Asia
China Studies Program, Xiamen, China (CCCU bestsemester.com) (Open to all majors)
While living and experiencing Chinese civilization firsthand, students participate in seminar courses on the historical, cultural, religious, geographical, and economic realities of this strategic and populous nation. The program seeks to introduce students to the diversity of China and provides opportunities for one-on-one interaction with the culture. Home bases for the program are in Xi’an at Xi’an Foreign Languages University and in Shanghai at Fudan University, leading universities in the country. Students spend a week in Beijing and visit Hong Kong at the beginning and end of the semester. A minimum 2.75 GPA is required. Homepage
Spring Semester in Thailand - (Open to all majors) (Spring only)
The goal of Spring Semester in Thailand is a 16-week total cultural immersion experience. As a means for achieving this goal, students study Thai language, live with Thai families, and are placed in a study/service internship. Students will come to understand the Thai society from a multidisciplinary perspective including history, sociology, anthropology, languages, politics, economics, education, family and religion. Through their study/service internship experience, students will draw from their personal value commitments as they serve others in religious, governmental, and educational institutions. Students will also live with Thai families, take field trips, and live for a month in a Karen tribal village in the foothills of the Himalayas. Courses include: Thai Culture and Society (4), Intensive Introduction to Thai Language (4), The Karen of Northern Thailand (4), and Internship (4) Special financial aid is available. Due to the program’s popularity, please apply a year in advance. The application deadline for Spring 2009 is 10/5/07. Homepage
Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, Council on International Educational Exchange (History majors)
The Vietnam program seeks to immerse students in the economic, political and historical landscapes of Vietnam and its bordering nations of Laos and Cambodia. Participants spend the greater part of their semester in Ho Chi Minh City examining the consequences of globalization, nation-building and post-war reconstruction for this formerly French Indochina region. Students take academic courses in English and a Vietnamese language compenent simultaneously, enabling them to integrate their studies into their personal interactions with Vietnamese roommates or family hosts. Participants enjoy numerous cultural excursions to the Sapa region, Phnom Penh, Angkor Wat, Angkor Thom, Ta Prohm and the Temple of Literature. Students also spend the final 3-5 weeks fulfilling a travel module either in Hanoi (fall) exploring the historical and economic tensions between the northern/southern and urban/rural Vietnamese, or in Siem Reap, Cambodia (spring) further examining uniquely Cambodian perspectives of common regional issues such as human trafficking, HIV/AIDS and the exponentially expanding tourism industry. Local non-governmental organizations and companies offer a range of volunteer and some work opportunities. A minimum 2.75 GPA is required. Homepage