From Laredo, TX

“I have always been fascinated by China and its unique governmental style that can effectively be seen as totalitarian in the western sense,  but as China is on track to becoming a political and economic superpower this style of government has seldom changed in the recent past. I am very interested in studying the societal changes that are currently underway to cope with China’s growing educated and middleclass population and how the Chinese government is finding new ways to suppress antagonistic voices. Moreover, China has withstood the test of time and as a result, has imparted it with a rich history and a vast array of cultures and people. To learn to see how its social and political history has affected the lives of everyday Chinese citizens is one thing, but to go out, meet, and explore the country offers a greater way to contextualize the lessons learned in class. Directly talking to people and getting to understand the social and political dogma that makes China so unique cannot be effectively substituted by in-class interactions only. By the end of the seminar I want to have had the chance to explore China’s history, culture, and domestic policy to gauge firsthand how the lessons discussed within the seminar have contributed to the growth of China and, most importantly, the perception of how these interactions have affected communities and their way of life.”