Syllabus

• Pre-departure exam (20%)
• Covers material in the Bangkok 8 and Concrete Dragon.
• Will be emailed to everyone on January 3.  Must be emailed back to both professors by 11:59pm on January 5. 
• As this is close to our January 7 departure date, make sure you plan ahead: budget enough time to run errands, to pack, and to complete the exam.  
• For Bangkok 8, these topics will provide you with some guidance:
• What do we learn about the city of Bangkok?  What is it like?
• The novel really pushes the theme of the clash of "East vs. West".  What characteristics are said to be "Thai" and what characteristics are "American"?
• What political and social problems are emphasized in the novel?  
• Be prepared to answer questions about the plot and characters.
• For Concrete Dragon, these topics will provide you with some guidance:
• What are some characteristics of the Chinese city?  How homogeneous are they?
• What are some urban issues specific to China?  
• How does a rural/urban divide affect Chinese cities?
• How does China's past influence the current state of its cities?  What economic influences affect Chinese cities?
• Make sure you understand how Campanella understands the city of Shanghai. 
• These topics will give you some guidance, but you will be asked questions beyond these.  Read Bangkok 8 and Concrete Dragon thoroughly. 
• Be ready to bring your copy of Diane Morgan's Best Guide to Eastern Religions on the trip.  You will read from it while we're abroad.  
• Journals and Group Assignments (35%)
• Bring a small journal with you.  Nearly everyday, we will give you prompts for you to write an entry.  
• Your entries will pull together the previous night's reading assignments and the site visits during that day. 
• We will have some entries based on group observation.  
• You will all also do a presentation on a particular landmark in China or Thailand that we visit. 
• Quizzes (20%)
• There will be 10 reading quizzes, each worth 2% of your grade.
• These will be given randomly throughout the course on the reading assignment that is due that day.  
• These cannot be made up if missed (and there is no reason why you should miss one).  
• Participation (10%)
• We expect you to be an active participant in the short classroom opportunities that we have throughout the course, as well as an engaged student throughout each location we visit. 
• Be prepared to ask or answer questions, and approach each location energetically and with focus.  
• Final Essay (15%)
• A final essay will be required from each of you.  You will need to email it to us a few days after you are back in the USA.  
• This essay will ask you to reflect on the readings of the course, the site visits, and the topics we discussed throughout.