For my outreach activity I chose to create a video targeted at potential candidates for the ACC Summer Field Study at the University of Pennsylvania, detailing my experiences during the program. The video describes the structure of the program, the content of the courses we took while in Beijing, and some specific stories about our travel and teaching experiences. I conclude with a lengthy discussion of what can be gained from the program. I conclude that the FS program does assist students in achieving a higher level of Chinese, especially formal Chinese. It also improves students' oral translation skills and presentation skills. However, I observe that the programs greatest impact on its participants is in the area of cultural immersion and self-discovery. I argue that FS teaches students already familiar with China to set aside the safety of the foreigner's experience in Beijing, and trade it for a no-holds-barred immersion in Chinese rural culture. FS also allows students to teach rural Chinese about American culture. FS provides an opportunity to understand the educational background of rural Chinese and urban Chinese. This is imperative to understanding the cultural background of Chinese people one might come into contact with over the course of one's working career, regardless of whether or not that career involves the Chinese education system. I do not intend to be a teacher, but I understand the Chinese worldview much better for having understood how it is cultivated.
The audience for my video is Penn's advanced Chinese classes, and also students attending an information session on summer study abroad programs. I hope advanced students will be interested in applying to ACC (the video provides information on how to do so), and that beginning students will be inspired to achieve a level of Chinese that will allow them to apply to FS.
