Recipients of Intensive Chinese Language Program
May 2023
In 2023, the Intensive Chinese Language program was held online, hosting ten 平特五不中 students from the Faculty of Arts for a four-week intensive Chinese course.
A Day in the Program
Students followed a daily schedule that included:
- Chinese classes led by Shantou University instructors
- Tutoring sessions provided by STU tutors
- Weekly cultural activities arranged by the Merry English School on Shantou University Campus
Meet Our Participants
These ten students were part of the Intensive Chinese Language course:
- Philipe Beauvais,
BA., International Development Studies and East Asian Studies - Grace van Bever,
BA., U0 - Inheon Choi,
BA., East Asian Studies and International Development Studies - Jackson Corfield,
BA., Hon. Linguistics - Katherine Gibby,
BA., East Asian Studies and Mathematics - Mathilde Hardouin,
BA., Jt. Hon. Political Science, Jt. Hon. East Asian Studies - Tali Libenstein,
BA., East Asian Studies and World Cinemas - Natacha Radenkovic,
BA., Political Science and International Development Studies - Alise Riddle,
BA., Political Science - Hana Samad,
BA., Jt. Hon. Political Science, Jt. Hon. History
Student Voices
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"I found tutorial sessions especially helpful, as they challenge you to say things outside of the typical classroom vocabulary in a more casual environment However, I would warn that they have to be willing to put the work in for it. With the appropriate amount of effort, this course is very good for improving fluency and confidence."
- Jackson Corfield
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"2023 LKS Intensive Chinese Language Course provided students with a chance to experience authentic Chinese culture and to practice our oral skills. The tutorial sessions and interactions with students from Shantou University are the highlight of the program."
- Inheon Choi
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"I genuinely believe this opportunity allowed me to address areas of my language skills that I don’t practice much in classroom settings and progress on my goals of improving my speaking and reading proficiency. I hope future students will continue learning and stay motivated because the experience lives up to everything you can imagine"
- Ali Riddle
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"I greatly enjoyed my tutor sessions alongside fellow classmates; it was such an invaluable experience! I learnt so much about Chinese culture from the perspective of young native Shantou residents, and formed special bonds along the way. At times, immersing myself fully in the program was difficult, primarily as a result of our late class time. I did my best to remain engaged by actively participating whenever possible and by the end of the program I became confident with my oral literacy."
- Tali Libenstein
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"I decided to participate in the Shantou program to become confident speaking in Mandarin. My ultimate goal is to become fluent in the language. The program allowed me to reach those goals: my Chinese has improved a lot, and I am now able to speak more fluidly. The main obstacle I faced was finding the courage to speak in Mandarin with our TAs. I was not confident at all in Chinese before the program and having conversations in Chinese with our TAs was very hard. Eventually, after a few days, I started becoming more comfortable and started speaking during the sessions."
- Natacha Radenkovic
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"I believe that this program allowed me to express myself better without overthinking every sentence. It also taught me a lot of expressions and words that are very common in everyday life, but that we do not come across in regular classes or books. We were able to discuss specific interests, while still being related to the course content. For example, I was able to discuss with one of the TAs the Shiji(史记) and the particularities of Classical Chinese as compared to modern mandarin."
- Mathilde Hardouin
May 2022
In May 2022, the following seven students from the Faculty of Arts took part in the Intensive Chinese Language program held online:
- Léa Baillargeon,
BA. Psychology - Ethan Bird,
BA. Geography - Bjorn Christensen,
BA. Computer Science and East Asian Studies - Anna Leeper,
BA. Langue et littérature fran?aise, traduction - Julia Miracle,
BA. Geography - Geeta Tewari,
BA. Political Science and Music - Michaela Zollicoffer,
BA. Economics
May 2021 - Online Pilot Program
In May 2021, we launched a pilot program for the Intensive Chinese Language Course, conducted online. This pilot program saw active participation from two outstanding students in the Faculty of Arts:
- John Allaster, PhD English Literature
- Sana Ashraf, BA. Jt. Hon. East Asian Studies, Jt. Hon. History
Their valuable participation and feedback have played a crucial role in improving the program. We extend our sincere thanks to them!