Beijing, China
Come join faculty and students from Maryville University and surrounding universities living and studying at the edge of the Forbidden City in the political capital of one of the world’s great countries. Maryville University’s 3-week program allows students to enjoy learning about “things Chinese” through formal classroom settings, lectures “in the streets of Beijing” by course professors, and excursions in and beyond the city to popular cultural venues like the Forbidden City and the Great Wall of China. An optional end-of-trip excursion to Shanghai may be offered.
Students will take two courses from a list of course offerings. Students may take a third course, Exploring the Culture of China, a Maryville independent study course that allows the student to select 15 sites/excursions and write about them. Some preliminary readings and/or assignments and post-on-site assignments complete the program.
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Students will live in the Jade Guest House adjacent to the Forbidden City and will have their classroom instruction inside the Forbidden City.
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Estimated cost for everything, excluding airfare, is $4,394. This includes room and board, transportation to/from Beijing airport, local transportation, some excursions, insurance, and tuition for 6 credits.
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Airfare from St. Louis is estimated at $1,500.
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3 additional credits cost an additional $750.
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A $300 deposit (refundable until March 1) guarantees a participation slot in the program.
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For additional information see Dr. James E. Harf (jharf@maryville.edu) in Gander Hall 101.
Excellent economic value – the total cost of the program for 9 credits is less than half of the cost of an 18-credit on-site campus semester!
Course Descriptions
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Social Media in China (Porismita Borah: Communication – Maryville)
Social Media in China will start by learning about what social media means. We will then delve into different contexts such as journalism, advertising and marketing where social media is used. This course will also look at how the culture and politics of a place might change the way we use this medium. Teaching this course in Beijing is particularly significant because of the censorship in China for using any media, especially the Internet. With the help of visits to several media organizations, educational institutions and conversations/interviews with locals/professionals/faculty members, the students will learn about the role of culture/politics in new media.
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Social Change in China: Focus on Beijing and the Global Transformation (Linda Lindsey: Sociology – Maryville; Debra Phelps – Fontbonne)
Since its founding in 1947 and its “opening up” three decades later, the PRC has shifted from the margins to the center of the global transformation, with Beijing as core to this ascension. Considering that China has emerged not only as the world’s largest market but also as the world’s largest competitor it is essential for students to understand the dynamics of its powerful role in this transformation. Ascendancy is associated with rapid, spectacular, social change that has impacted every social institution throughout China. Clearly the dramatic modification of Chinese economic policy is the catalyst for shifting demographics related to migration and transformative labor force patterns, and changes in marriage and the family, gender roles, health, environment, education, media, and certainly politics. With the course venue in Beijing, the political and cultural capital of China, we will explore social institutions according to how Chinese culture both resists and accommodates social change. Emphasizing experiences outside the classroom, our exploration will include visits to alleyway hutongs (neighborhoods), that on the surface as least, appear to preserve remnants of “old” Beijing against onslaughts of urban development and tourist invasion, to tiny family owned produce and food stands, to kiosks marketing to both locals and tourists from inside and outside of China, and to gigantic malls and shopping centers that dominate Beijing’s landscape. We will visit monuments, shrines, and museums with an eye to how China presents its history and culture to its own people and to the global community. Another slice of Chinese history and social change will be witnessed by an overnight visit to Xian, site of the famed “terra cotta warriors” (3rd century BCE), Jianfu (Buddhist) Temple (684 CE), and the Great Mosque (742 CE). Xian is home to one of the largest Muslim populations in China. Core readings in sociology and contemporary Chinese history will help frame our experiences in China and provide additional academic links to course objectives. “Ethnographic glimpses” in China offer a springboard for a research project to be completed later that will be an important component of the course grade. Opportunities to meet with professionals in China related to students’ specific areas of interest may be arranged.
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China’s Contemporary Art: The True Cultural Revolution (Valerie Wedel: Visual Arts – Missouri Valley_
As China has been exerting its economic significance in the 21st century, so too has it been enjoying a true cultural revolution, particularly in the visual arts. The ripples from this revolution of artistic practice are being felt worldwide. This course will introduce students to the latest art practices in Beijing while also exposing them to cultural treasures of historical importance. Students will engage in both art-making (primarily drawing) and writing response papers to their daily art-related excursions.
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Chinese Medicine (Linda Berry: Nursing – Maryville)
This interdisciplinary course examines the history, principles, practices, use and outcomes of traditional Chinese medicine. It provides an overview of the field and focuses on specific traditional Chinese medicine practices and how they are utilized in complementary and alternative healing. Cultural, ethical, legal and professional issues will be explored. Observations and interviews of traditional Chinese medicine practitioners will be utilized.
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When West Meets East: Experiencing Intercultural Communication in China (Leilani Carver: Communication – Maryville)
This course focuses on learning about intercultural communication through pre-departure scholarly and fiction readings, and visiting historic sites, museums, restaurants and cultural events while in China. On-site experiences include: hiking the Great Wall of China; attending a lecture in the Forbidden City; watching the sunrise while learning Tai Chi; trying traditional Chinese foods such as dumplings and hot pot and learning appropriate dining etiquette; participating in a traditional tea ceremony; attending a Peking Opera; biking through traditional hutong neighborhoods; and shopping at a traditional market and learning the importance and skill of bargaining.
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Business, Ethics and China (Karen Tabak: Business – Maryville)
The goal of the course is to expose students to the many ethical dilemmas facing organizations in China. Included will be a discussion of Eastern Philosophy as well as general discussion of Western Ethical Traditions. In addition, we hope students will receive an “inside look” at local businesses and organizations through company yours – if possible.
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The Passionate Explorer in China – Digital Photography (Scott Angus: Art/Art Design – Maryville)
In this course, both experienced and inexperienced students will explore the rich visual street culture of Beijing, China. Students will master the various functions of the digital camera and will create professional images that can be sold, collected, or published. The class will be focused on guided walks that will showcase the vibrant and colorful spirit of this amazing city. Students will have the opportunity to document important cultural spaces such as the Forbidden City, Tiananmen Square and the Great Wall. Students can expect to graduate with a portfolio of professional images that are equal to those published in National Geographic and the Smithsonian Magazine. This is a rare opportunity for students to learn how to capture amazing images in a place that is filled with awe, excitement, beauty and mystery.
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Exploring the Culture of China (James Harf: Political Science – Maryville)
This 3-credit course allows students to prepare for and reflect upon a wide range of both group and individual excursions during their program in China. Students will participate in several day-long excursions in and around Beijing. Additionally, students will select 15 individual excursions throughout China, approved by the program’s head professor at least one month prior to departure for China.
These latter 15 locations: (1) could represent a variety of student interests and would be simply used by the student to fulfill the total number of elective credits toward graduation; or (2) may be tied closely to a student’s general education requirements; or (3) may be tied to a student’s major/minor. In the latter two cases, the student should also seek prior approval of the list of 15 sites from his/her campus academic advisor if the course is to be used for a student’s general education requirements or major/minor academic program. The selected sited in these cases will relate to the specific discipline(s) of the general education area or the major/minor program. The student will write two short papers for each excursion, a “before excursion” paper where the student describes the reason for the choice and what he/she expects to fins, and an “after excursion” paper where the student reflects on his/her experience. The 15 “before excursion” papers are due prior to arrival in China and the 15 “after excursion” papers are due one month following the end of the China portion of the program. This allows you extended time beyond your time in China to complete the work.