Group photo taken in front of the Palace of the Manchuria State in the city of Changchun

Valpo students Benjamin Brighton, Brittany Byers, Lauren Degarmo, Kevin Fedewa, Philip Lohrmann, Drew Meyer, Ming’an Miao, Brittany Partin, Brenden Ryan, and Na Wang spent their spring break travelling to China alongside professor of political science Dr. Zhimin Lin to conduct field research on how Chinese high school and college students view the rise of China and its implications. 

The group visited five cities and one rural township in ten days and gathered research at three high schools and six colleges.  While traveling, they interviewed hundreds of local residents and conducted more than 1,000 surveys.  The field research will be incorporated into individual research papers to be completed by the students with a common theme, but individualized focuses.

This was the eighth time the Chinese and Japanese Studies Program has sponsored such research seminars with field trips to either China or Japan.  Over 100 Valpo students have taken part in this annual research seminar, which serves as a hallmark of the program. 

For more information about how you can participate in an upcoming research seminar, visit the Chinese and Japanese Studies web site.