Living/Learning Center Programs

The University of Vermont

http://www.uvm.edu/llcenter

 

Chinese House

 

OVERVIEW

 

The Chinese House was first established in the fall semester of 1998.  It provides a living and learning place to students who are interested in various aspects of the Chinese culture as well as to those who are learning the Chinese language.  It is also the place where students can come together after classes to organize and participate in extracurricular activities that would enrich their experiences with Chinese culture and reinforce their Chinese language learning with the assistance of Chinese language faculty at UVM and visiting scholars from China.

 

RATIONALE

 

Chinese culture is the only culture that has continued without any interruption in the human history.  China has a history of five thousand years recorded in the Chinese language, and this recorded history offers a wealth of knowledge in almost any field, such as philosophy, medicine, arts, architecture, law, government, mathematics, agriculture, astronomy, military, cuisine, martial arts.  All of these await our students to explore and utilize in their life and make contributions to the society. Many students have the interest in getting to know Chinese culture, and the Chinese cultural activities organized by the Chinese House Program in the past have provided UVM students the opportunities to learn and experience Chinese culture.

 

In addition, the Chinese language is the language spoken by the most of the people on the earth, and many students are curious about this language which is very different from English and other European languages. Unlike English and other European languages, Chinese is a non-alphabetic and tonal language. Chinese characters and tones perhaps present the biggest challenge to any student who decides to learn Chinese.  Formal classroom instruction is far from enough for students to acquire the Chinese language skills.  The opportunities to interact with others in Chinese and to be exposed to Chinese speaking situations and environments are necessary.  The Chinese House Program will try to provide such opportunities.

 

Last but not the least, China is the largest developing country that has enjoyed the fastest economic development.  It has the potential of becoming the largest market for the United States.  More and more students realize that having a good knowledge of Chinese culture and being able to speak Chinese would open themselves up to a lot of good career opportunities.  The Chinese House Program will help students to get ready for these opportunities.

 

 

 

LEARNING OBJECTIVES:

 

To promote UVM students’ understanding of the various aspects of Chinese culture.

 

ACTION STEPS

 

  • Organize in each semester some of the following activities under the guidance of the Chinese faculty at UVM and with the assistance of the visiting scholars from China and Chinese House residents:

1)  Invite teachers and students who have just come back from China to talk about their experiences in China and show their photos and slides taken of China.

2) Invite Chinese visiting scholars or native Chinese students to introduce China.

3) Celebrate Chinese holidays, such as the spring festival (Chinese New Year) and the moon festival.

4) Hold Chinese sing-along parties during which students can sing along or learn to sing Chinese songs.

5) Have Chinese potluck parties and demonstrate how to cook Chinese dishes and food.

6) Introduce Chinese games such as Chinese chess, card games, and majiang.

7) Organize excursions to China Town in nearby cities.

8) Show newly released Chinese movies.

9) Show Chinese TV programs in both Chinese and English.

10) Hold Ping-Pong tournaments.

 

  • Some of the activities listed above will be incorporated into two one-credit courses Glimpses of Chinese Culture I & II (AIS 095 in the fall semester and AIS 096 in the spring semester).  The residents of Chinese House and other students may register to take the course.  The students taking this course will meet once a week in the Chinese house or other appropriate places to deal with the following topics:

 

(In Fall Semester)

Chinese Holidays

Chinese Operas

Chinese Folk Songs

Chinese Acupuncture

                        Chinese Qigong

Chinese Martial Arts

Chinese Architecture

            Chinese Tea

 

(In Spring Semester)

Chinese Music Instruments

Chinese Painting

Chinese Sports

Studying and Living in China

Chinese Calligraphy

Chinese Women

Chinese Minority Nationalities

Chinese Chess

Chinese Cuisine

 

  • Create a Chinese atmosphere by decorating the lounge in the Chinese house with Chinese lanterns, posters, photos, paintings, calligraphy works, and handcrafts of Chinese House residents’ choosing.

 

To enhance and reinforce students’ experiences of learning and using the Chinese language after class.

 

ACTION STEPS

 

  • Organize Chinese conversational groups among the students of the Chinese House and with the students of Chinese living in other dorms or outside campus.  The conversational groups meet regularly during the week to practice speaking Chinese.
  • Get connected with the Internet from the Chinese House so that the students may get on line and browse Chinese web sites.
  • Watch Chinese TV programs at the Chinese house from video tapes or through the satellite dish.
  • Participate in the Chinese talent shows organized by the Chinese Language Program at UVM.

 

To prepare students for their possible future study and career related to China.

 

  ACTION STEPS

 

  • Be aware of the studying and living conditions in study abroad programs in China by communicating through regular mail and electronic mail with the UVM students already in China.
  • Get to the China related job market through the Internet and other media so as to be prepared for a China-related career.

 

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