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UBC – USP Exchange Programme
UBC – USP Exchange Programme:Eating our Way across the Pacific: Comparing Chinese Migrations to Southeast Asia and North America
- Singapore NUS Leg
Date: 14 – 21 May 2007
Venue: USP, NUS
- Malaysia Leg
Date: 22 – 25 May 2007
Venue: Malacca
This unique field class, a follow-up to the joint UBC-UCLA summer 2005 class "Eating Our Way from Vancouver to Los Angeles", will only be offered once! Professor Henry Yu took UBC and NUS students for three weeks to Hong Kong, Singapore, and Kuala Lumpur. The purpose of the class was to tour areas in southern China where the great majority of overseas Chinese migrants originated, as well as to study the history of how these migrants have settled in Southeast Asia in comparison with their migrations to North America. The class comprised of 30 students from UBC, the National University of Singapore and Universitas21.
Instructor
Dr. Henry Yu, Associate Professor of History, UBC
Teaching Assistant
Jennifer Lau, LL.B. student, Faculty of Law
Prerequisites
Although no formal prerequisites were required, it is highly recommended that students had taken upper-year coursework in history and research methods. Students who had an academic background in Chinese migration and oral history would be well-prepared for this course. Students without the requisite academic background prepared for the course by reading selections from the Reading List.
UBC students who were interested in this course took either History 483 or History 485 with Professor Yu during the 2006-2007 academic year as preparation. The majority of class time was spent outside of the classroom, exploring the regions visited.
Topics/Themes covered:
- The history of Chinese migrations in the Pacific region
- The context of Asian migrations to Southeast Asia and North America
- The effects of racial segregation and discrimination on Chinese in Southeast Asia and North America
- Patterns of small business operation among overseas Chinese
- Identity formation in migrants and their descendents
- The effects of legislation and immigration policy on migration and settlement patterns
- Artistic and creative production in Asian migrant communities
- Migrant networks and linkages between migration sites in the Pacific region
- The impact of urban plan14 March, 2008 Asia
- The formation of educational networks among the overseas Chinese
Learning Objectives
- Working collaboratively in small teams to achieve group objectives
- Setting goals for the acquisition and creation of knowledge
- Creating practical methods for obtaining these goals
- Honing skills for presenting research via film and internet
Course Format and Evaluation
The program comprised of a combination of morning lectures, afternoon excursions and evening discussions. Assignments were a combination of group work, presentations, daily blogging and a short reflective paper. Students were expected to have a basic knowledge of web design and blogging, as a majority of the assignments were internet-based.
This programme was recognised as a USP Global Programme event.
Student Reflections |