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Since Christopher Columbus’ voyage, it’s been part of America’s national heritage to wonder about the East. Dreams of Asian civilizations—of their silk, spices, and gold—fueled the European colonization of the New World. The many nations of Asia are still a great force in modernity: politically, economically, artistically. Still, in our part of the world, thinking and education can be largely Western-focused. Take this opportunity to understand Eastern ways. Compare democracy and the Judeo-Christian work ethic to Confucianism, Taoism, and Marxism. Compare American aesthetics to Asian. Compare Western religions to Buddhism, Shintoism, Hinduism, and Islam. From India, the world’s largest democracy, to China, the world’s largest communist state, we offer you the chance to live your story on a CIEE program.
But which? Asia’s possibilities stand before you. You can enroll in Seoul’s youth culture. Seek shiatsu, zen meditation, and green tea on its own turf in Tokyo. Discover what you can learn from the underprivileged of Khon Kaen, Thailand. Make a new home in high-tech Hyderabad. Learn the 21st-century secrets of Ho Chi Minh City. Meet the real Chinese characters: political culture and counterculture in Beijing; frenzied economic development and construction in Shanghai; the six-million-person city with a small-town feel, Nanjing. Embrace Taiwan’s traditionalism, undamped by Communism. How should you think about studying in Asia? CIEE programs are designed to help you get the most out of your experience, and we’ll help you find one that’s right for you.
speak the language
Whether you come to Asia to improve your language skills, or you just want to be able to communicate with locals, language study is key to becoming part of the world outside your classes.
Some CIEE programs are specifically designed to advance your language skills. On these programs, language classes are the focus, and courses about your host culture—and sometimes other subjects—are offered in English:
Other programs center on learning about the local culture with area studies and other electives taught in English. At the same time, you’ll study the local language with classes at the appropriate skill level for you, whether that’s absolute beginner or advanced. That’s the way most study abroad in Korea, Thailand, Vietnam, and India (where you can learn the more universal Hindi or the more local Urdu or Telugu).
study culture—or practically anything
Indulge a fascination with Chinese calligraphy, Japanese hip hop, or Indian religion in an immersive and supportive environment. Study sociology or anthropology in Beijing. Comprehend China’s rising power in fast-developing Shanghai. Choose any of a wide variety of arts and sciences subjects in Korea while getting some front-row exposure to the K-pop culture that’s sweeping Asia. Get a first-hand understanding of the history, economics, and societies of Vietnam—which you’ll study in Ho Chi Minh City, and Cambodia (where you’ll travel and study for five weeks). See the mechanics of a developing Asian economy, understand the differences between business in Hyderabad, in Shanghai, in Seoul, and in Tokyo, or continue studying nearly anything you began at your home university.
total immersion
The CIEE Advanced Chinese Studies program at Peking University in Beijing offers students the opportunity to study alongside Chinese classmates. Classes are held entirely in Mandarin Chinese with the option to direct enroll in one of four different schools or departments. After class, experience firsthand the complex city of Beijing—where ancient meets modern—on one of the guided field trips to historic and cultural sites.
hands-on experience with the development of nations
Join an intensive field-work program and see a Thai community—its grassroots political leaders, people’s coalitions, government representatives, NGO leaders, farmer’s cooperatives, socially-engaged monks, scholars, social critics, authors, journalists, and political and human rights advocates—face the environmental, economic, and social challenges brought on by modernity and globalization. Coursework focuse on development and the environment.
In Nanjing, plumb Chinese perspectives by interviewing local students on topics such as gender roles, family relations, education, the environment, health, political participation, Chinese media, religion, globalization, and traditional Chinese values for an oral history project.
On our program in Vietnam, volunteer with an NGO like the Blue Dragon Children’s Foundation or Artisans d’Angkor. Then, research whatever social topic interests you (spirit worship? disarming the Khmer Rouge? migrant women?) through independent study.
make a new home for the semester
Because Eastern cultures can be so different from Western cultures, CIEE programs give you many ways to get involved while abroad. Whenever possible, you’ll live with locals and begin making friends that way—whether in a dormitory with Chinese students in Nanjing or in a homestay with a Japanese family in Tokyo. On other programs, you’ll room with other international students, trading stories and perspectives. Tutors mentor CIEE students when needed, and the international buddy program we offer at some locations matches international students who want to share their experiences with native students who want to listen. Meals with local students and faculty give you the chance to practice the conversation skills you’re learning in class. And you can become involved in the community by teaching English and working with local and international humanitarian associations, schools, children, or the elderly. In China, Japan, Korea, and Vietnam, CIEE encourages you to experience the local culture fully by reimbursing you for the cost of attending concerts, movies, and theater performances, and visiting museums and other points of historical interest.
Explore what options are available on the programs you’re interested in, and seek out these opportunities every chance you get. You will see yourself slowly become part of Asia...and Asia become part of you.
Beijing, China [advanced chinese studies] *new*
Beijing, China [chinese language + ethnic studies]
Beijing, China [intensive chinese language]
Nanjing China [intensive chinese language + culture]
Shanghai, China [china in a global context]
Shanghai, China [business, language, and culture]
Shanghai, China [advanced chinese studies]
Hyderabad, India [arts + sciences]
Tokyo, Japan [arts + sciences]
Seoul, Korea [arts + sciences]
Taipei, Taiwan [intensive chinese language + culture]
Khon Kaen, Thailand [development + globalization]
Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam [language + culture] |
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