By Sng-Fun Poh Yoke, School of Film & Media Studies
The Chinese have a saying:
Reading 10,000 books cannot be compared with walking 10,000 miles.
In various ways, the Overseas Immersion Programme (OIP) is testimony to that popular belief.
The Experience
A six-week programme for the School of Film & Media Studies’ Mass Communication students took them – all for the first time – to Wuhan, the capital of Hubei Province, China. Wuhan is unfamiliar to many of our students who mostly equate China with Shanghai and Beijing.
From late August to early October 2009, the twenty 2nd-year students found themselves thrown into the deep end of the pool – not that they minded, since they were there during the blistering heat of summer, with temperatures rising to 42 degrees Celsius!
With Wuhan as the base, the students had the unique opportunity for a total learning experience that would involve the key aspects of learner-centred learning – doing, exploring, collaborating and reflecting. We designed the core module’s assignments specially to ensure a meaningful journey of discovery.
The Intent
The Overseas Immersion Programme in Wuhan was designed to:
- Provide students with the opportunity to complete a core module (Feature Writing) and two Interdisciplinary Studies modules (Chinese History & Culture and Chinese Political System) while in China;
- Develop and sharpen student insights into China’s media industry, culture, business operations and work ethic through visits to industry as well as cultural and historical sites;
- Enable students to experience for themselves cultural similarities and differences at play and sharpen their cross-cultural sensitivies and behaviour by interacting with foreign and local students as well as staff of Wuhan University; and
- Ensure that students develop a personal relationship with China, her people and her possibilities.
Magazine Project
One example of the activities undertaken by the students was a magazine project, which required the students to work in groups to plan, produce and present two magazines targeted at youths, with Wuhan as the theme.
The editors of the magazine project created a Wuhan survival guide for the first-timer in Wuhan and a travel magazine that would give insights into the key highlights of the city of 12 million people. Putting the magazine together meant the students had to explore the three districts of the city – Wuchang, Hankou and Hanyang – to feel its pulse.
The students produced 2 magazines about Wuhan.
The result was two endearing magazines that not only featured the lifestyle and culture of the people but also heartrending stories of poverty and loneliness. One story featured three women entrepreneurs’ passion that was turned into a viable business. Another article looked into the pain of young girls sold to a life of selling flowers on the streets. Visitors to Wuhan are startled by that desire for survival as the girls cling to tourists’ legs begging for 5 yuan (S$1) per flower.
Food stories abound as Wuhan cuisine is quite unlike what we find in Singapore. Re Gan Mian (literally hot, dry noodles bathed in a rich sesame paste) is the traditional favourite, as is Mian Wo, a deep-fried Chinese doughnut. These make a great, cheap breakfast. Such stories took the students along the rocky path of research, interviews and analysis – to understand the differences between Wuhan and Singapore, between the Chinese and Singaporeans.
The Interdisciplinary Studies modules were challenges in more ways than one. For most of the FMS students, Chinese is not their first language. It was a cultural shock to learn that the Chinese History & Culture lectures would be conducted in Mandarin and that all assignments had to be written in Chinese. Google’s translation tool came in truly handy! The lecturer, Professor Zhang, is such a riveting story-teller that even the most resistant to Chinese were won over by the end of the course.
The experience of Chinese culture became even more real when students found themselves in Taiji aerobics and calligraphy calisthenics. The flexing of unused muscles helped the students develop a new-found respect for China and things Chinese. A visit to Red Cliff (where the great battle between the armies of Cao Cao, Zhao Yun and Zhuge Liang took place) made the John Woo movie Red Cliff even more memorable.
Meeting a local at Red Cliff.
Human propulsion on a shallow reach of the Three Gorges.
Ascending Wudang Mountain – the birthplace of Taiji and Taoism – rejuvenated the roots of a great legacy long buried.
Cultural insights from Red Cliff and Wudang
New friends were made, and ideas were shared with not only Chinese students studying English as a foreign language but also foreign students from Africa, Indonesia, Korea and Japan. Our students collaborated with their new Chinese friends on a poll to discover Chinese youths’ attitudes towards the Chinese Communist Party – an assignment for the Chinese Political System module.
We hosted the Mid-Autumn Festival (Mooncake Festival) party for our new friends, giving them a taste of Singapore chicken curry and the warmth of our hospitality. This was networking in action.
At journey’s end, it was time for reflection. An evaluation form was created and conducted to gather the lessons learnt and harness the knowledge gained for future programmes. More importantly, the value of an immersion programme such as this is in readjusting attitudes and views – and even putting to sleep certain prejudices.
It is no mean feat to complete a 15-week semester in six weeks overseas followed by two weeks’ of instruction back home. There is no doubt that the difficulty level for the two modules soared (compared to a classroom-based class) but the students rose to the challenge – perhaps inspired by their Chinese counterparts hungry for a better life or their new African friends who see the value of being part of the Chinese world.
