Inter-University Program for Chinese Language Studies at Tsinghua University, Beijing |
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The Inter-University Program for Chinese Language Studies (the "IUP") is located in Beijing at Tsinghua University. Blakemore Freeman Fellowships and Blakemore Refresher Grants are awarded for advanced study of Chinese at the IUP and the International Chinese Language Program at National Taiwan University (the "ICLP").
Click here to read a comparison of the IUP-Tsinghua and ICLP-Taiwan programs from the perspective of a Blakemore Fellow who attended both programs between 2003-2005. Click here to read a comparison from an individual who attend the ICLP in fall 2004 and the IUP during summer 2006.
Recent Comments from Blakemore Fellows at the IUP
"Overall, I am extremely pleased with my progress. My oral-aural skills are vastly improved and (most importantly) the number of characters that I recognize has significantly risen. As I detailed in my last report, there are some areas of IUP’s pedagogy with which I disagree. I still feel that tones and rote memorization of text are over-valued. However, I feel that IUP is the best Chinese language program that I have experienced (and based on the experiences of my friends who have attended local programs as well as American university-affiliated programs, this seems to be the best program available). I feel that this is largely due to the small class size and the quality of the instruction. I have been very lucky to have studied with experienced IUP teachers . . . Because I made requests for experienced teachers each semester, I was able to have an educational experience tailored to my skills and needs."
"I came into IUP having already lived and worked in China. I expected IUP to resemble my Chinese coursework at UC-Berkeley and other mainland programs. Instead, I have found the instruction to be both intensive and practical on an individual level. That is, classroom time is structured by a rigorous curriculum, and yet the aim is to master the vocabulary by applying it to discuss subjects of personal interest and import. After the first semester of instruction I find myself conversant on both topics taught in class, but also able to transfer that vocabulary to real-time news events in Beijing, and in Taiwan."
"The student pool is a mixed group with about 25% consisting of graduate students and at least in this year’s cohort about 50% are recently graduated undergraduates."
"I was very impressed with my initial progress. By the end of my first month I was able to follow Chinese television programs and started to follow Chinese soap operas to help improve my listening comprehension. I found myself using more complicated grammar patterns in my speaking and was able to understand the basic meaning of many of the propaganda posters in my apartment building."
"For speaking and listening skills, IUP is without a doubt the best program that I have attended, surpassing Middlebury College’s Summer Language Program (which I consider to be the best overall program I know of). Having classes of no more than three students forces extensive class participation and substantially increases the pressure to be prepared for class."
