Student Involvement

The Office of the Vice President for Research and the College of Liberal Arts joined together to offer 20 graduate and undergraduate students an extraordinary opportunity.

These students, selected through a competitive application process, participated in a one credit-hour course that focused on Chinese culture and society, and then had the opportunity to apply this knowledge and learn more at the conference in Beijing.

COURSE OVERVIEW

China's stunning transformation to a world leader has been based on balancing reform with political control. The cumulative weight of these challenges has also forced significant shifts in social praxis of contemporary Chinese society. The most striking of these shifts have taken place in the economic, social and cultural realms, but the effects also extend to the political sphere. Gaining a deeper understanding of modern China is an important step for students in developing critical knowledge of the changing dynamic of international politics, economics and business. This introductory survey course introduces students to China's government, geography, history, art and literature, cuisine, language, education, traditions and customs, population, family, gender and identity, religion and beliefs, business and international relations. The knowledge gained during the semester helped students successfully undertake the field trip component of this course, which required participants to spend one week in China as part of the 2005 China-US Relations: Trade, Diplomacy and Research Conference in Beijing during the Fall Semester.

For course inquiries contact:
Dr. Ian Weber
iweber@tamu.edu
(979) 845-2871

For all other inquiries contact:
Becky Petitt
becky@tamu.edu

The Texas A&M student delegation, selected through a competitive application process, participated in a one credit-hour course focusing on Chinese culture and society, and then had the extraordinary opportunity to experience the real China during this field trip to Beijing.

Aggies Enliven American-Chinese Student Exchange Forum

Twenty Texas A&M students participated in an exciting and thought-provoking student forum at Beijing. The session, televised by the popular China Central Television (CCTV) series, Chinese/American Students Forum - Face to Face, featured the Aggies and 100 other Chinese and American students sharing the similarities and differences in American-Chinese culture, education, and everyday life. The Face to Face CCTV series is regularly televised to millions of people around China.

CCTV, Texas A&M University, and the Forum for American-Chinese Exchange at Stanford (FACES) co-organized this student exchange, which aimed to foster dialogue and raise awareness of China-U.S. relations among future leaders. The Forum's atmosphere was one of friendship and shared curiosity as students related their personal stories about the growing pains and pleasures of college life. Students also expressed their thoughts about American and Chinese college education, social values, and career ethics.

Senior Associate Vice President for Research at Texas A&M University Dr. Wei Zhao, as one of the three distinguished guest speakers, spoke about the differences between the U.S. and Chinese higher education systems. His comments, on Texas A&M University's prestige as a university producing quality students, elicited a wild round of applause from the audience of students.

Student Profile - Logan Randell Renfrow

Logan Randell Renfrow, a senior Business Management student at Texas A&M University, took an interest in China last year during a summer management class. Renfrow will participate in Texas A&M's new course on Chinese culture and society that will culminate in a week-long participation in China as part of the 2005 China-US Relations: Trade, Diplomacy and Research Conference in Beijing this fall.

According to Renfrow, "I want to learn more about their culture and gather more information to help me decide if I would like to work in China."

After graduation, Renfrow, who is from Burleson, Texas, plans to work for several years overseas before pursuing a graduate degree in either public service or East Asian affairs. Additionally, Renfrow has applied for an internship in China for the spring semester of 2006.

Student Profile - Alyssa A. Lindsay

Alyssa A. Lindsay, a junior communications student from Brownwood, Texas, will participate in Texas A&M's course on Chinese culture and society this fall. "I'm really excited to experience a completely different culture," says Lindsay. "Coming from a small town in Texas and being one of six siblings, I never thought I would have the opportunity to visit a country like China." Lindsay is a resident advisor for the Fowler, Hughes, Keathely (FHK) dorm complex. This year she will be president of the National Residence Hall Honorary - an organization that recognizes student leaders, hall staff members, advisors and various other individuals who are involved in the residence hall system. After completing her undergraduate education, Lindsay plans to investigate graduate school.