Summer Study Abroad in China (Two-weeks program) (Original Trip Proposal - prior to date and scheduling adjustments)

Transcription

1 Summer Study Abroad in China (Two-weeks program) (Original Trip Proposal - prior to date and scheduling adjustments) Tentative scheduling: May 22 to June 7, 2016 From the nation s tumultuous imperial past to its modern commercial boom, participants will visit archeological and historical sites dating back to the Warring States Period ( BCE) and the Late Han, Three Kingdoms Period ( CE), Travel from Montgomery to Wuhan and Beijing. An ancient Chinese proverb depicts that: It is better to see something once than to hear about it a hundred times. 闻 见 This two-week Summer Study Abroad in China program will journey into the heart of central China to the ancient city of Wuhan, where students will partake in a variety of culture and heritage classes and visit some of the local historical sites, including the Yellow Crane Tower, Hubuxiang Snacks Alley and the Three Gorges Dam. Then, we will travel by train to Beijing and visit world heritage sites such as Tiananmen Square, the Forbidden City, the Great Wall, the Ming Tombs, the Lama Temple, the Temple of Heaven, Galleria 798, the Curio Market and the Wangfujing Commercial Street and National Bookstore. Class instruction will include a variety of interactive and reflective exercises, including being a tour guide for a selected Chinese tour site and a running blog or journal (which students are free to share on Facebook and or Twitter after their return stateside). Orientation and instructional preparation will include basic phrases and written characters that can allow participants to better interact with Chinese locals. Students will be joint-hosted by the Confucian Institute and the Hubei University of Economics. 1 of 5

2 Two-week China trip in Wuhan and Beijing Week One: Wuhan, Provincial Capital of Hubei Province Day One - Flight from ATL to PEK to Wuhan, arriving in the afternoon or evening of the following day. Pick up by the Hubei University of Economics. Day Two to Four - History and culture classes provided by the Hubei University of Economics, including calligraphy, cursory Hubei history, Chinese painting, culinary arts, martial arts demonstrations, paper-folding, traditional paper cutting, tea ceremony and more. Day Four - Three Gorges Dam and the site of the Battle of Red Cliffs (208 CE). Day Five - Wuhan city your, including the Yellow Crane Tower, lunch at Hubuxiang Snacks Alley, Hubei Provincial History Museum. Evening train to Beijing. Will be picked up from PEK by our host in Beijing either late the same night or early the following morning. Week Two: Beijing, Capital of China Day Six - Tian An Men Square, Forbidden City, Prospect Hills and Wang Fujing Shopping District. Dinner at Quan Jude Peking Duck Restaurant, with a night walk in the snacks alley near Wang Fujing. Day Seven - Yong Hegong Lama Temple, Guozijian Yuan Dynasty Imperial Academy, lunch at a famous vegetarian restaurant across the street from the Lama Temple. Afternoon visit to the Temple of Earth and or the Confucian Temple. Dinner can be at a Siheyuan Courtyard restaurant in the alleyways near the Lama Temple. Day Eight (Weekend day) - Early morning tour of Panjiayuan Ghost/curios market, mid morning tour of the Silk Market, afternoon stroll to the Temple of Heaven. Can watch either Peking Opera at Chang-An Theater or Chinese Acrobatics at Chaoyang Theater. Day Nine - The Great Wall at Juyongguan Pass with lunch at a local farmer s restaurant, the Ming Tombs and dinner at a lamb kabob restaurant in Langfang. Day Ten - Summer Palace, Old Summer Palace, Tsinghua University and Peking University. Visit Factory 798 and China s booming Contemporary Art scene. Depending on timing and scheduling, we may be able to arrange a gallery or studio visit to specific artists studios, but this will take a bit of scheduling. Day Eleven and Twelve - there are two extra days to be inserted wherever, for visiting two to three different Chinese companies, depending on students interests and which of my old friends, who own their own companies, will be in Beijing during the time of our visit. On one of the tour site visits, the entire group will be taking the local subway, so that they can better grasp the everyday experience of the Beijing-dweller. 2 of 5