The Outcome
Participants were profoundly affected by their Wuhan experience and learned a great deal.
Two students from the Overseas Immersion Programme share what they learned during their visit to Wuhan.
[Click each one to view. Used with permission.]
Joshua Tan Wei En’s reflectionsReflections on the Wuhan Overseas Immersion Programme
Joshua Tan Wei En
School of Film & Media Studies Immersion Programme at Wuhan University
The overseas experience in Wuhan was one that left endless memories for me. This immersion programme being the first of its kind for FMS, it definitely proved exceptional and very different from what my peers are experiencing in Singapore.
The two Interdisciplinary Studies (IS) modules we took in China were unlike any that we have in Singapore. We embarked on the Chinese Political System and Chinese Culture and Society modules and while they may seem daunting to some, especially those not so adept in the Chinese language, it was a fantastic experience that I dare say cannot be experienced the same way anywhere but in China itself.
Of the two modules, Chinese Political System was conducted in English, while Chinese Culture and Society was conducted in Chinese. Initially, the classes were very different from what we were used to back in Singapore. But more often than not, one would find that native tutors (as in native to the country of origin) have an unhindered and uninhibited passion for their various topics of study.
For example, our Chinese Culture and Society lecturer, Professor Zhang Jie, was exceptionally passionate about the topic even to the point of absolute enthusiasm and ardent belief. Attending his lecture was like attending one of his story-telling performances.
For the Chinese Political System module, the content was a little bit heavy. But it was also interesting for me to hear about the way the CPC government in China rules the country. The assignments also gave me a first-hand insight into how the country is run and what the people think of the government. All these, most definitely, cannot be experienced in the same entirety in Singapore.
While we were there, we also had the chance to attend two lessons that weren’t part of the so-called “official syllabus”. We attended a class each on Chinese Calligraphy and the art of Taiji, a type of martial art that was devised by Zhang Sanfeng who lived on Mt Wudang, five hours outside Wuhan, and often known to Singaporeans as an “old person’s martial art”.
These lessons let us personally witness the history and culture of China. Both teachers were patient, skillful and well versed in their respective fields, and garnered much respect from us. One of my peers even wrote an article on the Calligraphy teacher for one of the two magazines we are producing for the Feature Writing module conducted also in Wuhan.
All in all, I would say that the modules have definitely met their stated objectives. I can proudly say that I now have a heightened understanding of both the Chinese political system and the culture and history of China. I have not regretted going on this trip and I think there should be more of these in future so that more students can get the kind of experience that only going overseas can provide.
Reflections on the Wuhan Overseas Immersion Programme
Kenneth Chan
School of Film & Media Studies Immersion Programme at Wuhan University
Learning in Wuhan was definitely different from that in a Singapore classroom. For one, the learning environment is vastly different. In Singapore, most lessons are taught through teaching materials and visual aids. That is not to say that these materials were lacking in Wuhan. The most distinct part of the learning experience in Wuhan was the fact that our modules and assignments were based on Wuhan, China. I thought that made the modules more exciting and engaging because it was something new for all of us.
For example, one of our assignments was to present a photo essay, along with a brief explanation, about a scenic/cultural site that we went to. My group did one on Chi Bi (Red Cliff), the site of the famous battle fought between the armies of Cao Cao, Zhou Yu and Liu Bei. Since it was our first visit to the site and the first time for an assignment of such a nature, the final presentation had much room for improvement. However, my team definitely learnt more about Chi Bi and had our share of fun during the presentation.
I thought it was very interesting to learn from the two Chinese tutors I had for the IS modules I took at Wuhan. Admittedly, it took some time and effort at the beginning to adjust to the new learning environment and teaching styles. Nonetheless, the lessons went smoothly and I was able to learn something new about China each lesson despite my poor command of Chinese.
Having non-Singaporean tutors was a refreshing change for me since I have been educated in Singapore all my life and therefore had limited experiences in learning from non-Singaporean tutors. Personally, I felt that the experience would be beneficial for my growth as a student in an increasingly globalised world.
The calligraphy lessons and the Taiji class were one of the highlights of the IS modules. All of us were eagerly anticipating the lessons even from the day before the actual calligraphy class as learning from a well-known calligrapher is a rare opportunity. Even though the time was too short for us to learn everything about the art of calligraphy, I felt that the most important part was that all of us still managed to learn at least something about it and gain exposure to the art.
Overall, the learning experience at Wuhan was awesome. From the hands-on learning experience, to the unique assignments, to the visiting of different sites, and all the lessons we had in Wuhan, I had thoroughly enjoyed myself on this immersion programme and gained an invaluable learning experience that could never be replicated in Singapore. Of course there has much to be improved on – but only because this is the first time FMS has embarked on such a programme. With proper planning, I believe the future batches of students on the immersion programme would definitely benefit more.
Author
By Sng-Fun Poh Yoke, lecturer in School of Film & Media Studies, Ngee Ann Polytechnic.
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