Join us to learn more about the course and meet with Prof. Chou:  Information Session Thursday, Jan. 24, 2008 5:30-6:30 p.m. Opus Hall, Room 202 University of St. Thomas - Minneapolis Campus Directions to our Minneapolis campus - http://www.stthomas.edu/campusmaps/mpls.asp

MISSION STATEMENT OF THE SCHOOL OF EDUCATION

Inspired by Catholic intellectual tradition, the mission of the School of Education is to educate practitioners to be morally responsible leaders who think critically, act wisely and work skillfully to advance the common good.

EDUCATION & TECHNOLOGY IN MODERN CHINESE SOCIETY

Through school site visits, lectures, presentations, and informal dialogue, along with relevant readings, this course will explore how educational beliefs and technology contribute to China’s rapidly changing society and growing economy.  We will examine several key developments in technology that are shaping the educational system.  The potential for information technology and the Internet to transform learning for K-12 and higher education will also be explored. Participants will deepen their understanding of Chinese educational systems, historic reform, and underlying philosophies that contribute to China’s educational policy. Students will engage in deep discussion through case studies on successful curriculum integration with technology and its impact on society. The abundant human capital from hundreds of universities every year has been the driving force of China’s new “great leap” forward. Students will visit several Chinese universities and K-12 schools that have provided exemplary cases on China’s educational system.

ADVENTURE & ENJOYMENT

Of course, we also see the sights; the Great Wall, Forbidden City, Temple of Heaven, Terracotta Warriors, the Bund, Nanjing Road, and many more. We go beyond the tourist attractions to engage China's modern urban culture, its people and everyday life. Our tour’s academic focus and cultural awareness ensure that educational and cultural activities are informative, interesting and fun. We also understand that having time to pursue personal adventures on your own is an integral part of any travel experience. Accordingly, our tour provides recommendations and information on interesting places, dining, entertainment, and shopping to make your stay enjoyable. Your comfort is also important, so accommodations are chosen in convenient locations and meet American standards.

STUDY ABROAD ITINERARY

Day 1 (June 17): Arrive in Beijing, Settle into Hotel and Orientation

Our hotel is located near Wanfujing Road, the main shopping street of Beijing. It is within walking distance to the Forbidden City, Tiananmen Square, and the Houhai Lake District. Once everyone is settled in, we will get to know each other and prepare for the trip ahead.

Day 2 (June 18): Tiananmen, Mao Memorial, Forbidden City, and Jingshan Park

We start our day by walking through the back streets east of the Forbidden City. Our first stop is Tiananmen Square and Mao’s Mausoleum. After seeing the Great Helmsmen, we make our way through the Gate of Heavenly Peace to the Forbidden City. Food and drink options are available throughout the day. In the afternoon we will leave the Forbidden City and enter Jingshan Park. On a clear day, the park offers stunning hilltop views of the Forbidden City and a great opportunity to continue the day’s theme. From the park we walk through Beijing's alleyways (Hutongs ) back to the hotel. In the evening, we will head out for dinner at the Donghuamen Night Market near Wangfujing Rd. All food options are available from fried insects to Big Macs.

Day 3 (June 19): Confucian Temple & Beijing University Visit (School Visit #1)

Now that we have settled in and experienced several of the must see sites, we turn our attention to our trip theme Education and Technology. We begin with a trip to the most important site of traditional education in China, the Imperial College and Confucian Temple. This was the heart of China's educational system for much of the last millennium and is a fitting place to begin our exploration of Chinese education. Here we will get some background on the history, beliefs and philosophy behind China's traditional education system. We will also learn about the current system and examine its core beliefs, philosophy and practices found in schools today. After the lecture and discussion we head out to one of China's premier universities. Students from all over China compete to get into the college and only the lucky few score high enough on the national exams to attend. We will meet with current students preparing for a career in education (probably as English teachers). We will examine the university's teacher education and preparation program and attend a lecture on how teachers are trained in China, how curriculum is designed and what career options are available to these students after graduation. We will also have time to get to know the students and learn about their hopes, dreams and aspirations while also exploring campus life. We will visit the student and faculty dorms, get a full tour of the campus and even get to try the cuisine in the university canteen. Later we break into groups and plan Sunday's personalized group projects.

Day 4 (June 20): Temple of Heaven, Secondary School Visit and Beijing Duck
(School Visit #2)

Today begins with a visit to the Temple of Heaven. This most important of religious sites in imperial China, is surrounded by a beautiful park which provides the opportunity to examine learning strategies in everyday life outside the classroom. Locals practice taijiquan, aerobics, waltzing and other morning exercises using repetition and standardized group movements. While walking through some of the tree groves around the temple, you may hear men singing old revolutionary songs. Now sung for pleasure these songs played an important role in education from 1949 right through the Cultural Revolution. We will then visit a typical secondary school in Beijing to discuss Information & Communication Technology (ICT) use in K-12 schools and interact with students and teachers. We will tour the campus with a focus on how information and communication technologies are being used by both students and faculty. We will observe a class to experience what it is like inside the classroom and then meet with faculty and students to learn more about the academic environment at the school. In the evening we will enjoy Beijing's most famous dish – Peking Duck and attend a performance of its most famous art - Peking Opera.

