Program News
Moore School Expands Undergraduate Study Abroad to China
Moore School undergraduate students will have an opportunity in spring 2007 to travel and study in
China in a new Maymester course, Advanced Issues in Entrepreneurship, examining the "managerial,
political, economic, and cultural environment for entrepreneurship in China."
"Basically, we want to give our students an edge in the global economy," says Dr. Carolyn Jones, assistant dean of the Undergraduate Division. With the explosion of international business taking place in China, she reasons, Moore School students, with their exposure to the Chinese business environment and culture, will have a leg up on graduates of other schools.
Jones and
Leslie Wingard, academic advisor, traveled to China this
fall to visit potential businesses and cultural venues, and to do other logistical planning.
Students will visit two cities - Beijing and Shanghai - led by instructor Pat DeMouy. Students will
read One Billion Customers: Lessons from the Front Lines of Doing Business in China and will visit
a business incubator in Beijing called the Z-park. The trip also has a service project component:
Moore students will carry English language books to a technical school, the first of its kind in
China, begun two years ago to educate the children of laborers who would otherwise receive no
formal education.
The China study abroad experience becomes the fourth component to Moore School's existing study abroad initiatives that include trips to Romania, Europe, and Africa.
The Romania trip began in 2004 with the first Business English Immersion Camp held in Cluj, Romania. Students from Moore School and USC's College of Arts and Sciences visited Romania the following summer and last year, Romania high school students and teachers visited South Carolina. USC students will again travel to Romania in summer 2007, under the auspices of the Honors College.
The Maymester Europe trip has been led by Dr. Tatiana Kostova, professor of international business, for two years. Last year, students visited businesses in London, Paris, and Prague. Their cultural immersion was highlighted by a performance of Verdi's Rigoletto at the Prague National Opera.
Dr. Rob Rolfe, professor of international business, led a group of students to Kenya last
summer to study that African economy. Since then, a U.S. State Department travel advisory has been
issued for Kenya. Rolfe has revamped his plans for his 2007 Business in Africa class, and will
visit South Africa, Mozambique, and Swaziland. The trip will include visits to a diamond mine, the
port of Maputo, and Kruger National Park.
The Romania, Africa, and China trips each have a service project component. Last year's Business in Africa class carried supplies to an AIDS orphanage in Caren, Kenya. One student, Diana Brown, carried soccer balls to the youngsters. She was so inspired by the children's enthusiasm, she plans to continue to ship soccer balls to them each year.
The undergraduate international business major at Moore School has enjoyed the #1 ranking by U.S. News & World Report for ten years. Jones says providing travel opportunities with meaningful study only enhances the educational experience Moore provides.
"We are building on our reputation for an international experience," says Jones. "We want to have a culture of study abroad...to have students who are at ease traveling and are culturally aware... We want students to be comfortable getting on a plane and saying, 'I've got to meet
someone in Beijing in two days.'"
"Basically, we want to give our students an edge in the global economy," says Dr. Carolyn Jones, assistant dean of the Undergraduate Division. With the explosion of international business taking place in China, she reasons, Moore School students, with their exposure to the Chinese business environment and culture, will have a leg up on graduates of other schools.
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Carolyn Jones (left) and Leslie Wingard travel the Great Wall in China as part of
their exploration of study abroad opportunities.
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The China study abroad experience becomes the fourth component to Moore School's existing study abroad initiatives that include trips to Romania, Europe, and Africa.
The Romania trip began in 2004 with the first Business English Immersion Camp held in Cluj, Romania. Students from Moore School and USC's College of Arts and Sciences visited Romania the following summer and last year, Romania high school students and teachers visited South Carolina. USC students will again travel to Romania in summer 2007, under the auspices of the Honors College.
The Maymester Europe trip has been led by Dr. Tatiana Kostova, professor of international business, for two years. Last year, students visited businesses in London, Paris, and Prague. Their cultural immersion was highlighted by a performance of Verdi's Rigoletto at the Prague National Opera.
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Jennifer Pan, president of ChinaSense, made arrangements and guided the visitors
through China. In the background is the Garden of the Concubine in Xian, China.
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The Romania, Africa, and China trips each have a service project component. Last year's Business in Africa class carried supplies to an AIDS orphanage in Caren, Kenya. One student, Diana Brown, carried soccer balls to the youngsters. She was so inspired by the children's enthusiasm, she plans to continue to ship soccer balls to them each year.
The undergraduate international business major at Moore School has enjoyed the #1 ranking by U.S. News & World Report for ten years. Jones says providing travel opportunities with meaningful study only enhances the educational experience Moore provides.
"We are building on our reputation for an international experience," says Jones. "We want to have a culture of study abroad...to have students who are at ease traveling and are culturally aware... We want students to be comfortable getting on a plane and saying, 'I've got to meet
someone in Beijing in two days.'"
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Wingard and Jones meet with representatives of the BN Vocational School in Beijing,
China.
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Dr. Jones views demonstration at the Cloissonné factory in Beijing.
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| This undergraduate effort builds on our established tradition of Chinese business education in the International MBA program. Read about the many ways Moore School's faculty, students, and alumni have been involved with China, as well as other Asian countries, over the years. | |
December 2006
Gail Crouch