What's for homework? A cup of tea

花样选修课助你叩响职场大门

Students learn to develop valuable survival skills and deepen their sense of Chinese culture with the ancient art of zongzi making.

TIANJIN University freshman Liu Li showed up for her elective class on tea culture in China, Japan and South Korea expecting to sit at a desk and stare at a blackboard. To her surprise, she found herself in a classroom that had been turned into a makeshift teahouse - complete with fancy tea sets.

天津大学大一新生刘丽（音译）选修了一门中日韩茶文化研究课。她原以为要坐在课桌前死盯着黑板，后来却惊喜地发现，教室竟然被装饰成一个临时茶室，布满了精致茶具。

The elective was just one of a growing number that aim to bring practical topics to the classroom. Many of these classes are particularly tuned to the interests and desires of young people.

如今，为了将更多的实用性课题引进教室，这样的选修课越来越多了。很多课程是根据年轻人的兴趣和需求量身定做的。

Zhang Yi, a 19-year-old journalism major at Yangzhou University, takes a wine-tasting class. Huang He, an 18-year-old international trade major at Tianjin University of Commerce, takes a class on jade jewelry.

例如，杭州大学新闻专业的张怡（音译），19岁，选修了一门品酒课程。天津商贸大学国际贸易专业的黄河（音译），18岁，选修了一门翡翠珠宝鉴赏课。

The classes range from golf to tea ceremonies to nutrition.

高尔夫球，茶艺以及营养学同样也被列入了选修课名单。

Such classes aim to "improve students` `survival abilities`," said Wang Yingjie, a professor at the Institute of Higher Education at Beijing Normal University. "They help students to learn certain skills which can give them an advantage when hunting for jobs."

提到这些花样繁多的选修课，北京师范大学高等教育学院教授王英杰说：“这类课程旨在提高学生的‘生存能力’。它们可以让学生学到某种特定技能，这对将来的求职也会有一定帮助。”

Devising such "practical" classes, says Wang, demands careful thought and planning.

王英杰还说：“开设这种实用课程需要认真考虑，计划周全。”

A wonderful elective should not only consider the real-life needs of students. It should also contain academic substance and a lively learning environment.

他认为，一门精彩的选修课不仅应考虑到学生的现实需要，还应兼顾学术性和生动性。

US universities have long offered classes devoted to strange topics. Most, however, are founded on solid academic ground.

在这方面，美国大学起到了很好的表率作用。一直以来，它们都努力在课程设置上推陈出新。而这些不同寻常的课程大多数都具有扎实的理论基础。

The Science of Harry Potter class offered at Frostburg University in Maryland, for example, is actually a physics class that analyzes the possibilities of magic.

例如：马里兰州弗罗斯特堡大学开设了“哈利波特学”，该课程实际上是一门物理课，主要分析魔法的可行性。

Xuan Tianying, an expert in the Chinese Association of Higher Education, attributes the quality of such elective courses to US universities` democratic approach to the curriculum. At some schools, electives with the fewest students are eliminated from the course list. So, too, are classes that receive lots of negative feedback.

中国高等教育学会专家旋天颖认为，这些选修课的高质量应归功于美国大学民主化的课程体制。在美国，只有少量学生报名的选修课会被学校从课程表上删除，负面评价太多的课程也将面临同样的处境。

"It`s just like a course supermarket," said Xuan. "Professors work hard to stay on the shelf. But in China, the course system originally followed the former Soviet model," in which students had little say.

旋天颖说：“这就像是一个选课超市。为了不让自己'下架'，教授们必须努力工作。然而在中国，课程体系仍然遵循之前苏联的模式，学生根本没有发言权。”

Aspects of this model still exist despite the reform that began in 2000. But some teachers have begun to catch on to the American model.

虽然自2000年起国内开始实行教育改革，但这种模式仍然存在。不过，一些老师已经开始着手了解美国的教育模式。

Zhu Rongshuang, 19, a German major at Shandong University, is satisfied with her elective this semester - Sun Zi`s Art of War and Strategy of Business Negotiation. "The teacher helps us to understand the application of war principles to business," said Zhu.

朱荣双（音译）是山东大学德语系的学生。她对自己这学期的选修课非常满意--孙子兵法和商业谈判策略。朱荣双说：“老师在课上教我们如何把孙子兵法运用在商战中。”

Huang Kan, dean of educational administration at Shandong University, says the class has been a hit: "This kind of course, which helps students explore and learn from ancient or popular culture, offers a successful formula for holding students` interest."

山东大学教育行政管理系主任黄刊（音译）称，这门选修课很受欢迎：“此类课程可以帮助学生探索并吸取古代通俗文化中的精髓，为激发学生的学习兴趣提供了一种成功模式。”