Day 5 (June 21): Great Wall From Jinshanling to Simatai and Olympic Sites

We board the bus early to visit the Great Wall. We will explore the Jinshanling section of the wall. Unlike touristy Badaling, this section of the wall has not been as renovated. Sturdy hiking shoes or sneakers are needed. Although the walk can be strenuous at times, the views are breathtaking. We will follow the wall to the Simatai section to catch our ride back to Beijing. Not being as heavily touristed, you will have the opportunity to find some personal space on the wall to contemplate your journey. Many count the walk as a highlight of their China visit. The visit will take most of the day but the scale of the wall and its grandeur are symbols of China's traditional power and past glory. Today China is continuing that tradition of grandeur which it will display to the world when it hosts the Olympics. Yet, while the Great Wall was built to keep people out, the Olympic sites welcome the world to Beijing's doorstep. We next visit the Olympic sites. Although we will not be allowed to enter the venues for security reasons, we will get close enough to discuss their architecture  as well as the importance of the Olympics to China. The grandeur of these new stadiums and parks are symbols of China’s return to prominence in the 21st century.

Day 6 (June 22):  St. Joseph Church, Student Projects and Hutong Bike Tour

In the morning, those interested in attending mass can visit St. Joseph's church. Originally built in 1655 it is one of the older churches in Beijing. Although destroyed by war and fires, its current structure was built in 1904. It is within easy walking distance from the hotel and offers mass in Chinese and occasionally in English. Later we will meet with our new university friends from Day 3 and continue our group projects. Each group will consist of 3 to 4 of us and at least one Chinese pre-service teacher. Groups will work on personalized projects examining an aspect of how technology is used in society. Students will visit Internet cafes, museums, libraries, bookstores, malls, or wherever else their projects take them. This is a real opportunity to take off on your own through the hutongs of Beijing. Maps, excursion itineraries and bikes are available. You can visit historical courtyard houses (siheyuan), the HouHai Lake District, the Lama Temple and all of the winding hutongs in-between. Follow your passion and explore! Walking routes will be available for those who don't ride bicycles or choose not to brave Beijing traffic. We will also continue learning about our Chinese partners. It is a unique opportunity to learn more about Chinese culture and everyday life. We can end their day in the lake district in a rooftop cafe next to one of the cities most colorful alleyways.

Day 7 (June 23): Travel to Xian, Technical School Visit, and Intro to Hui Culture
(School Visit #3)

We leave Beijing behind and travel to Xian. The city used to be called Chang'an and was the capital of China for over a thousand years! It is here that Chinese civilization dawned. We will experience this original capital by exploring deep into the past as well as examining the Xian of today. We start with a visit to a local technical training school. China's K-12 is actually K-6. Only those who score high enough on the middle school exams get the chance to attend high school (then only those with high enough scores attend university). Others stop school at this time and begin looking for jobs or return to the farm. However, the majority of students are tracked into vocational schools that continue basic skills education with a trade. We will visit one of these schools, observe classes and talk with students and teachers about their educational program. We will also learn about the career possibilities available upon graduation and what opportunities they have to continue their education. In the evening we will learn about the Hui minority (Ethnic Chinese Muslims) in China. As capital of China during the life of Muhammad and in the years after his death, Xian is also the first place that Islam melded with Chinese culture. This Islamic influence is still visible today. We will visit the Great Mosque (built in 742 CE), which shows how Islam and Chinese culture intertwined during the Tang Dynasty. Built in the Chinese style, it is one of the only pagoda based Islamic temples left in the world. We will learn about the possibilities of a religious based education in China, discuss ethnic diversity, and how these minority groups are treated differently in the educational system. We will continue the Islamic theme over dinner eating Hui cuisine in the Muslim section of the city.

