Daily Pioneer News

PLATTEVILLE - After five months at the University of Wisconsin-Platteville, the 20 visiting students and two visiting scholars from the South Central University for Nationalities (SCUN) in Wuhan, China, are returning home this week. The students have been pursuing a program of study in English education designed to further develop their skills in teaching English in China.

The main purpose of the semester in residency is for the students to write a major seminar paper in their chosen field of study under the direction of Wally Iselin, professor of education, and the students' individual advisors. English language acquisition has become a major priority of the Chinese government, and children typically start learning English at a very young age. Topics this year ranged from a comparison of home life and approach to education between China and the U.S. to the role independent colleges may play in the future of English education.

However, the students from SCUN said the semester is valuable to them beyond their time in the classroom. For many, it is the first opportunity to explore U.S. culture and language with native speakers, first-hand.

"The value is in the cultural immersion. Sometimes we don't know from our perspective in China how people really live. We have certain expectations because of what we see or hear in the media and sometimes those seem true. But there are certainly things that are unexpected, such as people's use of slang or informal language. That is interesting for us to hear and try to respond to," said Na Li, one of the students from SCUN. Li and her friend, Huang Qian, then went on to discuss all the meanings and nuances of the word "goofy," and the phrase, "having a crush on someone."

Qian, who explored the theme of Chinese generational conflict in America in Amy Tan's Novel, "The Joy Luck Club," in her paper, said the research was valuable in considering the differences between natives of China and the U.S. as well.

"I think we expect to see great differences between China and America, but I believe as time goes by and we communicate between countries, we will see that the differences are not so great," she said.

The students attended many other classes while here and were able to choose from a wide variety of courses across the curriculum. They stayed with host families and traveled locally to get a feel for the region. David Van Buren, dean of graduate studies, said the students will be missed.

"We are very sad to see our students from Wuhan depart from our community. This was a very productive semester, and I think all of the students would agree that it has served as their culminating experience in the master's program. In addition to academic coursework and completing the research and writing of their seminar papers, they were immersed in American culture through their home visits with host families, their interaction with UWP students, conversation partners, and their roommates in the residence halls, and the many field trips and excursions in which they participated. We are especially grateful for the extraordinary support of the host families and Friends of Wuhan. They provided the students with a view of American life that can never be achieved through formal study. Indeed, there was so much interest from the local community that each pair of our Wuhan students was hosted by three different families," said Van Buren.

The students themselves expressed their gratitude to their host families, instructors and campus support services.

"Everyone has been very helpful. We will miss the people on campus and in the community," said Li. Anyone interested in learning more about the SCUN program or the visiting students may contact Iselin at (608) 342-1271 or Van Buren at (608) 342-1262.

Contact: Wally Iselin, professor of education, (608) 342-1271, iselin@uwplatt.edu Prepared by: Evelyn Martens, UWp Public Relations, (608) 342-1194, martense@uwplatt.edu