Chinese language, culture and history - summer course in China for students in Science and Technology

Instruction only takes place in China and is in the form of lectures, exercise sessions, seminars and field trips. Field trips to companies and events and places of cultural interest in the area of Nanjing or Shanghai are mandatory.

Main course components

• Chinese speaking and writing practice with the focus on elementary and everyday language skills.
• Overview of Chinese history, geography and knowledge of the Chinese customs that will facilitate communication in a Chinese setting
• Introduction to Chinese culture and an overview of the development of Chinese society, partly with a focus on the Chinese way of doing business, partly on cultural differences between China and Sweden
• Introduction to Chinese art with a focus on Chinese painting, calligraphy and folk music.
• Students are required to point out differences between China and Sweden in relation to course components.

Students have opportunities to reflect on differences and similarities between China and Sweden and to formulate insights in speech and writing. Students write weekly reports individually, which are then discussed in groups and reported in writing. Attendance at the mandatory classes are reported in the individual weekly reports and included as an item in the group reports. As part of the assessment students summarise their experiences and reflections in a final report, presented orally and involving mandatory peer reviewing for all students. All students prepare and introduce themselves in English. Some components are assessed in China and the certificate is scanned and uploaded to the communication platform.

Assessment is based on attendance in China, which has to be at least 90% of the scheduled teaching.

Progressive specialisation: G2F (has at least 60 credits in first‐cycle course/s as entry requirements)

Education level: Undergraduate level

Admission requirements: One year of study (60 ECTS cr) in Science or Technology at Karlstad University

Selection: Selection is usually based on your grade point average from upper secondary school or the number of credit points from previous university studies, or both.