TRVL 300
SPRING 2019
Professors Ben Kahn and Tom Whalen
Travel dates (subject to change): March 14-24, 2019
COURSE DESCRIPTION
This three (3) credit Travel Course: China, Corporate and Cultural Study Tour, is offering the opportunity to study through travel. China was once deemed a sleeping giant. That giant has now awaken and its economy will soon be the largest in the world. China is one of the world’s oldest civilizations going back 5000 years. She has transformed herself into a 21st century global economic leader. This course insures that students are exposed to China’s history and culture, while providing them with the knowledge and experience to perform in the global economy. This course experience includes tours of multi-national corporations in Shanghai, the center of China’s economic resurgence, and culture exchanges in Xi’an and Beijing.
LEARNING OUTCOMES
COURSE REQUIREMENTS
Prior to and after the trip, students will have weekly meetings with Professors Kahn and Whalen, the faculty leaders of the trip, to discuss issues relating to Chinese history, culture, society, and economy. Students will be required to finish assigned readings and submit assignments. During the trip, Professors Kahn and Whalen and other guides will give on-site talks and tours, and students will be required to keep a journal. After the trip, students will complete a project based on their knowledge of, and experience in China.
GRADING AND EVALUATION
Students will be evaluated on the following: attendance at class meetings, participation in discussions, written tests, in-class presentations, written assignments on course readings, a final reflective project on the knowledge and experience gained in the course, and behavior on the travel portion of the course.
DESTINATION INTRODUCTION
Beijing 北京
In addition to being the People’s Republic of China’s capital, Beijing is one of the
world's leading centers for politics, economy and business, finance, education, culture,
innovation and technology, architecture, language, and diplomacy. It is the second
largest Chinese city by urban population after Shanghai and is the nation's political,
cultural, and educational center. It is home to the headquarters of most of China's
largest
state-owned companies and houses the largest number of Fortune Global 500 companies
in the world, as well as the world's four biggest financial institutions. It is also
a major hub for the national highway, expressway, railway, and high-speed rail networks.
Combining both modern and traditional architecture, Beijing is one of the oldest cities in the world, with a rich history dating back three millennia. As the last of the Four Great Ancient Capitals of China, Beijing has been the political center of the country for most of the past eight centuries, and was the largest city in the world by population for much of the second millennium A.D. Encyclopædia Britannica notes that "few cities in the world have served for so long as the political headquarters and cultural center of an area as immense as China." With mountains surrounding the inland city on three sides, in addition to the old inner and outer city walls, Beijing was strategically poised and developed to be the residence of the emperor and thus was the perfect location for the imperial capital. The city is renowned for its opulent palaces, temples, parks, gardens, tombs, walls and gates. We will be visiting four UNESCO World Heritage Sites – the Forbidden City, the Temple of Heaven, the Summer Palace, and the Great Wall. Additionally we will see the National People’s Congress, Tiananmen Square, and the 2008 Olympic Complex.
Xi’an 西安
Xi'an is the capital of Shaanxi Province. It sits on the Guanzhong Plain in northwestern
China. It is one of the oldest cities in China, and the oldest of the Four Great Ancient
Capitals, having held the position under several of the most important dynasties in
Chinese history, including Western Zhou, Qin, Western Han, Sui, and Tang. Xi'an is
the starting point of the Silk Road and home to the Terracotta Army of Emperor Qin
Shi Huang.
Shanghai 上海
Shanghai is the largest city in China by population, and the second most populous
city in the world, with a population of more than 24 million as of 2017. It is a global
financial center and transport hub, with the world's busiest container port. Located
in the Yangtze River Delta, it sits on the south edge of the estuary of the Yangtze
in the middle portion of the East China coast. Shanghai grew in importance in the
19th century due to trade and recognition of its favorable port location and economic
potential. The city then flourished as a center of commerce between China and other
parts of the world. It became the primary financial hub of the Asia-Pacific region
in the 1930s. In recent years, the government has introduced economic reforms which
resulted in an intense redevelopment of the city, including the return of finance
and foreign investment. It is a hub for international trade and finance; it is the
home of the Shanghai Stock Exchange, one of the world's largest.
TRIP PARTICULARS (subject to change)
Cost: $3,300 per person
Additional costs: Chinese visa – good for 10 years ($140 required)
All inclusive features include:
Payment schedule:
$300 due on enrollment
$500 due on October 1
$700 due on November 1
$800 due on February 1
ITINERARY, MARCH 14-24, 2019 (subject to change)
Thursday, March 14 – Depart North Adams. Fly via United to Beijing via Albany and Chicago.
3 Days in Beijing – The Capital of The People’s Republic of China
Travel via high speed train from Beijing to Xi’an
2 Day in Xi’an – One of the 4 great ancient capitals of China
Travel via China Air from Xi’an to Shanghai
4 Days in and around Shanghai – Examine a hybrid socialist – capitalist system
Sunday, March 24—Fly from via United from Shanghai to Albany via Chicago
For more information, please contact:
Dr. Tom Whalen
Department of Business Administration and Economics
Phone: 413.662.5317
Email: T.Whalen@mcla.edu
Murdock 102i
Professor Ben Kahn
Department of Business Administration and Economics
Phone: 413.662.5304
Email: bkahn@mcla.edu
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