Jilin University

Jilin University is located in the Changchun City, Capital of Jilin Province. With an area of 20,000 square kilometers and a population of 6.77 million, and with the yearly average temperature of 4.8 degrees Celsius, Changchun is situated at an altitude of 218 meters in the hinterland of Northeast plain of China. It is the political, economic and cultural center of Jilin Province, and has acquired several laudatory nicknames: Film city, Automobile city, City of Science and Technology, City of Culture, and Spring City North of the Great Wall. Changchun is not only noted for its wide streets, but also for its luxuriant growth of trees and pure and fresh air. Row upon row of high-rises are standing among the boundless and immense forests. Because of this, Changchun has also been nicknamed a "City in Forest". In summer, it features dark willows and blooming flowers, and pleasant coolness. In winter, it boasts of its frosted trees and flowers. The scenery is full of touching beauty in the fresh spring, sunlit summer, golden autumn and freezing winter. In the cold season, however, people enjoy the warmth indoors with the central heating systems. The city is an ideal place for studying and doing research all year round.

An Introduction to the College of International Exchange of Jilin University

The College of International Exchange is an institution providing education programs for overseas students and the management. It is composed of the Department of Chinese Language and Culture, the Department of International Industrial Management and the Overseas Students' Affairs Office.

The Programs are arranged as follows:

Chinese Language

The Chinese Language is a four-year undergraduate program, offering a series of regular courses related to the study of the Chinese language, including general Chinese Language Courses at preliminary, intermediate and advanced levels; listening, speaking, reading and writing skills; reading in the Chinese newspapers and magazines; listening of news reports; translation; classic Chinese, etc. In addition, it has complementary courses in humanities, such as Chinese history, history of Chinese literature, philosophy, history of Chinese culture, geography, and economics. The overall goal of teaching is to develop the students' proficiency in the Chinese language and enable them to acquire substantial basic knowledge of Chinese, and certain knowledge in the language theory and the humanities so that they will become Chinese language specialists familiar with the culture and conditions of the country. The students majoring in Chinese language will be arranged to take part in practice activities in accordance with the different grades and different courses they study in. For example, the students will be organized to participate in visits, emulation, theatrical performance in Chinese, recitation contest, composition contest, translation contest, discussion and debate on the subject of great topical interest, etc. In the fourth year of the program, the students will be organized to participate in fieldwork, and they can receive their diploma in the Chinese language and BA degree if they have accumulated the required credits and satisfy all the requirements for graduation and the bachelor degree thesis. 

The Chinese Language in Economics and Trade

In this program, the courses in economics and trade will be offered at the third and fourth year of the curriculum. The courses include: oral Chinese in economics and trade, oral Chinese in business, writing for economics and trade, international business, Chinese law for managing foreign economic affairs and China's foreign economic cooperation and trade. The students will develop their ability in managing international trade and economic affairs in Chinese. The program of Chinese Language in Economics and Trade will organize a variety of practices for the students in accordance with their courses in different grades and the teaching they receive. For example, the students will be organized to visit the Chinese enterprises and commercial organizations, and participate in conferences in which they may make reports on issues of common interest. The students will have one-week fieldwork in their fourth year and they can receive their diploma and BA degree in the Chinese language if they have got enough credits and satisfy all the requirements for graduation and the bachelor degree thesis.

Chinese Language and Culture 

The Chinese Language and Culture is a four-year program established after a two-year trial by the College of International Exchange. The program features two major courses in both the Chinese language and the Chinese culture. The Chinese language course includes the Chinese language at elementary, intermediate and advanced levels; listening, speaking, reading and writing skills in the Chinese language; readings in Chinese newspapers and magazines; classic Chinese; and translation. The Chinese Culture includes a survey of the Chinese society, study of the Chinese society, national conditions in China, Chinese geography, Chinese history, Chinese economics, Chinese philosophy, Chinese literature, Chinese art, Chinese law, Chinese foreign policy, Chinese calligraphy, and Chinese folk custom, etc. The purpose of the program is to train the students to develop a comparatively high-level proficiency in the Chinese language, build up a comprehensive understanding of the national conditions of China, acquire an accomplishment in the Chinese language and culture, and preliminary ability in doing research. The students will become Chinese language and culture specialists in general in dealing with related Chinese affairs after graduation. The first two years are of the basic training period and the curriculum is the same as in the Chinese Language Program. The curriculum in the third and fourth year features courses in the Chinese language and the Chinese culture as well as the writing of the graduation thesis. This program attaches importance to practice in teaching. There will be one-week fieldwork in the fourth year. All the students who satisfy the entrance requirements, receive enough credits in their four-year study and pass the examinations for their graduation and degree theses will be granted the diploma and bachelor degree in the Chinese language and culture. 

Long-Term and Short-Term Advanced Training Programs

The College of International Exchange has established short-term and long-term advanced training programs in the Chinese language and the Chinese culture. The study period may last from two weeks to two years in order to meet different students' needs at the elementary, intermediate and advanced levels. The courses include general Chinese language courses at different levels, and courses for training listening, speaking, reading and writing in Chinese at all levels. In addition, the College provides such courses as the Chinese culture, readings in newspapers and magazines, guide to the reading of Chinese newspapers and listening to the news reports in Chinese, Chinese folk custom, subject of great topical interest, Chinese martial arts and the Chinese Taijiquan, Chinese calligraphy, Chinese history, Chinese movies, and Chinese literature. In addition, the students in the long-term training program can choose to study courses in the undergraduate programs. 

There are 67 faculty members at the College of International Exchange, among whom 18 are professors and 23 are associate professors. 80% of the faculty members have academic credentials from Master's degree or doctoral degree programs, and 85% of the faculty members have qualification certificates for teaching Chinese to foreign students. Since 1978, the College of International Exchange has undertaken 8 research projects funded by the national, provincial and university academic institutions, published 10 books on linguistics, teaching Chinese to foreign students and modern Chinese literature, and published more than 40 academic papers. Therefore, the College of International has exerted a comparatively strong influence in the academic circle of teaching Chinese to foreigners in the country.

For many years, the College of International Exchange has attached a great importance to the academic exchanges with foreign countries and expanded its international programs, and has been jointly running education programs with the Sino-Japanese Friendship Promotion Association. So far the College of International Exchange has established academic relations and cooperation with universities and colleges from Canada, Japan, Republic of Korea, Germany, Australia, South Africa, Russia and Malaysia.

For more information or application, please email HSINTL@aol.com.

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