ASU Chinese Flagship Program

Miles Campos, like most ASU students, barely pulls himself out of bed each morning in time to grab a quick breakfast and rush to morning classes. He grabs lunch between classes with his friends, watches TV or surfs the Internet when he is bored, and goes out with his friends at night. The difference: everything is in Chinese.

Campos, a communication and Chinese senior, is one of eight ASU students spending the school year studying and interning in Nanjing, China through the ASU Chinese Language Flagship Partner program. This group is the first cohort the ASU Flagship program has sent to China.

“This is not a study abroad,” says program director Madeline Spring. “We love this program because people talk about functioning in a global environment. We actually do it.”

The ASU Chinese Language Flagship program is a multi-year program that begins at ASU and culminates with the student finding a major-related internship in China.  The program is designed to educate students with the necessary Chinese language and cultural skills before the students are sent to attend Nanjing University and find internships in China.

Once the student is proficient in Mandarin and is culturally savvy, the student will travel to Nanjing, China. Here students attend Nanjing University, one of the oldest and most prestigious universities in China, Spring says. At the university students take language courses as well as major related courses taught in Mandarin.

Last semester Campos took courses in such subjects as Buddhist theory, Chinese Kungu opera, and comparative literature. Campos says he was proficient enough in Chinese to understand the professors; however, it took him time to adjust to the Chinese education system.

“Chinese universities are very different than schools in the US,” Campos says. “I guess the biggest difference is that in America, many people are able to test into university, but comparatively few will actually finish. While in China testing into university is incredibly difficult but graduating is extremely easy.”

In a couple of weeks, Campos will begin interning with a company in Shanghai doing internal communications. Campos says he acquired his internship on his own, although the Flagship program was very helping in assisting students with finding internships.

Major social and cultural shifts are taking place in China as the country continues to grow economically, Campos says. “I have been coming to China since 2006 and the changes each year are incredible. It isn’t just the construction of skyscrapers or dams or factories that is amazing, but also the social and cultural changes being made.” He says there is an evident divergence of thought and behavior between the generations in China that is propelling the formidable economic powerhouse.

Campos says that despite the major differences between American and China, he is amazed at how comfortable he feels in this country. “China really isn’t that different from the US, and people are people no matter where you are,” Campos says. “China is an extremely important country to both the US and the world, and it’s really something that everyone should understand at least a little bit.”

Campos’ visa expires in August but as for what comes next, he has no idea.“I’m really not sure about what happens after [his visa expires],” Campos says. “I have a few things on my plate right now thanks to my experiences in this program.”

Back at ASU another cohort of Flagship students are preparing to leave for China. Melissa Tse, an English Literature and Chinese senior, is a part of the second cohort of Flagship students who will study and intern in Nanjing beginning in Fall 2011.

Tse has visited China multiple times with her family and recently studied in Qingdao, China. She says her visits to China have prepared her for what to expect socially and politically while abroad. “I’ve stayed in other places in Asia like Hong Kong and Taiwan as well, which I feel has given me a pretty panoramic view of how diverse political situations in Asia are, even within a small geographic region.”

Students are also required to take certain cultural courses at ASU that explain the Chinese government and political history. In addition to the intensive program curricula, students partake in one-on-one mentoring with graduate students from China and Taiwan.

“My biggest concern is improving my Chinese to a professional level,” says Tse, who has only taken a year of Mandarin. “I hope to also have a better understanding of Chinese linguistics and literature. And of course, make new friends and having fun!”

Undergraduate students interested in the Chinese Language Flagship Program should apply immediately. Application requirements include a GPA of 3.25, preliminary Mandarin proficiency, college level literary Chinese course and another course related to China.

Reach the reporter at lauren.gambino@asu.edu

Tagged as: asu, China, Chinese, Chinese Language Flagship Program, Hong Kong, Mandarin