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<p>The problem with that is that it excludes things like Harvard’s East Asian Studies concentration, which, believe me, is a full-on Chinese major for people who choose to study Chinese.</p>
<p>Just studying a language isn’t really enough to constitute an academic major. You need to study the culture, literature, art, etc. So many colleges do not call their major program “Chinese” or “Arabic”.</p>
<p>I agree with JHS and others. That list was merely provided as a starting point for the OP, not as a be all end all. </p>
<p>Surely Chicago, Harvard, and Middlebury fit the bill also.</p>
<p>If she wants a school where her Chinese heritage would feel more comfortable, I’d suggest schools on the West Coast where you’ll probably find more Chinese culture and students with Chinese ethnic backgrounds.</p>
<p>To build on what JHS is saying, the issue with Chicago (to take one example) is not that the languages won’t be taught well compared to schools with a Chinese/Arabic major. The issue I see is that, once you cover everything required for the East Asian (/Arabic) Languages and Civilization program, plus the school’s heavy “Core” requirements, you have little or no room left to double-major in the second area.</p>
<p>This, in my opinion, is as it should be. Chinese and Arabic are both demanding languages. The associated civilizations are old, rich, and complex. So it is unrealistic to expect to cover both in much depth.</p>
<p>If you wanted to study both languages, up to a point, as part of a degree program in Linguistics, or perhaps International Relations, that’s different. In any case, I agree with JHS, just studying a language is not enough. It’s a tool or object of study in some broader field.</p>
<p>The Middlebury summer language programs, by the way, are wonderful. That would be one way to go if you need to add room to a very ambitious program of study.</p>
<p>Re: # 23:
Not necessarily. She would be among more students who look like her without being among students who are like her. She was adopted from China but is not culturally Chinese and thus does not share the same experiences living in Asia or in an Asian family.
It’s a significant difference.</p>
<p>I agree that it’s not enough to study a language on its own. One has to study the culture and history of a country in order to really be able to function. The same words carry very different connotations in different societies.</p>
<p>May I suggest you explore The Language Flagship Programs at [The</a> Language Flagship - * Welcome *](<a href=“http://www.thelanguageflagship.org%5DThe”>http://www.thelanguageflagship.org). These are intense programs that offer extensive study abroad and very impressive results…not for the faint of heart.</p>
<p>Thanks fa la la lena!</p>
<p>The College board list also doesn’t include University of Pennsylvania which offers 8 semesters of Arabic language in addition to lots of Mandarin levels.<br>
[Courses[/url</a>]
[url=<a href=“Chinese Language Program – Department of East Asian Languages and Civilizations”>http://ccat.sas.upenn.edu/chinese/Courses.html]Upenn</a> Chinese Program-Courses](<a href=“http://ccat.sas.upenn.edu/arabic/Courses.htm]Courses[/url”>http://ccat.sas.upenn.edu/arabic/Courses.htm)</p>
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<p>I was thinking of schools like the UCs where there are a number of American born Chinese besides those who actually come from either China or Taiwan (fewer in number). I think she’d want to avoid a place like Notre Dame which has a small Asian population.</p>
<p>^^ Well, yes, but even American-born Chinese will be very different from adopted Chinese children because of the family environment. My S has a friend who was adopted by a Caucasian mother and she was not part of the Asian-American organization nor was she considered “one of us” by students who were born in China.
Many colleges that offer Chinese offer sections for heritage students who may be able to speak the language a little but cannot read or write it.</p>
<p>There is a real wave of adopted Chinese girls that is approaching college age. I suspect that they form their own kind of sub-group, distinct from Chinese from China, overseas Chinese, and American-raised Chinese. Bat Mitzvahed Chinese. There are plenty of them.</p>
<p>There are actually parents subgroups. At the Dragon Boat festival here, they come out in force with their adopted daughters. Very sweet.</p>
<p>Chinese and Arabic are now the two most popular languages at Swarthmore College.</p>
<p>Four years of Chinese are offered plus two optional entry-level courses – one for beginners, one for “heritage” speakers with some speaking ability. In addition, there conversational sections, literature studies, directed studies, etc. There are honors and regular majors in either Chinese or Asian Studies, plus minors in both.</p>
<p>Three years of Arabic are offered, plus conversational sections and literature studies. Official majors are not yet offered, but there are special majors in Arabic and Islamic Studies. The department advises that an Arabic major would probably take a course or two at UPenn.</p>
<p>Swarthmore also has a very strong linguistics department, and there are options for “ling/lang” majors.</p>
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<p>Absolutely agree. I’m sure that Barack Obama didn’t really get steeped in African American culture until he went away to college and became a community organizer in Chicago. But I thought that she wanted to get more exposure to Chinese culture…</p>
<p>Check out McGill! It has a great Middle East Studies program.</p>
<p>Re: #34.Yes, but getting steeped in Chinese culture does not have to occur only by being among Chinese-Americans or students from China. In fact, it is shocking how little of their own culture many Chinese know. She can do so at universities that have strong programs in Chinese studies. I would not say that Chinese and Chinese-Americans are invisible at Harvard, to take one example.
Off-topic: The PRC government is trying to teach its people about the past. It’s funded a lavish movie “Confucius.” Cinemas that have been making huge profits showing Avatar are balking at having to switch to showing Confucius when showing Avatar continues to be profitable. There are a lot of students on American colleges who could talk knowledgeably about Confucius without having a drop of Chinese blood in their veins.</p>
<p>Princeton also has a lot of offerings in both chinese (through east asian studies) and arabic (through near eastern studies). There are also lots of classes relating to both chinese and arabic culture/politics in other departments. There is also the very popular PiB and PiA for students who want to spend a summer in Asia learning chinese.</p>
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<p>Yes, although, to really get steeped in the language and contemporary culture, there is no getting around an “immersion” experience. Any language or area studies major should expect to spend a year abroad, ideally with limited exposure (outside class) to other American students. If this is not possible, a State-side immersion program such as Middlebury’s summer school is the next best thing.</p>
<p>I’d like to see a movie about Confucius!</p>
<p>Especially one starring Chow Yun Fat. But people in China seem less keen.</p>