Peking University, Beijing

This course is designed to introduce Chinese society to advanced level non-native speakers of Chinese. Adopting a completely new perspective on China, this course examines the essence of Chinese culture based on a Chinese-Western cross-cultural framework, introducing Chinese geography, history, economics, philosophy and customs, in order to provide a general understanding of China's national conditions and core values. At the same time, the course expands knowledge of China, removes language barriers caused by the lack of background knowledge of Chinese culture and cross-cultural misunderstandings.

This course develops skills in listening comprehension, speaking, reading, and writing of Chinese for business activities, and deepens understanding of the economic life, society, and culture of China in relation to business. Teaching content includes company organizational structure; investment; recruiting and applying for a job; team work; product introduction; marketing; profit; advertising; customer service and trade negotiating. Emphasis is placed on teaching materials with complementary materials related to other business activities. The course includes discussion, simulated business dialogue, simulated business writing and other forms. Simulated business Chinese test reading, spoken Chinese language and writing examinations are offered to enhance students' use of Chinese language in daily life. Text: New Silk Road- Quick Advanced Business Chinese Language (Book I & Book II, by Li Haiyan). Assessment: Midterm test and final, class participation.

This is a case study of comparative philosophy. The course discusses philosophical thoughts of Zhuangzi in connection with other Eastern and Western philosophers. The central topics include reality, subject, mind and body, freedom, meaning of life, etc.

This course is an introduction to the theory and practice of international trade. Topics covered include the classical principles of trade theory, classical model of trade theory, expansion of classical trade theory, the WTO, taxes and quotas, subsidies, anti-dumping policies, other non-tax policies, regional economic groups, trade protectionism, trading rules, modes of international trade, and trade negotiations. Texts: LIU Wei, WEI Jie, and LI Quan. Guoji Maoyi [International Trade]; LI Quan. Guoji Maoyi [International Trade]; LI Quan. International Trade Case Studies; KRUGMAN, Paul and Maurice Obstfeld. International Economics Theory and Policy; Peter LINDERT, WEN Hai, and WANG Xinquan. International Trade. Assessment: Discussion, homework, and presentations (15%), midterm exam (20%), final exam (65%).

Faced by various challenges and opportunities, today's practitioners and students of international public policy need to find solutions to international governance from interdisciplinary and multidimensional perspectives. This course is an introduction to international public policy and provides a study of the actors, interactions among them, and crucial issue areas of international public policy. It brings together the academic study of international relations with analysis of public policy formulation and international governance beyond the nation-state. Topics include policy-making within the realm of political science, international relations, international public policy and comparative politics; as well as challenges of implementing complex international governance policies in different political, economic, technological, and cultural contexts. International public policy also covers various issue areas, such as conflict management, international law, immigration, education, public health, environmental protection, energy, terrorism, etc.

In regard to its extensive, profound, and on-going influence in European countries and beyond, including China, Japan, and other Asian countries, Greek and Roman mythology has contributed to the development of languages, cultures, ideologies, and other aspects of society. This course introduces the evolution of Greek and Roman mythology. It analyzes and interprets the values and meanings of the legendary stories of gods and goddesses and heroes, from perspectives rooted in history, culture, religion, literature, visual art, and comparative study. The course provides students with an essential and systematic understanding of Greek and Roman mythology and lays a foundation for further study of Western history and culture.

This course examines the Chinese people's daily life and Chinese culture through audio-visual-oral exercises. At the same time, it aims to comprehensively improve Chinese proficiency, especially in intercultural communication competence. The materials are from the popular comedy series “Home with Kids”. There are 4 units including 24 lessons, each with video content of around 3–4 minutes. Each lesson is composed of 6 sections: warm up questions, text, glossary, grammatical points, cultural points, and practice exercises. The teaching method is a combination of classroom training and review with DVD, highlighting the characteristics of audio-visual-oral training, and focusing on helping students to improve their comprehension in intercultural communication competence. Assessment: midterm test and final, class participation.

This course improves language skills and listening abilities with exercises in Chinese language. Main teaching content uses the advantages of multimedia presentation to study linguistic concepts and principles, and also trains students in intermediate level language skills. Textbooks, films, TV programs and songs are used in the class to improve students' listening skills. Text: Chinese Intermediate Listening Course by Yuanman LIU et al. Assessment: Midterm test and final, class participation.

This is a compulsory language course and the main goal is training students' communication ability in spoken Chinese. There are about 15 students for each class. There are 3 levels according to the textbooks and the vocabulary. Students learn 3000 new words in this level. After the course, students should be able to express themselves in Chinese at a normal speed. The expression in Chinese should be quite clear, accurate, and appropriate. Students are able to join some discussions on the general topics and have general business negotiation in Chinese. Text: INTERMEDIATE SPOKEN CHINESE II. (Zhongjikouyu 2) Peking University Press. Assessment: class performance, two midterm exams, final exam.