing, Hangzhou, Suzhou, Shenyang, Harbin, Dalian, Tianjin and Chengde. Excursions will be accompanied by guides who are knowledgeable in the history and culture of the places to be visited.

Transportation: Students will arrange their own air travel to Beijing, though the program provides participants with information regarding low-cost round trip air travel between Newark and China. Group travel within China is included in the program fee. Students are responsible for their own travel expenses for any time they spend in China before the program begins or after the end of the program.

Program Costs: Varies yearly, estimated at $4,300 (4 to 9 credits). The Rutgers Study Abroad office tries to keep costs as low as possible for students and still maintain a quality program. Students pay a $500 dollar program deposit (due two weeks after acceptance) and then the balance is due when the tuition bills go out. For further information, see the under the "Finances" section of the Rutgers Study Abroad website at: http://global.rutgers.edu/study-abroad

Program costs include tuition, room, and group excursions. Students must purchase their own round-trip air tickets between the U.S. and China and pay for all their own meals (estimated at $600 for 30 days), their own personal expenses, dental work, vacation travel, books, etc. and travel/health insurance for the duration of the program. The program accepts no responsibility for personal property, which must be insured separately if so desired. The program reserves the right to make any changes necessitated by circumstances.

Refunds: See the "Withdrawal Policy" listed under the "Finances" section of the Rutgers Study Abroad website at: http://global.rutgers.edu/study-abroad

Application Procedure: All inquiries must be sent to the address below, not to the Registrar of the Summer Session.

For further information please write to:2 middle photo img_0372

Rutgers in Beijing
c/o Professor R. VanNess Simmons
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey
Department of Asian Languages and Cultures
330 Scott Hall
43 College Ave,
New Brunswick, NJ 08901
Telephone: (732) 932-7605

or e-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

For information and applications, contact Rutgers Study Abroad Office:

Rutgers Study Abroad
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey
102 College Avenue
New Brunswick, NJ 08901-8543
Telephone: (732)932-7787
Fax: (732)932-8659

or e-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Click Here to see the program flyer

Program of Courses: Students enroll in one to three courses, totaling 4 to 9 credits, from the following list:

• Chinese Language: Beginning, Intermediate, or Advanced, pending placement at the start of the program (Cr. 4)
• Chinese Calligraphy (Cr. 2)

• Guided Research in China (Cr. 3)

3 bottom photo img_0065Classes: Language classes meet five days a week. Calligraphy classes meet two days a week. The Guided Research in China course meets weekly at specially arranged times. Regular attendance is expected. Students must arrive on-time to all classes. No eating is allowed in the classrooms.

Placement: Students will be divided into small group classes on the basis of their ability at the start of the program.

Instructional staff: All classes are taught by experienced professional Chinese language teachers on the BLCU faculty at the appropriate level - i.e. Beginning, Intermediate, or Advanced.

Language pledge: Students pledge to speak only Chinese during the duration of the program.

Excursions: Group excursions are offered as an integral part of the program course work and all students are expected to participate.

Grades: Grades are based on examinations and class performance according to the Rutgers University system in consultation with the Faculty of the Department of Asian Languages and the Director of the Summer Program in Beijing. All students receive a regular Rutgers University Summer Session grade report.