Alliant Students Invited to Spend 2 Weeks Studying in Beijing, China

SAN FRANCISCO, CA – MARCH 1, 2006 – Eighteen Alliant students will explore the new, emerging field of psychology from the perspective of an ancient and enduring civilization as they join a China study tour this coming June. The study tour is jointly sponsored by the California School of Business and Organizational Studies (CSBOS) at Alliant International University, headquartered in California, and School of Psychology at Beijing Normal University (BNU) in Beijing, China.

The two-week tour will include a basic Chinese language course, as well as lectures on different fields within psychology, including educational psychology, organizational psychology, managerial psychology and psychological counseling. Students will enjoy visits to private and state-owned companies and cultural visits to the Great Wall, Palace Museum, Summer Palace and the Lama Temple.

Although the China study tour is oriented towards psychology, students from the other schools are welcome to join the group. Three units of academic credit are offered for the tour.

Multiple Study Abroad Options Beckon to Alliant Students

The China tour is just one of a number of academic tours abroad open to Alliant students. “Our middle name is international because this university has a special commitment to solving human problems in the context of cultural diversity, whether that diversity comes from immigration of people or the movement of disciplines across cultural boundaries,” comments Interim Provost Dr. Rodney Lowman. “Because we believe that professional competence means being sensitive to the role culture plays in families and in businesses, we make sure that Alliant students have hands-on experiences that enable them to affirm and work effectively with issues of diversity when they begin their professional careers.”

Other Tours and Degree Programs

Among Alliant’s other study-abroad offerings are these opportunities:

The Romance of Ancient Splendor, a study tour of Portugal, Spain and France, will take place between July 27 and August 9
Graduate students in the California School of Business and Organizational Studies can study at the Regent’s School of Business in London in the fall of 2006
Undergraduates in business can also earn credits at Regent’s School of Business in London to apply against an undergraduate degree at Alliant
Graduate students in Counseling Psychology for families are offered a MA degree program, new in the fall of 2005, through the Alliant’s Mexico City Campus
Through the Center for Undergraduate Education (CUE), undergraduate transfer students can complete a BA degree on Alliant’s Mexico City Campus

More news about these and other international study opportunities will be published on Alliant’s website the second week of March. Check our home page headlines at www.alliant.edu

How to Sign Up for the China Study Tour

Following the MBA gold rush in the 1990s, the Chinese government has begun to acknowledge the importance of psychology in China's social development. Psychology, considered a pseudo-science just 25 years ago, has become a fast-growing and well-respected field.( footnote 1) With the development of China's economy, psychology, the study of people, is becoming increasingly important. Recently, psychology was listed as one of six sciences to receive priority in funding in the next century. (footnote 2 )

In 1999, the Science and Technology Ministry named psychology as one of the country's 18 basic areas of study. In 2000, the Academic Degrees Committee of the State Council put psychology on the national list of class-A subjects. This new focus is evidenced by the hosting of the largest academic conference in China, the 28th International Congress of Psychology (ICP) in Beijing on August 8-13, 2004, and attended by almost 6,000 psychologists. It was held under the auspices of the International Union of Psychological Sciences (IUPsyS), a meta-organization for psychological organizations, both national and specialized.( footnote 3)

Students on the China study tour will stay at the hostel for international students at Beijing Normal University and will dine on campus with Chinese students and in local restaurants. Students will leave from San Diego on Friday, June 16 and arrive in Beijing on Saturday, June 17. They will return on July 1.

Costs estimated for the China Study Tour are:

Airfare: $1200 (estimated)
Housing: $252 ($18.00 per night single occupancy)
Food: $200 ( $12-15 a day in restaurants, $7-$8 on campus)
Cultural visits: $100
Visa application: $70

To ensure a spot in the China Study Tour, a deposit of $100 is required upon registration and students are advised to book their flights immediately after registration. As the tour is open to the whole Alliant community and space is limited, interested students are required to write a short statement of their motivation to join the China Study Tour. For students from disciplines other than psychology, this statement will provide information to the accompanying faculty for developing assignments that are appropriate to the students’ interests.

The China study tour is limited to 18 students who must apply by May 15. Students interested in registering for the tour should contact Dr. Catherine Sim: csim@alliant.edu, (858) 623.2777 ext. 323.

About Alliant

Alliant International University has prepared students for professional careers in the applied social sciences of psychology, education and business since 2001. CSPP, now a school within Alliant, has been training professional psychologists for more than 30 years. Alliant offers a unique curriculum that combines academic learning and apprenticeship in all courses of study. With accredited programs at San Francisco, Sacramento, Fresno, Los Angeles, Irvine and San Diego locations, Alliant also hosts accredited programs in Mexico City, Mexico and Tokyo, Japan.

Footnotes

Martin, S. (1998). China increasingly accepts psychology. APA Monitor, 29(10). Retrieved August 1st, 2005, from http://www.apa.org/monitor/oct98/china.html
28th International Congress of Psychology (ICP2004) (n.d.). Appendix: Psychology in China. Retrieved August 1st, 2005, from http://www.icp2004.org/inchina.htm
Development of Psychology in China. (2004). Retrieved August 1st, 2005, from http://www.china-embassy.org/eng/gyzg/t146664.htm