| China | United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Kuwait |

Program Content:

China’s continuing transformation into a worldwide economic powerhouse is of utmost importance for U.S. educators whose role it is to provide information on and explanation of China’s new role and the challenges this presents, not only to other countries, but also to China itself. The need to understand more about this country grows on a daily basis. This seminar will examine China's history, culture, society, and rapid economic growth.

China is one of the most rapidly changing countries in the world today and is an exciting place to visit and study. Lectures during this four-week seminar will provide opportunities to understand better both the country’s fascinating past as well as its current challenges--social, economic and political. Complementary site visits will be made to places of historic importance as well as to those illustrative of contemporary society.

Prior to international departure, participants will gather in the San Francisco Bay area for a two-and-a-half-day pre-departure orientation program. This will provide an opportunity for Fulbrighters to get to know each other and attend initial briefings on topics such as Chinese culture, society and language, as well as the systems of education, politics, and economics.

Once in China, the itinerary will include meetings, site visits, and discussions in four cities, chosen to provide opportunities to observe different aspects of China. Beijing, the capital of China, is home to many top universities, government offices and sites of historic and cultural interest. The first portion of the program will be spent exploring the capital city, including visits to educational and economic institutions, where specialists will lecture on Chinese history, politics, economics, and education. Site visits to government agencies, media outlets, and to historic and cultural sites will complement these lectures and provide first-hand opportunities to observe various aspects of this fascinating country.

Xi’an, the “cradle of Chinese civilization,” is located in central China and was the capital for eleven dynasties. Lectures on politics and government will be followed by visits to area educational, historic and archeological sites.

Shanghai is widely recognized as one of the most dynamic cities not just in Asia but in the world. Several days will be spent there examining topics such as the history of colonial involvement in China, the rise of China’s Communist Party, and current urban issues, including the city’s unique economic contribution.

The fourth city will be selected from among the following: Kunming, Chengdu, Chongqing, or Guiyang. At the end of the seminar, it will be possible for delegation members to choose to visit Hong Kong, partially at their own expense. Those who do so will spend three to four days attending meetings to discuss aspects of Hong Kong society of most interest to the group members.

The National Committee on United States-China Relations and the China Education Association for International Exchange will administer the seminar on behalf of the U.S. Department of Education.

Program Content:

The Gulf region is one of the most dynamic, modern and forward looking in the entire Middle East. At the same time, its societies are deeply rooted in Arab and Muslim tradition. In this seminar faculty members from postsecondary education institutions will encounter three evolving societies in the region, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Kuwait. While these three Gulf states share some similar challenges and other commonalities, each has its own unique history and has its own unique approach to blending tradition with change. Seminar participants will benefit from learning about the societies, their historical development, their relations with their neighbors and the rest of the world, and their evolving approaches to building solid economic, environmental, educational foundations for the future.

Specific topics to be covered during the seminar will include the historical foundations of each country, its political system, the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and its role in international affairs, movements toward greater economic integration in the GCC, how the energy sector is organized and its role in the economy and future of each country, the role and practice of Islam in each society, the role of expatriates in the economic and cultural life, the role of women, and globalization and its impact on economic, social and cultural life. In each country the seminar will also examine the educational system and the approaches to higher education in particular.

In each country, participants also will visit institutions and projects that are unique, such as Masdar City, Dubai Knowledge Village, International Academic City and Internet City in the UAE; Al-Jazeera Television and Education City in Qatar; and Kuwait University, the Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research, and the private universities in Kuwait. Opportunities to meet local leaders in business, the arts, education and politics will be built into the schedule, along with visits to major cultural institutions such as museums, cultural centers, and historic sites.

The program will begin with a two-day pre-departure orientation in Washington, DC commencing Wednesday, May 20, 2010. This will be followed by two weeks in each country, ending on Friday, July 3, 2010. Participants should expect both high temperatures (high 90s to over 100 each day) and high humidity throughout the six-week seminar.

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