Day 8 (June 24): Qin Terracotta Warriors and Temple of the Flourishing Teacher

We visit the most amazing archeological find of the last 50 years - the Terracotta Warriors of the Qin emperors tomb. Qin Huangdi was the first emperor to unify what we now know as China (the word China comes from this dynasty's name - Qin) in 221 BCE. He ruthlessly subdued kingdom after kingdom with what was at the time the largest military force in the world. Fittingly, both he and his soldiers are memorialized here in his tomb. With thousands of terracotta soldiers, servants, and even animals, it is one of the most impressive sites in China if not the world. Like the pyramids of Egypt it stands as testimony to the power, strength, ingenuity and wealth of these early imperial leaders. It is also an example of the long history of class and status within Chinese society. The tomb is huge and houses several different museums and sites. For those interested in archeology and ancient cultures it will be the highlight of the trip. In the afternoon we will visit the Temple of Flourishing Teaching and explore the imported religion that had the greatest influence on China and its culture - Buddhism. The temple is one of, if not the most important Buddhist site in China as it houses the remains of Xuanzhuang,  the man who brought Buddhism down the Silk Road from India to Xian. He translated the Sanskrit texts into Chinese and is in many ways the father of Buddhism in China. As a group of educators, we can't let the opportunity pass to visit one of the only temples in the world dedicated to the art of teaching. This temple, along with the Confucian temple in Beijing, are testimony to the importance of education throughout China’s history. On these wonderful grounds we will also take the time to review our group projects from Beijing and share the results. We finish our time in Xian with a walk along the best preserved city walls in all of China. The evening is free so that you can continue to experience all that this important Imperial legacy has to offer.

Day 9 (June 25): Travel from Xian to Shanghai, Education for Profit, Yu Garden, Huangpu Cruise, The Bund and Nanjing Road

Today, we leave Xian behind and travel to Shanghai. Shanghai is the commercial hub of the country and a place where money is king. Here we explore the commercialization of education and the booming business of private schools. We will focus on ESL education in Shanghai and how private schools have capitalized on the desire to connect with the global marketplace. We will explore how the use of technology in these ventures can connect language learners with more learning opportunities; and also, how technology is often used to increase sales and reduce costs to increase the institutions' profit margins. Later we will head out to Yuyuan Garden and Bazaar where you can sample Shanghai snacks, shop for souvenirs and visit a southern style Ming dynasty garden. In the evening we will walk through the twisting lanes of the old walled town to the Huangpu River for a one-hour cruise experiencing the glory of Shanghai’s new financial base - Pudong and the spender of its colonial legacy on the Bund. After the cruise, we will witness colonial Shanghai and walk up Nanjing Road (its most famous street) to Peoples Square.

Day 10 (June 26):  NCET & Migrant Primary School Visit (school visit #4)

We start the day with a seminar on E-Learning in higher education and K-12 schools. We will examine the opportunities available to students born in the booming cities along China's east coast and explore the difficulties faced in educating China's rural population of 800 million. We will look at the educational options available to the children whose parents travel to the cities to make better lives as migrant workers. Their precarious position between urban and rural life has left few educational options. Throughout the rest of the day we will continue the topic by visiting the National Center of Educational Technology to learn more about the research and application of E-Learning in education and society. We will then visit a primary school for the children of migrant workers to examine China's pedagogical application of technology and assistance to these poorest of students in Shanghai. We will also explore how concerned educators and citizens have found their own solutions to help educate these at-risk children. Finally we end with a banquet at a hidden gem that serves some of the best Hunanese food outside of Changsha. 

Day 11 (June 27): ECNU Visit, French Concession Walk and Xintiandi
(School Visit #5)

This morning we will visit East China Normal University to participate in a seminar on China and the knowledge economy. We will explore how China is investing in human capital through education and how technology is diffused through learning networks. Afterwards we will break into teaching teams to gain some in class experience by conducting a cross cultural communication and oral English class to university students. Each team will spend 45 minutes with a small group of students working on communication and culture topics of their choice. Here is a chance for us to thank all of our educational hosts by giving back to the students. After lunch, we will be supplied with maps and itineraries to explore the French concession on our own, visiting the homes of Zhou Enlai, Sun Yatsen, and Soong Qingling. Some may want to do some last minute shopping in one of the greatest commercial cities in the world. Others may want to visit Xintiandi where Hong Kong developers, working with American architects, renovated several blocks of traditional Shanghai housing into an upscale pedestrian mall. With prices higher than those in So-Ho bistros, and where conspicuous consumption is the norm, this is the place to be seen for Shanghai’s wealthy class. Ironically, it is built on the same street that witnessed the founding of the communist party 86 years ago. Participants can tour the tiny museum as well as take in the luxuriant surroundings.

Day 12 (June 28): Early flight back to the U.S.

After a quick bite to eat, we will head by bus to Pudong airport and back home. The long trip home offers plenty of time to reflect on what was learned in China and begin to prepare our course projects. While sad to go, we say farewell knowing the experience will remain with us for a lifetime. We hope to meet again as the lure of China draws us all back in the future.

　

For More Information or to Sign Up - Please Contact:

Candace Chou, Ph.D.
Office: 651-9624814
E-mail: ccchou@stthomas.edu