Providence, RI--Providence College's Center for International Studies (CIS) continued to expand its interaction with China--and bolster its summer program offerings overall--by sponsoring its second study-travel trip to China from July 27 to August 22.

Although the CIS facilitates PC students' involvement in other summer study-travel tours, "We are developing our own, short-term summer programming," said Adrian G. Beaulieu, dean for international studies. In addition to summer trips to China, the center sponsors summer trips to Spain and Italy and will inaugurate a trip to Puerto Rico in summer 2010.

This summer's PC trip to China, highlighted by a three-credit course in Mandarin Chinese at the University of Jilin in Changchun, was led by Rev. Mark D. Nowel, O.P., dean for undergraduate and graduate studies and associate professor of biology, who planned the trip with the CIS.

Noting his own fascination with China, Father Nowel--who co-lead the first summer trip to China in 2007--said he asks students to read about places they will see, such as Tiananmen Square, the Forbidden City, and the Great Wall before they depart to help enhance their experience.

"As an educator who teaches biology, I love it when my students look into a microscope and see the beauty of what I'm trying to show them," he said. "Similarly, when I'm leading a group of students in China and I hear the students say 'Wow, awesome' when they see these spectacular places, I get such joy when I see students appreciate the learning they're experiencing. It gives me a 'rush' as an educator."

Father Nowel said the Mandarin Chinese course the students took included the history of the language, and that the university is a world-recognized place to learn Chinese.

Tie-in with future careers
The students took the trip for different reasons, including an interest in traveling and the realization that the experience would complement their academics.

Jenessa L. Karbowski '11 of Schenectady, N.Y., a psychology major with a business studies minor, said she "really wanted to take advantage of the study abroad program without being away from PC for an entire semester. I have always really wanted to go to China, so the combination of touring, travel, and studies was an extra bonus."

Declaring that "learning Mandarin is really advantageous now that our economies intertwine and interact more and more each day," marketing major Larissa N. Kunes '11 of State College, Pa., noted, "Just interacting with a culture as different as China has changed my world view.

"The differences between the U.S. and China are many, but there are some similarities that I think no one notices," Kunes said. "I, more than ever, believe it is important to form connections with those from other backgrounds and cultures to improve yourself and challenge your own personal beliefs and norms."

A health policy and management major with a business studies minor, Toni N. Rauseo '11 of Berlin, Conn., may have cemented her calling by touring a hospital and talking to doctors about their healthcare system.

"At times I felt like I intimidated the doctors a little with all the questions and curiosity I had," she said, noting she may write her final paper or do future research about the Chinese healthcare system.
 
While the growth of China's economy interested economics major Noah J. Hoag '10 of Providence, R.I., it was Shanghai's architecture that captured his attention.

"It was like nothing I'd ever seen," noted Hoag.  "Being a city that had been pretty much completely built up in the past few decades gave it a futuristic look that is not present in many cities around the world."

Editor's note: For information about PC's summer program in China-which may include a trip to Tibet in summer 2010-and other study abroad offerings, visit www.providence.edu/cis. 

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