At TBC, classes are scheduled very simply: aside from Chinese classes, each class is held just once a week, for two hours and forty-five minutes. The time slots are 1:30–4:15pm, 4:30–7:15pm, and 7:30–10:15pm. While two and a half hours may seem like a really long time to sit in class, every professor is understanding about giving one or two breaks per class period so we can breathe and talk and hang out for a little bit.
However, because each class is only held once a week, it is also policy at TBC that if a professor has to cancel a class, for any reason, then that period must be made up at a different time, decided upon by the students in the class and the professor. These usually end up happening on a Friday, Saturday, or Sunday afternoon, as those are the times most people don’t have class and the professors are free.
At first, I admit, this really sounded like a drag. I was so used to a cancelled class meaning a free afternoon to do other things or getting to put off homework another day. When I heard this policy I was pretty sure I was going to dread these make-up classes.
Well, here I am, three months later, able to testify that the make-up classes are pretty awesome. Most of the time class is held off campus, at a site or restaurant the professor really enjoys. For my Daoism class we went to 白云观 White Cloud Temple, a real Daoist temple in Beijing. Some people have said they’ve eaten some of their favorite meals in Beijing at restaurants their professors took their class to. The Discovering China through Film course even had the opportunity to go to dinner with a Chinese short film director. TBC asserts that, in this program, students truly “Study China in China,” and professors seize these opportunities to even further legitimize that motto; we, as TBC students, have the opportunity to experience China alongside our classmates, and alongside the women and men who are educating us.
So, even though your class might be rescheduled to a Friday, I am certain it will be more than worth it; if it means getting out and exploring Beijing, it can’t be anything but wonderful.
By Nick O’Reilly, Loyola University Chicago, Spring 2015 TBC Communications & Social Media Intern and Spring 2015 student
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