3 Educational Exercises: Students will be gauged on their understanding of Chinese culture, history, sociology, religions, economy and language. Exercises are designed to enhance each student s overall cultural understanding while improving group cohesion. Students will be challenged to proactively interact with and reflect on their experiences in China. 1) Students will be required to keep a running blog/journal on a daily basis. Each entry should be between a paragraph and two pages long and students are encouraged to address or explore cultural shock, experiences or encounters that were either different or outside their comfort zone or expectation range. Each student will be expected to keep their own digital or handwritten daily journal to be handed in a week after their return from China. The last three entries are reserved for the return flight and for the first two days after they ve returned back home, as a final summary or reflection of their experiences abroad. Journals will be graded depending on the depth of reflections and understanding of issues pertaining to the Chinese contemporary experience, cross-national or cross-cultural experience shock and or astuteness of observations. 2) A daily online discussion, most likely via blog.sina.com.cn (since AUM s Blackboard system may be inaccessible from different pockets of China) and an offline nightly 30-minute group discussion will be held in case anyone would like to address any issues at hand. The group expression technique will most likely use thorns and roses, where if a thorn or critique or complaint is addressed, there must also be a rose or something positive. There may be a rose without a thorn, but no thorns without roses. This technique is designed for addressing problems in a positive atmosphere while resolving potential issues as they are experienced. Thorns or critiques cannot be used as personal attacks, but must express how the speaker feels. 3) Cultural Tour-guiding: Depending on how many students are on the trip, each student or every two students (group) will be in charge of giving a tour of a certain tourist or historical site. The tour may be in English, but must certainly include historical and cultural references as it pertains to the site, even if the information was collected from online websites and or tour guidebooks. (Ideally) The students will be given their site assignment before we leave for China as to have ample time to prepare. Our accompanying English-speaking tour guide will pick up where the students left off to provide additional information where needed. This interactive approach to proactive learning is designed to improve students understanding of at least one historical site and have them be able to learn additional information that they either could not find or were simply unable to find in English. The report and additional individual preparations will also provide plenty of detailed information for the students to include in their final essays for this two-week course and memories that can be savored via Facebook and or with their family and friends. 3 of 5

4 4) Upon returning stateside, each student will be required to turn in a seven to ten page essay addressing a single most memorable experience of their recent China trip. This could be a historical or social or cultural or religious issue, but will require additional consideration and or outside sources to justify or critique the points of views. If this is an essay regarding the history and or turmoils of a specific tourist site, then the essayist must provide at least eight references to the history of the site; if the paper is on a cultural or social conflict, then outside research must also be included. This paper is designed to be both academic and personalized - a contradiction to normal academic writing, but a necessity in this course dealing with cultural experiences. 4 of 5

5 Estimated Cost 1) Roundtrip airfare from ATL to PEK: $1800 +/-. 2) Tourist Visa cost: $140. (Additional cost for passport where necessary.) 3) Lodging and dorm food provided by the Confucian Institute via Hubei University of Economics. 4) Ground transportation and tourist sights admissions charge also provided by the Confucian Institute. 5) Local cultural classes can be arranged via Hubei University of Economics. *6) Additional cost for food, such as visiting street vendors in Wuhan and Beijing, partaking in the local cuisines, flavors and snacks, or going out to a restaurant, club or Karaoke bar, can be estimated at $25. per person, per day. *7) Suggested to take along an additional $300 to $500. for gifts, curios, souvenirs, etc. *8) The Confucian Institute will also cover the cost of one chaperon from AUM at no additional cost to class participants. Tentative participant cost estimation: Round-trip plane tickets from ATL to PEK $ Tourist visa at the Chinese Embassy $ 140. Food for up to six days out on the town at $25. per day $ 150. Suggested extra money for gifts, clubbing or extras $ 500. Estimated total cost for 2 weeks in Beijing $. (per person) Total cost per participant: $2, of 5