Tufts begins study abroad in China

The highly-anticipated foreign study program in China began this semester, with five Tufts students participating in a semester-long immersion at Zhejiang University in Hangzhou. The Tufts-in-China program has been in the works for five years, after a strong expression of interest from both faculty and students.

The decision to establish a program in China was made in part of an effort to encourage minority students to study abroad. According to Dean of Colleges Charles Inouye, data shows that study abroad has been less popular among minority students.

The University also has various connections in China through a large alumni network and an exchange program through the Tufts Institute for Leadership and International Perspective (TILIP.)

Inouye, along with Chinese literature and culture Professor Xueping Zhong and Director of Programs Abroad Sheila Bayne, settled on Zhejiang University after years of careful consideration. "We wanted to have complete confidence in the quality of our partner institution" Bayne said.

Besides being the largest university in China, Zhejiang University's location makes it an ideal institution for Tufts students. The city of Hangzhou is small by Chinese standards, allowing students to easily adjust to the intimate setting. It is also centrally located to several major cities.

Inouye described Hangzhou as "the cultural center of China, in many respects like Boston, where many of the most prestigious poets in China resided."

To ease the transition into an essentially alien culture, Professor Mingquan Wang accompanied the students to Hangzhou for the first two weeks of their orientation and serves as their faculty advisor. Several of the students had been taught by the professor prior to their arrival.

Wang also acted as a liaison between the Resident Director at Zhejiang University, and the students. A strong relationship between the Resident Director and students is crucial, according to Bayne, because he serves as everything from "the president to the janitor."

Upon his return from Hangzhou, Wang appeared confident in the program's success. "It has gone very well, in fact, even better than we expected," he said. "While planning the program, we anticipated problems and solved them before students even left for China."

The Tufts-in-China program is distinguishable from other study abroad programs in China, Wang said, because in addition to the language program, the students are offered cultural courses to aid their immersion into Chinese society. The curriculum was chosen by University teachers and students and designed specifically for the needs of Tufts students. Students studying in China can earn up to five credits for the semester.

As with most Tufts study abroad programs, students are expected to demonstrate a high level of proficiency in the Chinese language to qualify, including the completion of Chinese 4. The program also offers culture courses in English, since many students have not reached the same level of fluency as their French- and Spanish-speaking counterparts.

The administration conducted a four-week orientation program before classes began, which allowed students to directly experience Chinese culture. Mornings were devoted to intensive language training, and afternoons and weekends were spent visiting local historical sites, the countryside, and trips to major cities such as Shanghai. The students also plan to take a trip to Beijing in the near future.

Since his return to Boston, Wang has maintained contact with the students through e-mails and phone calls and has heard nothing but positive feedback. "The students appear to be adjusting quickly and thoroughly enjoying the daily routine and the classes offered at Zhejiang University," Wang said. The students also seem pleased with their living arrangements, he said, which are made up of single rooms in a newly built dormitory for international students.

Bayne hopes that the success of this year's program will create a "snowball effect by piquing the interest of more students to participate in next year's study abroad in Hangzhou."

During the spring semester, a new group of students will also take part in Tufts' first Hong Kong semester foreign study program. Unlike the language-based study at Zhejiang University, students studying at the University of Hong Kong will take English-taught courses in fields such as economics, engineering, and international relations.

Bayne said that the future of these newly founded programs will be determined by feedback from the initial participants. "These five students are pioneers for the program in China," she said. "We count on them to give us feedback, and from there we can make the necessary adjustments."