Travel-China

China: Contributing to the Welfare of Orphans

June 9-25, 2012

SBS 470 (6 credits) or OTH 670 (4 credits)

This international service learning course will provide students the opportunity to study, experience and contribute to the welfare of children in another culture. Through a combination of classroom and experiential learning, the course promotes understanding of the social circumstances and the developmental challenges faced by orphaned children in China. Students will engage in a service project in collaboration with a program that provides education and enrichment to children in an orphanage. The goals of the course are to provide students an opportunity to develop inter-cultural understanding, to deepen their comprehension of children’s developmental needs, and to examine international adoption practices. Classroom and orientation sessions prior to departure and a debriefing session after return are required.

This course is designed with Lewiston-Auburn College’s SBS students (particularly those pursuing a minor in Early Childhood studies), Masters in Occupational Therapy & MOT jump start students in mind. It is also open to other USM students as well as other community members. The course will require students to complete a set of readings and participate in class discussions prior to travel to China. The class will be together in China for 16 days, during which time we will complete 10 days of service learning at two orphanages, New Day Creations in outer Beijing and Dream Home in Shenyang. The remaining time will be spent visiting Beijing, the Great Wall, and spending two nights in a traditional Chinese village. Students will also be required to keep a reflective journal of their experiences, and to report back to the LAC community in the fall.

The Lewiston-Auburn Sun Journal wrote a series of articles on our program and posted pictures and videos on their site: http://china.sunjournal.com/.

Class Meetings and Itinerary

The class will meet Monday mornings May 14-June 4th at Lewiston-Auburn College. Many of the day-to-day details in China will not be finalized until closer to departure, but a tentative outline of the daily itinerary is as follows:

June 9, Friday: Leave Portland

June 10, Saturday: Arrive Beijing, Transfer to New Day Foster Home

June 11-15, Monday-Friday:  Volunteer at New Day Foster Home, and on Friday afternoon return to Beijing. Enjoy a Peking duck dinner and acrobatics show

June 16, Saturday: Visit Panjiayuan weekend market, enjoy Dumpling lunch, visit the Forbidden City and Tiananmen Square, have a hot pot dinner

June 17, Sunday:  Jinshanling Great Wall Hiking, visit the Olympic Green (outside view)

June 18,  Monday: Visit the Summer Palace, Temple of Heaven, and take an evening train to Shenyang.  

June 18-22, Monday-Friday: Volunteer at the Shenyang Social Welfare Institute. On Friday, take an evening train to Beijing.

June 23-24, Saturday and Sunday: Visit Ming Village. Return to Beijing on Sunday night.

June 25, Monday: Depart for Portland.

Faculty

Deb Como-Kepler, Psy.D. is a psychologist in private practice who specializes in psychotherapy with families and adolescents.  A clinical supervisor in the Lewiston area, she has particular interest and training in attachment theory and therapy.  Dr. Como‑Kepler is also a part‑time instructor in the Social and Behavioral Sciences Program of Lewiston‑Auburn College.

Tim Reidman, OTH

Application

The application deadline for the China program has been extended to Friday, March 2, 2012. A complete application includes all of the following:

• Signed, completed application form*
• $200 non-refundable deposit (applied to the program cost)
• Typed 200-word essay
• A letter of recommendation from a faculty member or academic advisor (recommendation requirement is waived for Sports Management majors)
• Official copies of all academic transcript(s)

Incomplete applications will not be accepted. You will be notified by e-mail of your application status. If your application is not accepted, the nonrefundable deposit will be returned. If the program is canceled for any reason by the USM, all deposits will be returned.

* If you are having trouble downloading the application, please contact us at (207) 780-4959 or international@usm.maine.edu and we will send you one. You may also want to try upgrading to the latest version of Adobe Acrobat Reader.

Tuition and Fees

The program fee is $3335 and includes airfare, housing, most meals, scheduled in-country travel, site visits, field trips, visa (for US citizens), and iNext's comprehensive insurance plan. 

Not included in the program fee is the cost of tuition, fees, books, academic supplies, food, passports, or other personal expenses. Six credits of undergraduate tuition is $1518 and six credits of regular university fees is $203. Four credits of graduate tuition is $1520 and four credits of regular university fees is $147. All participants on USM travel programs receive the in-state tuition rate regardless of residency.

All participants will be automatically registered for a payment plan. The $200 deposit will go towards the cost of the program and the remaining balance will be due as follows:

50% of the balance due Friday, April 20, 2012

Remaining balance due Friday, May 18, 2012