Study Abroad
Programs in Asia
Summer 2011
Students minoring or majoring in Asian Studies can spend a year, semester, or summer studying abroad in a variety of Asian countries, including China, Japan, Korea, and the Philippines. The Office of Study Abroad can be contacted at (757)-683-5378 or studyabroad@odu.edu.
The priority application deadline for all these programs is February 11, 2011.
Click here for information on how to fund your Study Abroad Program
Hong Kong and Shanghai
History and Development of Chinese Port System
This course examines the influence of the port industry on the economic and cultural development on two major Chinese cities - Hong Kong and Shanghai. The program includes visits and lectures at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University and the Shanghai Maritime University, both renowned for their research in the fields of maritime and supply change management. Students will also visit key ports, distribution centers, and off-shore sites, including the HACTL Operations site, Shenzen, and the Pearl River Delta Distribution Center. Students will tour these key ports as well as related historical port areas, receive lectures on the history and the present of the ports and learn how the port shaped the culture and economy of these cities as well as they adjusted themselves to the requirements of international trade during the past centuries.
In addition to the port tours, students will have the opportunity to visit Lantau Island, Zhiuzhou water village, Victoria Peak and Victoria Harbor. The program also coincides with Hong Kong's annual Dragon Boat Festival, a truly amazing cultural event. Students are encouraged to explore other cultural sites in these historic cities.
• Faculty Leader Dr. David Cook: (757) 683-3964, dcook@odu.edu
▲Students must register and pay for summer term 2011 credit for MGMT 463/563, ECON 495/595, INBU 463, PORT 695, or MSCM 495 in order to participate in this program.
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China and Korea
East Asia Business and Culture
Now in its 16th year, this program will take students on a visit to Beijing for 7 days and explore the Great Wall of China, the Forbidden City, and Tiananmen Square. Yeungnam University will be our host in Korea (12 days). The program includes lectures on the Korean and Chinese economies, business managerial practices, and culture, with industry tours (e.g., Pohang Steel & Hyundai Motors) and visits to cultural and historical attractions.
*Students must register and pay for MGMT 463/563, ECON 495/595, ASIA 495, FIN 497/697, MKTG 496/696, IS 697/897 or INBU 463 (summer registration) in order to participate in this program.
Faculty Leader: Prof. David Selover, 757-683-3541 or dselover@odu.edu
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Japan
Japanese Architecture
Kyoto and Nara, two ancient capitals of Japan, are rich in architecture and gardens, some of which are nearly 1300 years old and designated as treasures of world heritage. Come and see the most outstanding monuments, and learn about different building styles of Buddhist temples and Shinto shrines, imperial palaces and princely villas. We will be visiting some of the most important religious and secular sites in Japan including the Todaiji Temple with its giant Buddha statue, the Imperial Palace, the Golden Pavilion, Katsura Villa, and the spectacular Kiyomizu-dera Temple. We shall study the design of castles with excursions to Nijo Castle and the spectacular Himeji Castle outside of Kyoto. We shall also travel to Hiroshima, the place of the drop of the atomic bomb, but also the place of a wonderful Miyajima sacred island.
Garden design has a unique place in Japanese culture and aesthetics. As part of this course we will study and visit some of the most influential and famous gardens, including early Buddhist gardens such as the Saiho-ji Moss Temple, and the famous Zen gardens of Ryoanji and Daitoku-ji. We will also visit some gardens not usually open to the public. In addition to field trips followed by revision classes, there will be a tea ceremony experience in a temple garden pavilion, a sitting meditation session in a Zen monastery, a night in a Shingon temple, a performance of Kabuki, and a visit to a modern garden under construction. We shall spend a day in Nara where we will study the Chinese influence on Japan and discover what constitutes a sacred Buddhist landscape.
The class will meet 6 times before departure for Japan. Participants will keep a detailed journal or sketchbook during the trip and write an analytical paper (8 pages) based on a research topic chosen before the departure. The class will meet once again following the return to Old Dominion.
*Students must register and pay for ARTH 395 or JAPN 310 (summer registration) in order to participate in this program.
• Faculty Leader: Prof. Agnieszka Whelan , 757-683-477 or awhelan@odu.edu
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The Phillipines
This program provides the student the opportunity to learn first hand about the many challenges facing the Philippines. It will deal with issues and concerns, such as economic and rural development, women and the family, poverty, politics and the economy, and religio-cultural changes that confront a developing society.
We will spend 10 days in the Philippines: one week in Metropolitan Manila and fly to Cagayan de Oro City, Norfolk's sister city. In Manila, we will visit the historic sites of Intramuros, the seat of Spanish colonial rule, Corregidor and Subic Bay Free Trade Zone, once the home of the US largest naval base outside the continental US; Tagaytay City where the world's smallest volcano is located; and Makati City, the financial district of the Philippines with its towering skyscrapers. In Cagayan de Oro we will have the opportunity to interact with college students from Xavier University and Capitol University and visit the Eco-Tourism Center where the "Lumad" cultural communities work and live. We will then travel to the famed Camiguin Island with its natural beauty and rich cultural heritage. Our visit will be highlighted with a dialogue with the newly-elected President of the Philippines, Benigno Aquino Jr.
This summer study abroad course will provide the opportunity for students to learn first hand about the many challenges facing the Philippines and will be of interest to major/minors in Sociology, Asian Studies, International Studies, History, Political Science, and Education.
• Faculty Leader: Prof. Araceli Suzara, (757)-683-5009 or asuzara@odu.edu
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