Course Details

Students participating in this course will be engaged in a variety of research activities and as a result will gain important field experience. A range of assignments and field tasks will enable students to further develop many college level skills and gain important technical expertise in various aspects of field research including cartography, and photojournalism. In addition to traditional lectures, informal seminars and casual discussions will facilitate student analysis of events and help monitor individual progress. During the course of our field trip, local experts and guest lecturers will highlight particular aspects of our research.

Specific topics will be drawn from the following:

Physical Geography - topography and physical features of the Yellow River Valley, the Tibet Plateau, the Qilian Mountains, and the Gansu Corridor including observation and documentation of examples of erosion, and any existing land reclamation and reforestation projects

Environmental Conditions - including air and water quality, sources of existing problems, current mitigation effort, etc.

Agricultural Systems - surveys of land use and cropping systems

Cultural Geography

Archaeology - documentation of the historic Silk Road site of Dunhuang

Folk Culture - locating and documenting the expression, frequency and distribution of traditional folk culture and temples in the Wei Valley and the Loess Plateau

Vernacular Architecture and Housing - chronicling regional and ethnic styles, their distinctive features and characteristics, building materials, impact of China's current modernization including the type (single or multiple family) and ownership of housing, energy use, development of new housing and the implementation and impact of China's housing privatization program in both rural and urban settings.

Population and Demography - visual observation and documentation of population density, rural/urban migration, China's birth policies,etc.

Economic Geography - China's current economic reform and development, regional contrasts in living standards and the growing disparity between rural and urban areas

Urban Geography - profiles of large and medium size cities, including industrial development, type and nature of manufacturing and employment and extent and impact of foreign investment

Rural Geography - village site location and relationship to the philosophy of Feng Shui, agricultural development, including crop systems, land use patterns, irrigation and water conservancy, extent and distribution of rural services: farm technology, township industrial enterprises, health services and education

Communication and Transportation Systems - survey and documentation of air, rail and highway networks; their extent and development

Tourism - its extent and development and impact on the cultural and historical integrity , and its economic importance