AT HUANGSHAN UNIVERSITY
ANHUI PROVINCE - THE PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF CHINA
A HUMANITAD FOUNDATION education program
The International Mandarin Language Program is a unique, multi- faceted approach to learning Mandarin Chinese. sponsored by The Humanitad Foundation, and in cooperation with Huangshan University, the program focuses on complete immersion and combines several key components to provide the ultimate language learning experience. In
Huangshan, every aspect of student life is designed to support and ensure success in language fluency. Students will not only participate in a rigorous class schedule, but are provided with excellent home stay environments. Host families provide nurturing, safe, native language environments for students and are in constant communication with the program’s teachers about the student’s progress. Students are also given the opportunity to participate in internships with local government offices, organizations, museums, or schools. Internships allow students to use their Chinese language skills in an official setting, whilst also creating valuable professional relationships and contributing to local society.The Humanitad Foundation has created this program with the student’s interest foremost, and we believe that the combination of an excellent classroom environment, home stay, and internship make The International Mandarin Language Program at Huangshan University truly unmatched.
Situated in beautiful Anhui Province, adjacent to Huangshan National Park, Huangshan University is located in one of the cleanest and most scenic parts of China. The International Mandarin Language Program is very pleased to be hosted at Huangshan University, which boasts a unique native language environment, rich cultural heritage, clean air, and excellent facilities. We are very proud to offer this grand linguistic and cultural experience to students all over the world.
The International Mandarin Language Program at Huangshan University is a one year, non-degree certificate program
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CHINESE INSTRUCTION
Instructors at the International Mandarin Language Program are native Mandarin speakers with several years experience in language instruction. Courses at the IMLP are divided into Oral Chinese, Comprehensive Chinese, Written Chinese, and Phonetics and Listening Comprehension. All students who wish to attend the IMLP must have
completed at least one year of Chinese at their home university, or show adequate skill on a placement exam. Students who would like to enroll in more advanced Chinese classes, should request a placement exam, administered upon arrival, so that the facility may accommodate their needs.
In addition to Chinese Language classes, a Chinese Cultural class is taught using elementary level Chinese - highlighting local arts, music and national festivals in China. The purpose of this class is to introduce new specialized vocabulary as well as provide an outlet for students to understand and experience true Chinese culture. Participating students will attend museums, concerts and the festivals that form the basis of their learning. The International Mandarin Language Program offers 3 hours of Chinese language instruction each day. One hour is spent in a one-on-one setting. The
remaining two hours are spent in small class settings with other students. In each class an assistant is appointed to the teacher in order to provide instant feedback on quizzes and homework
One-on-one Mastering the Mandarin language is a difficult task for the native English speaker. Understanding that fact, individual attention is vital to mastering natural speech patterns and pronunciation. The International Mandarin Language Program is committed to helping students reach their fluency goals and therefore provides one hour of one-on-one instruction each day. This is an integral part of our intensive language training.
Small Classroom Settings The International Mandarin Language Program offers quality instruction in small classroom settings of three to six students. These classes are intensive and encourage foreign students to use Mandarin to interact with each other. Small class sizes allow teachers and students to discuss topics in depth and freely exchange ideas with one another.
WEEKLY SCHEDULE
The world as your classroom..
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Internship
The internship component is an integral part of the Huangshan study abroad program. The purpose of these internships is to allow students to use their Chinese language skills in an official setting and to gain work experience in China. These internships are an invaluable experience for those students who seek future employment working with, or in China. The internships are also designed to provide a means for students to become an active part of the community in which they are living. After the first week of classes, students are given a list of possible internships, which have been negotiated by The Humanitad Foundation. We are currently working on several exciting opportunities for students in local government offices, museums, schools, organizations, etc. Students are welcome to submit questions, concerns and/or requests about the internship by e-mail to humanitadprograms@mac.com.
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Home Stay
Students who participate in the Huangshan Study Abroad program will stay with the families of Huangshan University faculty who speak little to no English. Students will be given their own bedrooms which are equipped with a fiberglass-cable internet connection. Home stay families will provide one major meal per day of the student’s choice. This will be decided upon arrival. Participating students may need to observe a family curfew, the purpose of which is to ensure that normal family life is not disrupted. One of the strong points of the program is that the home stay families will stay in close contact with the language teachers and will report feedback about the student’s progress.
