The Chinese American International School (CAIS) is excited to announce its new international program for high school students: the CAIS Yunnan Summer Academy (YSA): Chinese Language and Minority Cultures! This summer, eighteen high school students (including incoming 9th graders) with intermediate to advanced levels of Chinese will travel to beautiful Yunnan province, China, for a month of Chinese study, experiential activities, and travel. Supplementing and enriching the classroom curriculum, each student will complete an independent study project on a Yunnan-related topic of their choosing. These projects will include a short paper and a final presentation, to be given at the end of the program and at a special “China Night” event at CAIS in the fall.
Please see below for more information regarding this exciting new program!
Program Structure
The group will travel to beautiful Yunnan Province in southwestern China for four weeks.
Kunming: For the first two weeks, we’ll be based in the province’s capital city of Kunming, known as the “spring city” for its comfortable climate. In Kunming, we’ll be based at Yunnan Minzu University (YMU), where we’ll attend subject-based language classes, participate in interactive language activities and field trips, and begin working on our Independent Study Projects (ISPs). We will live in homestays near campus, and will have time to explore and get to know the city on our own.
Northwestern Yunnan Excursion: Following our two weeks of study in Kunming, we’ll embark on an eleven-day excursion through northwestern Yunnan, a region of outstanding cultural and biological diversity. The provisional itinerary includes Weibaoshan, Dali, Shaxi, and Shangri-la (previously known as Zhongdian/Gyalthang). This excursion will include lectures, NGO/school site visits, on-site classes, trips to sites of cultural and historical importance, outdoor activities, and time to utilize the surrounding environments to work on our ISPs.
Kunming Wrap-Up: Upon return from our excursion, we’ll have several days of wrap-up in Kunming. This will include language testing, ISP presentations, and a final dinner and talent show before heading home!
Who We Are
YSA is the product of a partnership between the Chinese American International School (CAIS) and the Center for Cultural Learning and Development (CCLD) at Yunnan Minzu University (YMU), both leaders in Chinese immersion education and experiential international programming in China. Since 1981, CAIS has been a pioneer in Mandarin-English dual language immersion education. Currently, CAIS sends over one hundred students, faculty, and staff to greater China each year for language learning, cultural exchange, and experiential learning programs.
Partner organization CCLD has run high school and college-level immersive language and cultural programs in Yunnan for over ten years; its staff, as part of an international study-abroad program, has been doing so for twice as long. With a wide array of resources and partners in the region, as well as extensive experience operating programs for American high school students, CCLD was an easy choice for a partner organization for YSA.
Program Fee
The program fee is $6000, which includes all travel, accommodations, meals, and programming/activities. Participants' passports and extra spending money are not included.
Application
Please find the application (as a downloadable Word file) below. The application includes detailed instructions as well as information on program eligibility. Please make sure to pay especial attention to long answer question #5, which asks participants to write a short abstract about what they might want to study for their independent projects.
Send applications directly to:
Jonas Crimm
International Programs Coordinator, Chinese American International School
[email protected]
In the email subject line, please write "YSA Application: (STUDENT NAME)"
Application due date: Friday, February 27, 2015. Please contact Jonas Crimm directly if application will be late. Supplemental materials (recommendation/proof of Chinese) can be submitted after application due date.
For More Information
First, please read the documents below/attached.
Second, please feel free to contact me at any time via the above email address.
We look forward to this summer’s Yunnan adventure!
Please see below for more information regarding this exciting new program!
Program Structure
The group will travel to beautiful Yunnan Province in southwestern China for four weeks.
Kunming: For the first two weeks, we’ll be based in the province’s capital city of Kunming, known as the “spring city” for its comfortable climate. In Kunming, we’ll be based at Yunnan Minzu University (YMU), where we’ll attend subject-based language classes, participate in interactive language activities and field trips, and begin working on our Independent Study Projects (ISPs). We will live in homestays near campus, and will have time to explore and get to know the city on our own.
Northwestern Yunnan Excursion: Following our two weeks of study in Kunming, we’ll embark on an eleven-day excursion through northwestern Yunnan, a region of outstanding cultural and biological diversity. The provisional itinerary includes Weibaoshan, Dali, Shaxi, and Shangri-la (previously known as Zhongdian/Gyalthang). This excursion will include lectures, NGO/school site visits, on-site classes, trips to sites of cultural and historical importance, outdoor activities, and time to utilize the surrounding environments to work on our ISPs.
Kunming Wrap-Up: Upon return from our excursion, we’ll have several days of wrap-up in Kunming. This will include language testing, ISP presentations, and a final dinner and talent show before heading home!
Who We Are
YSA is the product of a partnership between the Chinese American International School (CAIS) and the Center for Cultural Learning and Development (CCLD) at Yunnan Minzu University (YMU), both leaders in Chinese immersion education and experiential international programming in China. Since 1981, CAIS has been a pioneer in Mandarin-English dual language immersion education. Currently, CAIS sends over one hundred students, faculty, and staff to greater China each year for language learning, cultural exchange, and experiential learning programs.
Partner organization CCLD has run high school and college-level immersive language and cultural programs in Yunnan for over ten years; its staff, as part of an international study-abroad program, has been doing so for twice as long. With a wide array of resources and partners in the region, as well as extensive experience operating programs for American high school students, CCLD was an easy choice for a partner organization for YSA.
Program Fee
The program fee is $6000, which includes all travel, accommodations, meals, and programming/activities. Participants' passports and extra spending money are not included.
Application
Please find the application (as a downloadable Word file) below. The application includes detailed instructions as well as information on program eligibility. Please make sure to pay especial attention to long answer question #5, which asks participants to write a short abstract about what they might want to study for their independent projects.
Send applications directly to:
Jonas Crimm
International Programs Coordinator, Chinese American International School
[email protected]
In the email subject line, please write "YSA Application: (STUDENT NAME)"
Application due date: Friday, February 27, 2015. Please contact Jonas Crimm directly if application will be late. Supplemental materials (recommendation/proof of Chinese) can be submitted after application due date.
For More Information
First, please read the documents below/attached.
Second, please feel free to contact me at any time via the above email address.
We look forward to this summer’s Yunnan adventure!
ysa_studentapp.doc |