Editor’s note: This story is part of Dispatches from Abroad, a series highlighting UChicago community members who are researching, studying and working around the world.
For third-year University of Chicago students Jillian McGeehin and Eva Herrick, the idea of studying in Beijing initially seemed remote. But last winter, while in their physical science Core class “Earth as a Planet,” they both decided to apply to this past Autumn Quarter’s “Beijing: East Asia, Then and Now” Civilizations Program.
For McGeehin, a sociology major with a double minor in religious studies and East Asian language and cultures who grew up in Sugarloaf, Pa., studying abroad meant traveling outside the country for the first time.
“I was so nervous,” she said, thinking “I'm not gonna know how to do anything.”
Her friend Herrick, who is double-majoring in public policy and committee on environment, geography and urbanization (CEGU), had her own hesitations. Despite having grown up in New York City, studying Chinese in high school and being accustomed to international travel, she’d worried about the logistics of visas and possible cancellations.
But the two decided that venturing to Beijing to strengthen their language skills and learn about Chinese history and culture would not be as intimidating if they went together.
Returning last year after a four-year hiatus, the Beijing Civilization program aims to provide students with access to a city and nation at the forefront of many of the world’s most important conversations today.
UChicago’s Civilization sequences are a distinctive feature of its Core curriculum within the College. These are multi-quarter general education courses designed to give students a broad, comparative and in-depth understanding of world civilizations through critical reading and discussion of original texts and primary sources—as well as firsthand experience through study-abroad programs.
“Despite the nationwide decline in the number of American students studying abroad in China in recent years, UChicago’s Civilization Program in Beijing remains strategically vital for the University,” said Zening Ge, the executive director of the UChicago Center in Beijing. “It provides students with direct engagement in one of the world’s most consequential societies, offering intellectual, cultural and experiential perspectives that cannot be replicated elsewhere.”
After arriving at the center, Herrick, McGeehin and their classmates began the first of three Civilizations courses that they would take over the course of the quarter. This first part of the course focused on urban studies through the lens of film, which offered students a more modern and hybridized approach to learning about Beijing and its history. The course was taught by Asst. Prof. Cassandra Guan in the Department of Cinema and Media Studies.
“It wasn’t really what I expected coming into Civ,” Herrick said. “But it was cool as an introduction to Beijing, first looking at the city through films, and then visiting places that we’d seen in the films the next day.”
Once in China, both Herrick and McGeehin settled into Chinese life and culture, exploring Beijing and neighboring cities in their free time, talking with teaching assistants for local restaurant recommendations and adapting to a life away from Chicago.
As they quickly overcame the expected language barriers, McGeehin and Herrick were pleasantly surprised to discover how technology has simplified all transactions in Beijing.
For their language classes, students were asked to film a video of themselves ordering in a restaurant—however, they ultimately had to ask their waiter to pretend to take their order, since they had to place their orders electronically.
“Everyone was like, where do we even go where we could talk to someone?” Herrick jokingly explained. “It's definitely a little bit different, but it's very convenient.”
For students studying abroad, the center serves as a central space for learning as well as socialization with other students. Comparing it to the hub of Regenstein Library back in Chicago, McGeehin explained they often made the 10 minute commute to the center for Wi-Fi access, coffee or even for game nights organized by the program coordinator.
But while they spend lots of time at the center, students taking part in the Civilizations course also do plenty of learning beyond the classroom.
For example, students took a week-long trip to Xi’an, the ancient capital of China, and Yan’an, the wartime base of the Chinese Communist Party, to learn how China’s past led to its present. On this trip, language assignments were aimed to integrate students into regional life and teach them everyday skills.
In addition to their week-long trip, students also took part in shorter excursions linked to their classes about once a week. Given the availability of high-speed rail and air travel, Beijing is easily accessible from a variety of cities, such as Nanjing, Suzhou and Shanghai, which Herrick and McGeehin visited over the quarter.
Guided excursions managed by professors as well as coordination staff also provide students with unique experiences. Herrick and McGeehin explored the Forbidden City, visited the Urban Planning Museum in Beijing, and met and talked with people from all different parts of China.
It was through these conversations that McGeehin and Herrick felt they learned the most about life and opinions in China. On their trip to Xi’an and Yan’an, McGeehin recalled meeting a tour guide who was familiar with American culture through a lifelong interest and engagement with American media.
“Talking to him was interesting because he was able to give us a perspective of the culture that helped an American to understand it,” McGeehin said.
The second Civilizations class they took was focused on China and its presence in the world today. This course was taught by Prof. Dali Yang, who is the William Claude Reavis Professor of Political Science as well as the current faculty director of the UChicago Center in Beijing.
By learning history and taking part in discussions of foreign policy from a Chinese perspective, both students left China with a better understanding of the country and its relation to other world powers, such as the U.S.
Further, engaging in meaningful conversations with Chinese citizens helped Herrick and McGeehin break down misconceptions they may have previously held. By letting go of existing beliefs, Herrick feels she has gained a new perspective on U.S.-China relations, and a new worldview she can apply to her studies of urban policy.
When interning with a congressperson in Washington D.C. last summer, Herrick often observed strong feelings of uncertainty with regards to China, such as its plans to reduce emissions. But now, having seen the increased availability of electric vehicles, solar energy and green modes of transportation in Beijing, she’s looking to deepen her connection to climate policy.
“Having been here and seen it, I feel like it has opened my eyes to everything that a massive economic power can do to be successful in decreasing pollution,” she said. “This has definitely made me more interested in pursuing this work.”
McGeehin, who grew up in a small town, was surprised by how much she loved learning about Beijing and urbanization.
“Coming from a rural area, I was resistant to studying cities,” McGeehin said. “I always thought that I would rather study rural areas and politics, but our first class was half cinematography and half urban planning, and I actually really enjoyed the urban planning parts of it.”
As her worldview expands, McGeehin has also found a newfound appreciation for travel.
“My whole life, because I had never traveled, I thought travel was completely intangible,” she said. But now, she sees a future of far-ranging exploration.
Over their 10 weeks in China, Herrick and McGeehin overcame language barriers, tried new foods, navigated the city and ventured beyond its limits. Reflecting on their decision to apply for the program together, both expressed how glad they were to have taken the leap.
They and their classmates are coming away from Beijing with new perspectives, emerging interests and unforgettable memories.
“We’ve kind of become a little family here in Beijing, which has been so fun,” Herrick said.
