12 Cause and Effect Essay Topics on Chinese Students’ Discrimination in the US

Topics and ideas
Posted on December 17, 2015

If you are writing a cause and effect essay on Chinese students’ discrimination in the United States, there are many facts that you might want to consider integrating into your work. Below is a short list of some recent developments, based on many scientific journals and studies. These might be of use to anyone who needs to include useful information into their existing content, or who is searching for another argument to include in an existing paper:

  1. Colleges and universities are being forced to increase the number of international students who attend universities, as a result of the economic crisis and many state and federal level budget cuts. Such a move has resulted in many tax dollars being spent educating students who come from out of state as well as from out of the country. $21.8 billion was spent by international students on their education in the United States in 2011.
  2. 70% of international students who enroll in American universities receive their funding from sources which are beyond the boundaries of the United States. Many foreign students, especially from China, are encouraged and recruited by universities to attend so that they generate income for the school and so that they can improve diversity on campus as well as increase cultural exposure enjoyed by other local students.
  3. Higher rates of international students have results in higher racial incidents targeted primarily at international students. The rate of incidents increase when issues arise in the news relating to the country where a particular student may originate. In some cases, domestic students may inaccurately place blame or target students incorrectly, such as pointing racial slurs about Koreans to a Chinese student, or vice versa.
  4. Recent studies have determined that discrimination faced by Chinese students goes beyond the racial comments from other students and extends into the interactions that students have with their classmates, but with their professors, staff members of the university, and the community at large. Some professors will have little regard for the various cultures, ways of thinking, or academic trainings a Chinese student may have had back home.
  5. Professors have been found to ignore Chinese students when they cannot understand them or when the accent is thick, rather than being patient and listening to them. Students will mock the names of foreign students openly, as well as the foods they eat and the smells generated by the said foods.
  6. Some university campuses have addressed the issues by encouraging the development of cross cultural activities on campus whereby one-on-one interactions are promoted between domestic students and foreign students. Some universities have gone so far as to offer a credited course which doubles as an orientation to local customs and cultures but runs for one semester instead of just one week. These courses have successfully targeted problems with academic plagiarism, transportation and housing, as well as the resources which are available on the campus.
  7. Research indicates that relationships formed by Chinese students with domestic students and other international students alike is paramount to mitigating the risk of depression, improving performance in the classroom, and encouraging overall higher rates of satisfaction with the educational experience.
  8. There are racist ideologies as well as stereotypes which are perpetuated in China and America which can interfere with successful cross cultural engagement. In China, for example, those people with darker skin like that of Latinos, Blacks, and Southeastern Asian students are considered culturally to be inferior. This perception can interfere with international students and Chinese students becoming friends. Many Chinese students will revert to associating with other Chinese students and with some U.S. white students, while avoiding the other minorities, and even shunning them.
  9. Some campuses fail to require Chinese students to take diversity courses or to complete American history classes. This impacts the perception that Chinese students have about race, interactions with others, and as a result has a negative impact on their school experience. This can seep into all aspects of the campus. As a result of this problem, it is important that students are able to partner with other campus offices or organizations whereby they can fain better education on race relations in America and higher education about other international students. These methods have been applied by a handful of universities with some success. The course content covers things such as gender issues, race, multi-racial identity, and ethnicity.
  10. Some academic institutions have encouraged Chinese students to enroll in ethnic studies courses where issues of class, race, gender, and sexuality are presented. By offering students a better understanding of cultural differences and ideologies in America and abroad, they can critically analyze themselves.
  11. Many Chinese students who come to America for their education face the challenge of language and behavior first. While they may pass English proficiency exams on paper for entrance into the university, it can be much more challenging to face fast-paced conversations with classmates full of colloquial phrases and odd cultural references, or even fast lectures given by professors. Understanding things such as finances, university programs, health, transportation, and housing are all equally challenging when the forms all require a higher knowledge of legalese. This challenge is one which causes and results in a great deal of uncertainty for the Chinese students. Some students in such situations try to communicate with strangers or those they know, but this results in uncertainty and feelings of insecurity. The uncertainty results from not knowing how to behave and the feelings of insecurity results from language issues. Some Chinese students are much more aware and sensitive to these differences which only encourages anxiety.
  12. Chinese students who study abroad have to adapt to a socio-cultural system that is far different than theirs at home, which makes the academic experience about much more than completing course work. This increase the pressure and makes many students hesitant to engage in social events knowing that such differences exist but not knowing how to resolve them.

Chinese students really suffer from discrimination and it’s an important issue to write about. That’s why there is also a list of ready-made topics on Chinese students’ discrimination that will help you write a good paper. In addition, you should check out the tips on cause and effect essay writing that will assist you in producing a high quality text.

References:
Benner, Aprile D., and Su Yeong Kim. “Experiences of discrimination among Chinese American adolescents and the consequences for socio-emotional and academic development.” Developmental psychology 45.6 (2009): 1682.
Boswell, Terry E. “A split labor market analysis of discrimination against Chinese immigrants, 1850-1882.” American Sociological Review (1986): 352-371.
Jung, Eura, Michael L. Hecht, and Brooke Chapman Wadsworth. “The role of identity in international students’ psychological well-being in the United States: A model of depression level, identity gaps, discrimination, and acculturation.” International Journal of Intercultural Relations 31.5 (2007): 605-624.
Lee, Jenny J., and Charles Rice. “Welcome to America? International student perceptions of discrimination.” Higher Education 53.3 (2007): 381-409.
Lin, Canchu. “Culture shock and social support: An investigation of a Chinese student organization on a US campus.” Journal of Intercultural Communication Research 35.2 (2006): 117-137.
Tian, Mei, and John Lowe. “Existentialist internationalisation and the Chinese student experience in English universities.” Compare 39.5 (2009): 659-676.
Ying, Yu-Wen, Peter A. Lee, and Jeanne L. Tsai. “Cultural orientation and racial discrimination: Predictors of coherence in Chinese American young adults.” Journal of Community Psychology 28.4 (2000): 427-441.

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