UM and other college students have the opportunity learn newspaper and magazine feature writing, blogging, and about the Asian news media in an international and intercultural setting. The class is newspaper, magazine, and online feature writing and it is offered in China with an additional trip to Thailand during Summer Session I 2009 (May 20 to June 24, 2009).

The Course
The study-abroad course will focus on writing and reporting for the news media with emphasis on travel feature writing. The class will be based in China's largest city, Shanghai, but will include four-day field trips to Beijing, Hong Kong, the world heritage city of Lijiang, and Bangkok.Assignments and class discussions will be centered on activities in Shanghai and in other locations visited by the students. Knowledge of Chinese is not necessary.

	A Beijing hutong resident and his dog

The class, CNJ 595, is offered by the Journalism Program in the School of Communication through UM's International Education and Exchange Programs. Students will learn about Chinese culture and civilization through living in an apartment in a Shanghai neighborhood and about Thai life by visiting the nation's largest city.

Students will learn about modern Asian life, civilization, and history. They will do so by living and working in Shanghai, with trips to Beijing, Hong Kong, Lijiang, and Bangkok.

The People's Republic of China and the Kingdom of Thailand as classrooms
Dr. Bruce Garrison, who will supervise the class, is a veteran Asian traveler. He recently spent six months in China on a Fulbright Program lecture grant. Garrison taught at Shanghai International Studies University (SISU). He also led a group of UM students to China in summer 2006, summer 2007, and summer 2008 (see http://com.miami.edu/china).

The People's Republic of China is a focal point of globalization and the world's attention will be focused on much of what happens in China in the next decade. The PRC is experiencing a new openness driven by an economic revolution. It is dramatic and significant social and economic change. Students will see and experience modern Chinese life first-hand and the five-week course will bring greater understanding to students about what is happening in the world's most populous country. Students will observe political, social, and economic change through their every-day activities and their class feature writing assignments.

	Xiamen temple monks at lunch

Students will also learn about the history of this vast nation through visits to historical and cultural sites and, from that, learn about China's future. Students will visit the modern major cities of China and have the chance to interact with Chinese students and professional journalists.
A five-day trip to Bangkok will introduce students to Thailand and Thai culture. This will enable students to compare and contrast their Chinese experiences with another Asian nation. The trip to Bangkok will provide students to visit Buddhist temples or wats, historic sites such as the Grand Palace, tour the city's waterways, and shop in its vast markets.

First-hand experience with Chinese and international news media
Students will also have the chance to visit Chinese news media and western news organizations and journalists based in Shanghai and Beijing. The class will meet with Chinese journalists and western correspondents to discuss their work and to discuss how developments in China are reported to the rest of the world.

Climb the Great Wall of China

Exploring beyond Shanghai
The class will spend much of its time in the international business and economic center of Shanghai, one of the world's largest cities with a population of about 17 million. The class will include field trips to the Great Wall, the Forbidden City, Tiananmen Square, Summer Palace, Temple of Heaven, the 2008 Olympic Games sites, shopping markets, and other sites in the Beijing area. The class will visit Victoria Peak, Victoria Harbor, Kowloon, Stanley, night street markets, and other locations in Hong Kong. In Lijiang, an historic old Chinese city that has United Nations World Heritage Site status, students will experience life in Yunnan Province and see a more rural side of Chinese culture and life. And, finally, students will visit the major Buddhist temples, historic districts, ethnic neighborhoods such as the Old Farang District and Chinatown, and numerous shopping markets of Bangkok.

For additional information, interested students should contact Prof. Garrison at his office at Wolfson Building room 2009, by calling 305-284-2846, or e-mailing bruce@miami.edu. Class size is limited.