Excursions through Chinese Culture and the Psychology of Censorship

TRIP DESCRIPTION:

Come be a part of an incredible journey around the country of China. This trip guarantees an eye-opening perspective into another culture.

Moving through four cities, travelers will have the chance to experience the vast differences in the culture by exploring urban cities, small villages, and natural reserves.

The advanced ability of China to censor information allows the government to have full control over everything the people know and believe. There is a deep-rooted belief by China’s citizens that this eradication of freedom is for the betterment of themselves. It has cognitively shaped their view of history and the future of their country. The censorship of politics will be explained through a tour of Tiananmen Square.

The first segment of our trip will also take the travelers through some very well-known sites such as the Great Wall, Forbidden City, and the Terracotta Warriors.

The second segment will follow the censorship of religions, highlighted by a visit to the Muslim Quarters in Xi’an. This city will also feature the Terracotta Warriors, a dance performance, and a chance to eat with a local family.

The final segment involves the censorship of social media and psychological issues. Travelers will be given the opportunity to talk to some local students about the ways they get around censorship laws and still have a presence on social media.

ELIGIBILITY: This program/course is open to students over the age of 18. Students must be in good standing with their university at the time of the program to participate and receive credit.

All participants MUST attend two mandatory one-day orientation sessions before the trip. The program involves quite a bit of moving around from city to city, and walking in hot temperatures, so students should plan accordingly.

Program size is limited to 30, and participation is contingent upon acceptance by the Program Director.

TENTATIVE PROGRAM ITENERARY:

Day 1: Arrive in Beijing and rest

Day 2: Day tour of the city of Beijing, including the symbolic association with the censorship of past government crimes, Tiananmen Square

Day 3: Visit the Great Wall and the Olympic Station – Participants will visit downtown and walk through the local market.

Day 4: Visit the Summer Palace and take the Hutong tour; take a flight to Xi’an

Day 5: Cultural immersive lunch with a local Chinese family; discussions on censorship and its effect on the average citizen

Day 6: Cultural excursion through the Muslim Quarters to visit the Great Mosque and the market place in order to discuss the everyday effects of the persecution of Muslims; take a flight to Zhangjiajie

Day 7: Visit the Yuanjiajie scenic area, Tianzi Mountain Nature Reserve, Golden Whip Stream, and a ten-mile gallery.

Day 8: Explore the Zhangjiajie Grand Canyon and a boat excursion along the Baofeng Lake

Day 9: Take the world’s longest cable car and ascend Tian Men Mountain; fly to Shanghai

Day 10: Visits the Shanghai Museum, Yu Garden; take a short cruise tour along Huangpu River

Day 11: Take a train ride to Wuxi and have a discussion with local high school students about the modern-day effects of censorship; return to Shanghai

Day 12: Culminating discussions and depart back to Atlanta

INVESTMENT: The program cost may vary at any time according to currency fluctuations. The cost is tentatively set at $2,900 per person, plus any fees for tuition form the university. Non-resident/out-of-state students will pay in-state tuition plus a $250 fee in addition to the program cost.

Beijing, China

Inner-city view of Shanghai

Shanghai, China

Trip Facilitator

Kelly Lewis-Arthur, Ph.D. : Licensed Clinical Psychologist

Dr. Kelly M. Lewis-Arthur  is a Licensed Psychologist (Georgia and Washington DC) and the President of GlobeCoRe, Inc. with over 20 years of combined expertise in psychotherapy, coaching, psychological evaluation, workshops and trainings, and cultural immersion experiences across a number of topic domains. She is well published in these areas and has received numerous awards for her national and international work. Dr. Lewis-Arthur received her B.A. in Psychology from DePaul University and her M.A. and Ph.D. in Clinical-Community Psychology from Michigan State University. After completing her pre-doctoral residency at Yale University and her post-doctoral fellowship at Emory, Dr. Lewis-Arthur worked for several years as a consultant to the CDC and as a professor of Psychology at GSU and Walden University. She is currently an Adjunct Assistant Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the Emory School of Medicine.

Dr. Lewis-Arthur has worked with individual, couples, family, group and organizational clients across a variety of settings including outpatient hospitals, clinics, university counseling centers, shelters, schools, public health agencies, community based mental health agencies, non-profits, and corporations. As a recognized expert in empowerment and culturally relevant treatment approaches, her programs employ collaborative, safe, nurturing, and solution focused processes that facilitate positive growth and whole body wellness for children, adolescents, adults and aging populations. She works with clients to overcome adversity, secure fresh perspectives and new directions for the next phase of life.

 Her theoretical orientation is primarily systems-based with roots in interpersonal, CBT and solution-focused approaches. Essentially, she works with clients to facilitate individual and systems level change within a context that is empowering, culturally sensitive, interpersonal, solution focused and supportive of the cultural world view of those she works with. She has taught and mentored doctoral level clinicians-in-training and presented at national/international conferences and workshops on the topics of multi-cultural mental health, diversity and cross-cultural psychology, empowerment approaches to treatment, life and career coaching, family-systems therapy, community psychology and prevention, program evaluation, and women's issues. Dr. Kelly's hobbies include: traveling, exploring new cultures, cooking, spending time with family/friends, enjoying the outdoors and adventure activities and being near the water.

For information about our Cultural Immersion Experiences, please contact our office at:

https://globecoreinc.com

(770) 284-1044