Courses for overseas students help promote int'l exchanges

3gzylon 2013-05-29

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Beijing, May 29 ((People's Daily Online) Hu Zhengrong, vice president of Communication University of China visited People's Daily Online and had an exclusive interview at the website on Monday. In the interview, he elaborated on how international programs designed for foreign students can further promote the international communications.

Journalism tops as the most favored discipline for foreign students

As connection between cultures has been strengthening in recent years, many leading universities in China have been gearing up for setting up courses and programs for overseas students who what to get postgraduate and PhD diplomas in China.

In 2011, Communication University of China has set up its first batch of courses specifically designed for foreign students. Most students chose journalism and communication related courses.

One of the reasons why so many foreign students come to China to study journalism is that according to the newly published discipline evaluation by Ministry of Education,journalism and communication of Communication University of China have been ranked top discipline among the equivalents, Hu said.

Another possible reason is that foreign students have begun to realize that instead of learning basic Chinese language, it is more important to study the sociology-related courses, as such courses can provide them the basic foundation to better understand and communicate with China in the future.

How can these foreign students finish the courses under the background of Chinese society and culture within only one or two years? Hu said the courses designed for the overseas students are formed in a mixture of tasks, combining lecturing visits and internships.

There are visits to the news agencies, primary and secondary schools, some remote poor area, or even prison. The purpose of such course design is to let them have a more comprehensive understanding about China, to let them know China is not only about big cities like Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou. In this approach, they actually start to think critically and understand things that happen every day in China.

International communication helps promote soft power

When talking about China's rapidly growth in the recent decades, Hu said now that China has shown the muscle and power to the world, it is time to think about the software behind the power, while educational and cultural communications can serve as a platform. Hu expressed his hope that more universities should start thinking about international communications and therefore further promote China's soft power.