China Dream Practicum

This was truly the trip of a lifetime for someone like me, because I have never been to China. I was able to put what I was learning at the Institute into focus by asking serious questions to experts in China. As a nonproliferation and terrorism studies student security studies are incredibly important in my understanding of the China dream, which from this perspective focuses on China being strong again. China’s pursuit of military and nuclear modernization is its lynch-pin for securing the China dream, which will allow them to project power outward.

I believe that if students want to embark on this journey because they have a wide ranging interest in China, then they should definitely consider taking part. An effective method of developing interest is to brainstorm questions that a student would like answered. This was a major component of our practicum before we left and something we constantly went back to during our trip. Creating research questions will effectively help students develop interest and focus the expansive (and sometimes nebulous) China Dream into their own specialization.

A good tip – and something that I wish I had done – is to spend a little more time researching the individual cities we were visiting. This would have been helpful for me to highlight any particular areas of interest I would have liked to explore. This is also helpful in figuring out how cities work, things like public transportation, public restrooms, popular areas, etc.

Click here to check out Shawn’s presentation on the China Dream Practicum

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