Program Goals
The Program offers students from all majors and with or without any prior formal study of Chinese an opportunity to have a varied and full course load that meets the requirements toward a Yale degree and maximizes intellectual exchange. Each semester, two members of the Yale Faculty each teach two courses in their disciplines for the Program. We expect that in every year there will be at least one course taught by a Yale faculty member from each of the Yale College disciplinary divisions. Peking University faculty also offer two courses specifically for the Program, in addition to several Chinese language courses.
- Global Curricular Perspective. In order to appeal to a wide array of Yuanpei and Yale students, course offerings represent many different fields and a broad cross-section of subject matter. While some classes cover content specifically related to Chinese or American culture or history, others integrate area-specific content into a global perspective. With the exception of the Chinese language classes, all course offerings will be conducted in English.
- Chinese Language. To maximize cultural understanding, each Yale student will enroll in a Chinese language class at the beginning, intermediate or advanced level. Students who are fluent in Chinese may be permitted to fulfill the Program's language requirement by auditing a course taught in Chinese at Peking University. This must be arranged in consultation with the Resident Director.
- Opportunities in Science and Engineering. Students may undertake directed research in one of two joint PKU-Yale laboratories located on the Peking University campus and managed by a Yale faculty member: Beida-Yale Joint Research Center for Microelectronics and Nanotechnology and Peking-Yale Joint Center for Plant Molecular Genetics and Agro-biotechnology.
