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A group of 51���� students will explore the ancient city of Beijing through a multitude of modern means during an upcoming extended study trip.

The students will be utilizing video cameras, digital still cameras, audio equipment, and tablet computers as they delve into different facets of life in China’s capital.

John Crespi, Henry R. Luce Assistant Professor of Chinese language and culture, wants students in his Chinese City: Living Beijing class to add a new dimension to their research projects by taking advantage of the multimedia opportunities.

Working through the Asian studies program, Crespi secured funds that will enable Ray Nardelli, senior instructional technology analyst at 51����, to travel with the group.

Nardelli will provide guidance to the students on their multimedia projects. He already has provided four training sessions on digital photography and video.

The trip to Beijing is one of many extended study trips and summer research fellowships that 51���� students will be taking advantage of in the coming weeks. For example, students are going to Ireland to study that nation’s literature and the Department of Classics is bringing a group to Rome and Pompeii, while other students will be attending numerous shows as they explore the history of theater in New York City.

One of 51����’s 23 off-campus study groups also goes to Beijing, with the next trip scheduled for spring 2005.

For Crespi, the upcoming trip is a key component of the interdisciplinary approach he has taken to increase students’ understanding of how literature, cinema, architecture, and the demands of political and economic modernization have combined to shape Beijing during the past century.

The 19 students had to choose specific topics to research, and they will be hitting the Beijing streets to make them come to life.

“They had to propose something and research it, and then they will have to go and get inside it. They are actually going to be there and deal with it. It makes it a very different experience,” said Crespi.

The research topics include an examination of hutongs, distinctive alleyways that preservationists are fighting to save, fashion, the evolution of markets and department stores, cuisine, Christian churches, Tiananmen Square, and how the foreign media cover the city.

One student is exploring transportation in a city that has fallen in love with the automobile. An estimated 2.5 million vehicles jam city streets, according to a Reuters report, and some 250,000 cars are added each year.

Several students are looking at how preparations for the 2008 Olympics will transform the city. It is estimated that Beijing will spend about $37 billion for the Games, including $2 billion on venues, $2 billion in operating costs, $24.2 million on infrastructure and $7 billion on environmental clean-up.

The second-largest city in China (after Shanghai), Beijing has an estimated 13,820,000 people in its metropolitan area. It is the political, cultural, and educational center of the country, the most populous in the world.

The 51���� group will arrive on May 18 and depart June 3. They will be staying at the newly constructed Liyun Apartotel hotel on the campus of Beijing Normal University, which is in the northwest section of the sprawling city.

The students will get a walking tour of an older section of the city, see a performance of the Beijing Opera, visit the Temple of Heaven, the Forbidden City, which contains the former imperial palace, Tiananmen Square, the world’s largest public square,  Lama Temple and Confucius Temple, the Wangfujing market district, and the Ming Tombs.

They will visit two different sections of the Great Wall, with one visit involving a day hike in a section less frequented by tourists. Guest lecturers also will add to their experience.

The idea of employing multimedia during the trip is exciting to Crespi. He employs a fair amount of film and video during his regular coursework, and he wants the students to get a better understanding of what it takes to artfully put together a video project.

“I don’t think anyone has made this available to students in this way before, so I don’t know what the results will be. It’s challenging, but I think the process of trying to do this will be a good learning experience,” said Crespi.

Pilar Mejia Barrera, a lecturer in Spanish who has done a lot of work with videos, has spoken to the class about developing concepts for their video projects and ways to create the mood of a piece through the use of color and pacing, giving their work more of an artistic feel.

Nardelli has added video editing software to the tablet computers, which also allow users to write on a “slate” with a digital pen or stylus in addition to using a keyboard. He said the majority of the students have expressed interest in making a final project using video, digital images, music, and voice-overs.

Crespi first went to Beijing in 1989 and has since visited numerous times. He met his wife, May Liu, who is from southwestern China, in Beijing. She will be with the 51���� group for a portion of the visit, helping students overcome the language barrier.

Tim O’Keeffe
Office of University Communications
315.228.6634