Global climate change is one of the biggest challenges our world is facing today. Besides developing clean energy, seeking technological advances to reduce the amount of CO2 that is released to the air, as individuals and societies, we can also change our habits and collective behaviors, minimize our carbon footprint and lower our impact to the environment.
Georgia Tech is a top 10 public research university in the United States. Georgia Tech’s mission is to develop leaders who advance technology and improve the human condition. Georgia Tech strives to be a leader in sustainability and to promote action and awareness through education, research, and operational practice. Sustainability is a core value in everything that we do at Georgia Tech.
As a global institution with its main campus in Atlanta, Georgia, USA and educational facilities in Shenzhen, China, as well as in Lorraine, France, Georgia Tech is a convener of worldwide collaboration. China and the United States are the two largest producers of fossil fuel CO2 emissions accounting for approximately 42% of the CO2 emissions worldwide. Curbing climate change requires efforts from all societies, but the resolve and collective actions of the peoples from China and the United States will have the most impact.
In January 2022, we will have an online collaborative platform for college students from China to interact with faculty, students, and practitioners from Georgia Tech to learn about climate change, its impacts, our carbon footprint, clean energy technologies, sustainable and regenerative built environments, efficient energy and water solutions, efficient waste processing, and having inspiring conversations to do our part to halt climate change.
The program consists of a required sustainability education component and a Language Institute course requirement. The sustainability education component consists of a series of 8 real-time seminars and “Show & Tell” sessions with Georgia Tech experts. Students will form 5-person teams supported by a Georgia Tech student assistant and engage in literature survey and discussions on a sustainability topic of their choice. At the end of the program, we will have a student team presentation showcase reflecting on knowledge learned and climate actions to be taken. Prizes will be given to student teams voted as having the best presentations. Upon satisfactory participation, students will earn a sustainability education certificate for this portion of the program.
For the Language Institute course component, students will choose 1 or 2 courses from a menu of 4 courses, taught in real-time by Georgia Tech Language Institute instructors. Students can learn reading/writing/communication skills that they can apply to the sustainability team discussions and presentation. For this component, students will receive a Georgia Tech Language Institute transcript.
Details of the program can be found on the following pages.
This program is open to all college students from China aged 18 or above. Students must have essential English communication skills in order to participate.
Program Dates
Part 2: February 7- February 11, 2022
Course Options (choose one or two)
Communication for the 21st Century: In this course, you will focus on developing 21st Century communication skills. You will learn how to collaborate more effectively on a team, use problem solving and critical thinking skills to find innovative solutions to real problems, and create a multi-media approach to communicate your ideas.
Academic Writing: In this course, you will learn the basic organization and style of American academic writing. The course will introduce the component parts of specific types of American academic writing. You will learn the purpose of these component parts as well as what American readers expect in terms of the content, style, tone, and vocabulary of these component parts. You will learn how to write in a way that meets the expectations of American readers, and practice evaluating writing samples.
American Popular Culture: In this course, you will learn about American popular culture through reading articles, actively participating in discussions, writing responses and opinion pieces, and watching videos on topics that are prevalent in the U.S. The class will taught in a seminar format, giving you an opportunity to experience the teaching and learning practices of typical U.S. university classrooms.
Public Speaking In this course, you will practice preparing and giving advanced-level presentations on a variety of topics using effective media tools. You will develop strategies to engage your audience. You will learn to identify your strengths as a public speaker by receiving feedback from the teacher and your peers.
Course Credits
Program courses earn Continuing Education Credits (CEUs). CEUs provide a measure of educational achievement and are widely recognized by employers, industry, professional associations, and certification and licensing agencies as evidence of educational progress. Each ASP course is 1.2 CEUs (Continuing Education Credits).
Grade and certificate options for the courses:
|
Short-Course Grade and Certificate Description |
80% attendance or higher |
80 % or higher on all Projects |
Grade |
Certificate |
|
Yes |
No |
S |
Certificate of Participation |
|
|
Yes |
Yes |
P |
Certificate of Successful Completion |
|
|
No |
Yes |
U |
N/A |
|
|
No |
No |
U |
N/A |
Transcript
Georgia Tech Language Institute transcript will be provided upon successful completion of the courses.
Certificate
Each student will earn a certificate of program completion upon successful completion of the program.