Institute for International Education of Students (IES) in Beijing

 

  • The IES Beijing program offers two distinct academic options: the Language Intensive Program, designed for students who have already begun studying Chinese and wish to concentrate on the developing their fluency, and the Contemporary Issues in China Program, featuring three Intensive 300-level Area Studies Courses, taught one at a time, and accelerated Chinese language, offered at varying levels. Both programs are located at Beijing Foreign Studies University (Beijing Waiguoyu Daxue), one of Beijing’s most prestigious academic institutions, enrolling 4,000 students, including approximately 700 foreign students mostly from non-English speaking countries. IES is currently the only resident U.S. program at the university.
  • The Intensive Language Program offers small classes and individual tutorials, equivalent to one year of Chinese taught in a semester, as well as English-language area studies courses, including economics, film studies, political science, history, literature, philosophy, sociology, and field research. Chinese-taught area studies courses are available for heritage speakers and very advanced students. The program offers a variety of internship opportunities in business education, and community service organizations.
  • Field trips take students to parts of China rarely visited by tourists. The multi-day fall field trip usually includes travel along the Silk Road (Xinjiang Province) to such places as Xi’an, Urumg, Dunhuang, Xiahe, and Kashgar, where you explore the cultures and religions of China’s minority people and the magnificent landscape. The multi-day spring trip normally travels to Yunnan Province, including stays in a variety of areas that are home to ethnic Naxi, Yi, Bai, Dai, and other minority peoples. A long-weekend trip takes in destinations such as Shaolin Temple (martial arts and historic capital cities), Pingyao (ancient and imperial China), Mt. Wutai (Buddhist studies), Anyang (pre-historic China), and Mt. Tai and Qufu (Confucian studies).
  • Housing options include living with a Chinese roommate in a campus residence hall or homestays with Chinese families.
  • Eligibility: One year of college-level Mandarin Chinese or the equivalent.

 

Institute for International Education of Students (IES) | 800-995-2300 | Fax: 312-944-1448 | Susan Hansen: shansen@iesabroad.org