Suchergebnisse

A general outline of the Chinese University system during the period of the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution & into the beginning of the post-Mao period. The information is based on personal observations & contacts (as a student) at the University of Peking. Although the data are mostly limited to Peking, they are generally applicable, since few differences exist between institutions. The Chinese University has academic, political, & productive activities. The academic activity is brief; classes meet for a few morning hours, & issues are discussed collectively under the direction of a teacher. The curriculum is entirely obligatory; there are no electives. A basic text is used in each course, & students rarely use other sources. The student-teacher relationship is very formal. Political activity takes up the better part of a student's time; in fact, the University could be considered a center for political preparation. There are few major differences of political opinion among students. The productive activity involves manual labor in factories & communes, to enable students to apply what they have learned. The practice of sending students to factories intensified with the Cultural Revolution. In addition, sports & military training are also important. Student organizations exist, but lack the influence of their Western counterparts. The results achieved by the Chinese system, although generally satisfactory, have been rather slow in coming. The higher education system should be expanded, but not so fast as to surpass the capacity of the economy to absorb its graduates. S. Karganovic.