Collegiate partnership new symbol of Sino-US exchange

Source:Xinhua Published: 2015-10-4 15:36:37

In a freshly decorated college classroom in Kunshan, a city 70 kilometers from Shanghai, international students debate the topic of refugees.

The students are participating in a mock UN meeting as part of a semester-long general education program offered by Duke Kunshan University (DKU), a Sino-American joint partnership.

The courses are designed to not only give Chinese students a taste of American higher education, but also prepare them to become global citizens.

DKU is not the only Sino-American university that has emerged. New York University Shanghai (NYU Shanghai) and Wenzhou Kean University were both founded prior to DKU in the booming Yangtze River delta.

Chinese and American universities have been exchanging students and researchers since the People's Republic of China (PRC) and the United States established diplomatic ties more than three decades ago. The new joint universities are a sign that exchange between higher learning institutions in the two countries has reached a new height.

HISTORY OF HIGHER EDUCATION EXCHANGE

Universities in the two countries have been leaders in people-to-people exchange and Sino-US relations.

In the early 1970s, policy consultations by visionary American scholars prompted a change in US policies toward China.

Shortly after the two countries publicized the communique on establishing diplomatic relations, the PRC sent its first group of 52 students to the United States, which was followed by a wave of Chinese students studying abroad.

In June, the Sixth China-US High-Level Consultation on People-to-People Exchange (CPE) held in Washington, D.C., resulted in both sides pledging to support strategic cooperation between educational institutions.

Tsinghua University, a top Chinese school, will partner with the University of Washington to establish the Global Innovation Exchange, a Seattle-based institute offering a master's degree program.

"Cooperation between Chinese and US universities is deepening, setting a brilliant example for Sino-US exchanges, cooperation and mutual learning," Vice Premier Liu Yandong said in June.

FULL OF SURPRISES

For Chinese students in Sino-US joint schools, a different style of education can mean a lot of surprises.

DKU was jointly established by Duke University and Wuhan University. In addition to three graduate programs, it offers undergraduate students a one-semester general education course called the Second Campus Program.

Students from outstanding schools can apply for the English-language course. The credits they earn at DKU will be recognized by their home schools.

Guo Na, a student of preventive medicine at Peking University, was among the first trainees of DKU's Second Campus Program. She was impressed by the delivery of classes at DKU, which allowed her to study a mix of subjects.

She studied humanities, natural and social sciences, commerce and economics in one semester. "I was neither bored nor stressed-out," she said.

"We spent more time in exchanging ideas with classmates and teachers, rather than sitting in big lectures," Guo said, describing her experience at DKU as "an adventure full of surprises."

Zhong Kai was also surprised to discover how the courses connected him to the outside world and broadened his horizons.

Zhong took a course in energy and national security. The lecturer invited a US ambassador to Mexico to speak about the importance of Mexican oil to the United States. A Canadian diplomat came to talk about oil deals between Canada and the United States.

Zhong said the courses were eye-opening and globally oriented, adding that they were taught by people with hands-on experience.

General education allows students of one discipline to learn and apply the knowledge and methodologies of others, said Denis Fred Simon, vice president of DKU, adding that knowledge of only one discipline is often not enough to solve problems.

OPPORTUNITY FOR MUTUAL LEARNING

Yu Lizhong, president of NYU Shanghai, said the schools provide a great reference and good practices for China in its higher education reform.

American-style education is different in many aspects from Chinese education, including enrollment, curriculum design and teaching methods, Yu said.

NYU Shanghai has adopted American-style general education for undergraduate students.

As China's first independent operation of a Sino-US university, NYU Shanghai is jointly run by New York University and East China Normal University.

Yu said he hopes that general education can help students experience different disciplines, especially in their first two years, and then decide which majors they would like to pursue.

In China, students choose their majors prior to entering schools, often with little knowledge of the discipline. Some make their choices based on social pressure or scramble for the most financially promising fields.

Students at NYU Shanghai study general education courses in their first two years, including mathematics, science, writing, languages, as well as global and Chinese studies.

After the first two years, students settle on one or two majors based on their own interests and understanding of disciplines.

The president of NYU Shanghai said giving students autonomy to choose majors, rather than distributing majors according to examination scores or letting parents make the choice, can train students to be more proactive in shaping their own future.

NYU Shanghai also broke tradition by introducing a new set of recruitment criteria typical of American schools. The criteria combine performance in senior high schools, campus activities and college entrance exams.

Chinese universities usually screen candidates based solely on national college entrance exam scores.

Yu said all these changes are experiments in reform enabled by deepening exchange between China and the United States.

On the other side, Sino-US universities have attracted international students to learn about China. At NYU Shanghai, international students account for half of the 900 students.

Wesley Livingstone, from the United States, is among them. The school has given him not only an excellent command of Chinese language, but also a growing understanding of China.

President Xi Jinping said the relationship between the two countries is based on the closeness of their people. Joint university programs offer a new generation of students like Livingstone opportunities to be players in bilateral exchange.

Posted in: Diplomacy

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