Interim trip to China
Details
3 credits, three weeks, offered May/June every fourth year; this trip gives the student both credit for an Interim course as well as automatic CCE (Cross-Cultural Engagement) credit
Description
The places visited will vary from year to year. However, students will always have the opportunity to see some of the most famous historic, cultural, and scenic sites in China. Every trip will also include visits to cities like Beijing, Shanghai, Xiamen, Hong Kong, or Dalian, to show the amazing economic growth in recent years, as well as visits to the more remote countryside, to show the continued backwardness of much of China. In addition, students will always have the chance to stay on several university campuses, to observe university life in China as well as having the opportunity to interact freely with Chinese college students.
Previous trips have included:
- a two-week stay at Beijing University, with daily lectures and field trips, and a one-week trip to places of interest in the south of China, including Hong Kong and Guilin.
- a three-week trip of the south of China, including visits to villages in the countryside, as well as major cities and scenic places.
- a trip around the north of China to some of the country's most famous and spectacular historical sites, including the Great Wall at Mutianyu and Shanhaiguan, the Buddhist grottoes of Yungang, the Hanging Temple in Shanxi Province, and the Imperial Palace of the Qing Emperors in Chengde.
Prerequisite: permission of instructor
Instructor: Larry Herzberg
Interim trip to Japan
Details
3 credits, three-week course, offered May/June every fourth year; this trip gives the students both credit for an Interim course as well as automatic CCE (Cross-Cultural Engagement) credit.
Description
A three-week trip around Japan will be offered every four years in late May and early June, instead of during the January Interim term. The trip will include most of the famous historical sites in Japan, including Tokyo, Kyoto, Nara, Nikko, Hikone, Hiroshima, and Hirado (where Christianity and Dutch trade first came into Japan), as well as some of the most famous scenic places, including the Japanese "Alps" around Nagano, the mountains of Gifu Prefecture, Lake Chuuzenji, and the beaches of northwestern Kyushu.
Students will have the chance to do home stays with Japanese families in five different locations around Japan, including Tokyo, Hikone, and Hirado, as well as in small towns in Nagano and Gifu Prefectures. This will afford them the chance to learn much about daily life in this island nation. This trip also gives students the opportunity to improve their Japanese language skills, given the large amount of time devoted to home stays and close interaction with Japanese people.
Prerequisite: permission of instructor
Instructor: Larry Herzberg