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CURRICULUM
Lyman P. Van Slyke
Emeritus Professor of History, Stanford University
1st IUP Executive Secretary, 1963-64;
IUP Field Director, 1964-65;
IUP Executive Secretary, 1965-1996
IUP is an intensive language program for intermediate and advanced Chinese learners. Our admission standards traditionally require a minimum 2 years of university-level Chinese to place into IUP’s core curriculum.
IUP’s academic calendar is based on a structure of 8-week modules. The summer session, therefore, is one 8-week module; semester programs are two 8-week modules back-to-back; and the academic year consists of four 8-week modules.
IUP Programs
STANDARD IUP CURRICULUM
(3rd Year & Higher)
单班课
合班课
1
3
40
120
Total Contact Hours = 160
Grading Standards
- Attendance = 10%
- Classwork = 15%
- Homework = 15%
- Speech = 10%
- Midterm = 25%
- Final = 25%
PLACEMENT
Enrolled students complete a placement test on the first day of orientation. This placement test includes a 2-hour written exam, consisting of over 200 questions in listening comprehension, reading comprehension, grammar, vocabulary, idioms, and classical Chinese. In addition, each student must complete another 15-20 minute oral placement test.
This allows IUP to guarantee students are placed into the proper level(s) of classes. Depending on the individual language learner’s skills and needs, these courses can include different levels of difficulty in different subjects. Some students might be placed in 2 hours of 1-on-1 tutorials each day. This can occur when a student’s language level does not match with other incoming classmates or the student has specific topics he or she wants to study.
Finally, all students will retake the placement test in their final week of coursework so as to demonstrate how much they have improved over their time studying at IUP.
All Levels
Students in IUP’s standard curriculum take four classes using three textbooks per 8-week module. The placement test and interview will determine students’ actual schedules and textbooks.
4 hours of class per day
Students typically move through the following stages in their time at IUP.
Intermediate
Lower Intermediate Level
Solidifies Chinese language foundation by focusing on shoring up weakness in listening, speaking, reading, and writing, depending on the individual student’s language learning needs
Middle Intermediate Level
Continue solidification of the Chinese language foundation using some authentic materials and content that begins to introduce academic Chinese
Higher Intermediate Level
Authentic Chinese language materials that are slightly edited for accessibility, including glossary, grammatical notes, practice exercises, and discussion points.
Advanced
Lower Advanced Level
Authentic Chinese language materials that are slightly edited for accessibility, including glossary, grammatical notes, practice exercises, and discussion points. Classical Chinese study can begin at this level.
Middle Advanced Level
Authentic Chinese language materials, including Classical Chinese as well as primary or secondary sources in the student’s academic, professional, and/or research fields.
Higher Advanced Level
Authentic Chinese language materials with glossaries, vocabulary lists, and grammar notes, and can also include primary or secondary sources in the student’s academic, professional, and/or research fields.
Selected Materials Course
Advanced students may also choose to have a 1-on-1 “Selected Materials Course” (自选材料课), using teaching materials that they choose themselves. These courses allow advanced students to benefit from flexible curricula to delve into topics that fascinate them. Students have chosen materials courses on their academic interest, dissertation topic, and areas related to their career and will work closely with the instructor to craft a curriculum around these materials. Selected Materials Courses are designed to help students achieve professional competence in the topic of the course.
WE HAVE AN APP FOR THAT
Thanks to the hard work of IUP alumnus, Phil Lisio (IUP Taipei, ’92, ’93), current IUP students have been using an iPhone app with most of IUP’s core textbooks loaded into the application for the last couple of years.
This handy app syncs IUP text with IUP lesson text audio tracks for an easy way to review the materials for classes. The app also has official IUP vocabulary definitions, particles of speech, and pinyin pronunciation, highlighted in the text and preloaded in flashcard format! In addition, Baidu’s open-source dictionary powers vocabulary functions for words not in the IUP textbook vocabulary lists. Finally, the IUP iPhone app utilizes a basic spaced-repetition function to allow users the ability to flip through flashcards, with words the user marks as “incorrect” popping up more frequently when reviewing vocabulary flashcards.
Study Resources
READY?
Submit your application now!