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Scheduled Trips
The Huangshan study abroad program wishes to expand the students knowledge of China as much as possible. Therefore, organized class trips will be scheduled to visit Shanghai during the Fall semester and Beijing during the Spring semester. In addition, each month, students may take part in local excursions to Huangshan National Park, and the UNESCO world heritage sites, Xidi and Hongcun.
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YEARLY CALENDAR
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Tuition & Fees
The Humanitad Foundation adjusts student tuition and fees based on what the student would pay for dormitory fees and tuition during a semester at his/her home institution. Please contact us with the name of your home university for exact fees and the schedule for payments.
Refund Policy: If a student withdraws from the program between April 2nd and July 31st, he or she will receive a refund of all fees paid minus the $700 non-refundable deposit. If a student withdraws from the program on or after July 15th, no refund will be made to the student of any fees paid.
Program Cancellation: Should the program be cancelled for any reason, all monies paid shall be refunded.
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Student Visa
HSU will provide every admitted participant with an official acceptance document with which students can apply for a Chinese student visa at the nearest Consulate of PRC. Since students may want return to their country of origin for a short visit at the end of the first semester, or to travel in Asia during major holidays, it is recommended that a multiple-entry visa be purchased, rather than a single entry. It is further recommended that the visa be acquired at least a month before departure, or earlier. In most cases, if all necessary paperwork is on order, the visa can be obtained within a week. In the United States, visa procurement companies can do all the work for a fee. Such companies can be easily found on the internet by entering “Chinese visa” into a search engine.
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Travel Arrangement
While a group-travel attempt may be made on the part of The Humanitad Foundation, ultimately all students will have to make their own travel arrangements. One can travel to Huangshan by plane through Beijing or Shanghai, and from there by airplane or train to Huangshan. The Huangshan airport code is: TXN. HSU will make arrangements to pick up all arriving students at the local airport, or if there are several students arriving to Shanghai on the same day, an attempt may be made to have them picked up at the Shanghai Airport, so that they can be assisted with their commute on to Huangshan.
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Travel in China
HSU will assist with travel arrangements to all those participating students who wish to travel in China during the official holidays. Travel intentions should be made known as early as possible because during major holidays all means of transportation will get very crowded and late tickets will be hard or impossible to secure.
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Mail
Small parcels mailed from the US or Europe will travel for about two weeks to reach Huangshan. It is absolutely important that nothing that would be offensive or illegal be sent to anyone enrolled in school in China. All packages or letters should be addressed to the recipient and mailed to: Foreign Affairs Office, Huangshan University, 9 Jilingshan Road, Huangshan City, Anhui Province, PRC 245041
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Medication
If you need extra prescription medication, such as asthma inhalers, allergy medicines, or birth control pills, you should try to take with you as many as you need for your stay. Medication sent from the US or Europe may not get through customs. Pharmacies in China will be able to fill some prescriptions, but the medication may be slightly different and cause abnormal side effects. Doctors may also prefer to prescribe traditional Chinese medication. To get a new prescription may necessitate a visit to a doctor. If you use contact lenses, you should take an extra set of contacts, cleaning solutions, have a written copy of your eye prescription and extra glasses if possible.
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Immunizations
Please note that The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has an International Traveler’s Hotline (404-332-4559). When you call this number, by punching in the country code of your host country, you can get pre-recorded information on vaccinations, food and water, and current health hazards. Their website is at: http://www.cdc.gov. Also, http://www.tripprep.com will provide you with excellent information about health hazards, vaccination, and other health related issues.
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Electricity
The appliance plugs in China are different from the ones in the US or Europe as the current is 220V. Converters, however, are easy to come buy. It is recommended that except for personal laptop computers, one should buy all necessary small electric appliances, such as hairdryers and shavers, in China.
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International Student Identity Card (ISIC)
It is highly recommended that before traveling abroad an international student id card be purchased. Such a card occasionally will allow its bearer to benefit of reduced airfares, train tickets, entrance tickets, etc.
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Insurance
In China no US insurance will be accepted. You will have to pay up front and then claim it from your US insurance company. Accordingly, it is important that you have a valid US insurance which covers incidents abroad before you leave. If you do not have insurance and you would like to be covered, The Humanitad Foundation can arrange insurance for you through TW Lord and Associates of Atlanta, Georgia, USA :
http://wise.wisefoundation.com
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