Experiencing China and Chinese Culture: CUNY Study Abroad in China

This lecture will talk about unique features of CUNY-Asian-faculty-led study abroad in China program. In particular, the lecture will discuss various educational benefits of the program while students and faculty have real experience of China’s society, the people, the language, and culture.

Topics:

  • how the trip is organized
  • prominent and unique features of the program
  • benefits of experiencing Chinese society, people and culture
  • lessons learned
  • recommendations

CUNY-BC study abroad in China program has been run twice (Winter 2003-4; Summer 2004), with great success. Most participants of the China program will be attending the lecture and some will be making short speeches, as well.

Author Bio

Shuming Lu received his B.A. in 1982 in English at Yangzhou University, and did his postgraduate work (1984-1986) at East China Normal University, Shanghai. He had taught at Yangzhou University for 6 years before pursuing his doctoral studies in intercultural communication at the University of Maryland, College Park.

Since 1997, Dr. Lu has been working as a professor of intercultural communication, deputy chair of the Speech Communication Department (since 2000), and director of the CUNY-BC China program at the City University of New York, Brooklyn College.

In the past five years, Professor Lu also served as Principal of Huaxia Chinese School in Edison, New Jersey (1998-2001), and as chair of the Board of Trustees of EverBright Chinese School, Edison New Jersey (2001-2004).

Dr. Lu’s research interests are ethnography of communication, intercultural communication, international communication, and Chinese culture and communication, with a particular focus on interactions between Chinese and Americans.

Dr. Lu is currently also serving as President of the Association of Chinese Professors of Social Sciences in the United States, and as vice President of the Association of Chinese Communication Studies, and as a Board member of the Chinese Language Teachers Association of Greater New York.