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UD's partner institution in Shanghai is East China Normal University, a major research and teaching institution that provided a director-in-residence, as well as two program assistants, one of whom is a UD graduate.
"A major goal of our institute is to provide American students not only with an academically exciting adventure, but more importantly, the knowledge and experiences that will be useful in their lives as they continue their study of Chinese language, culture and history in high school and college," Chen says.
The 24 students selected this year from more than 600 applicants across the country received over 120 hours of intensive instruction and tutoring in Mandarin Chinese, took courses in Chinese history and culture as well as an e-portfolio course that documented their personal journey in China, stayed with a Chinese family for 15 days, and explored China's culture through guest lectures and field trips.
With the institute's theme "Understanding Modern China: Tradition and Transformation," the group explored issues affecting U.S.-Sino relations, such as Taiwan, foreign trade, regional conflicts, the North Korea nuclear crisis, women's issues, the one-child policy and China's aging population.