For information and course offerings for the different sites in China, click on a city listed below:
In conjunction with CET Academic Programs, Middlebury College has been operating the C.V. Starr-Middlebury School in China in Hangzhou since the fall semester of 2004.
Middlebury and CET Academic Programs are pleased to announce two new additions to the C.V. Starr-Middlebury School in China. The new locations in Beijing and Kunming will be opening in the fall and spring of the 2009-2010 academic year, respectively.
Living with a Chinese roommate—in match-ups based on interests and preferences—is one benefit shared by all School in China students, whether in Hangzhou, Kunming, or Beijing. Challenging coursework and the Language Pledge round out a highly immersive program for the serious student of Chinese.
What makes this level of immersion possible is the participants’ intermediate to advanced level of proficiency, acquired from a minimum of two years of prior college-level Chinese instruction. Individualized courses, taught in Mandarin by local instructors, are designed for School in China participants according to guidelines jointly developed by the School's Academic Director, Middlebury’s Chinese Department and summer Language School, and CET Academic Programs. One-on-one language classes are tailored to linguistic needs specific to a student’s field of interest.
Hangzhou, the flagship site of the School in China, offers a traditional broad-based humanities curriculum with a concentration in history and religious studies. Students interested in anthropology and environmental studies are likely to study in the multi-ethnic city of Kunming, while students of political science, economics, literature, and the arts may prefer Beijing, China’s political and cultural center.
An equally large variety of co-curricular activities exists; School in China staff members tailor them to students’ interests. The School reimburses independent student travel for activities that are most meaningful to their studies, and organizes activities for students and their Chinese roommates—who often serve as springboards for meeting other native speakers.
By immersing themselves in Chinese language and culture to this degree, students gain a strong appreciation for a way of life that initially feels very foreign, but gradually opens itself up as they expand their language skills and cultural competency.
