Overview | Academics | Cost | Location | Life Abroad | Student Voices
Study Feng Shui in China! Students from diverse majors are encouraged to participate in this UW-Madison faculty-led seminar focusing on the concept and application of Chinese Feng Shui and its impact on Chinese art, design, history, culture, and society.
The leading center of learning for over 700 years, China is home to breathtaking historical sites such as the Forbidden City and Imperial Palace, as well as modern building innovations of sleek office high rises and emerging industrial quarters. Feng Shui has shaped many aspects of the way these buildings, palaces, and other public and private spaces have been designed and built, making the entire city a laboratory for studying Feng Shui's impact on design.
Over 5,000 years old, China has been developing at an amazing speed and now welcomes visitors from all around the world to explore its past and present. The biggest country in Asia and having the largest population in the world, China displays an extraordinarily rich cultural art design heritage. With Feng Shui principles deeply embedded within the Chinese way of life, China is a perfect venue for studying art, design, and its impact on human development and behavior.
The leading center of learning for over 700 years, China is home to breathtaking historical sites such as the Forbidden City and Imperial Palace, as well as modern building innovations of sleek office high rises and emerging industrial quarters. Feng Shui has shaped many aspects of the way these buildings, palaces, and other public and private spaces have been designed and built, making the entire city a laboratory for studying Feng Shui's impact on design. With Feng Shui principles deeply embedded within the Chinese way of life, China is a perfect venue for studying art, design, and its impact on human development and behavior.
Getting to Your Program
Students are responsible for arranging their own transportation to Beijing and returning from Shanghai.
Visa
A Chinese tourist visa is required for U.S. citizens prior to departure. Participants must have a passport valid for six months after the end of the program. You will apply for your own visa. IAP will provide you with visa information.
Orientation
IAP expects you to be an active participant in preparing yourself for your study abroad experience. As a participant on an IAP program, you will receive a pre-departure orientation, either in-person or online. The type and format of this orientation will vary by program and will be provided to you upon acceptance to the program.
Housing
Housing is included in the program fee. While in Beijing, students live in guesthouse accommodations at Peking University, one of the top-ranked and most culturally diverse campuses in China. The guesthouse hosts several hundred foreign students from over sixty countries, and is located near several major study sites, making it an ideal location for studying Chinese Feng Shui. Rooms are double occupancy with private bathrooms, and are within a short walking distance to classrooms, library, and cafeterias. When traveling outside of Beijing, students will be housed in double occupancy hotel rooms in the various cities and may also spend one evening on an overnight train in transit to the next destination.
Excursions and Activities
During the program, students participate in excursions integrated with the academic program to sites such as the Temple of Heaven, Beijing Planning Museum, Tiananmen Square, Forbidden City, Fragrant Hill Park, Confucious Temple, White Cloud Temple, Ming Tombs, and the Great Wall, in addition to local markets and neighborhoods. In Shanghai the group will tour the World Expo pavilions that still remain as well as the Shanghai Museum, ranked as one of the best in China. Evenings and weekends will be open for students to join optional cultural outings or for individual travel.
Insurance
You will be enrolled in the UW System required health insurance through Cultural Insurance Services International (CISI) and the cost of the insurance coverage is included in program fees.
On-Site Support
UW-Madison Resident Director
Handbooks
Use the links below to find out more information on academics, daily life and student impressions for this program.
China Feng Shui Summer 2013 Handbook (Summer - 2012-13)
Returned Student Network
Click
here to see testimonials from students abroad or to contact a returned student.
Student Profiles
Check out student profiles to learn more about their experience abroad.
Emily Shank
Student Testimonials
"I can now see how the principles of Feng Shui are applied not only to design but to the daily life of the Chinese People."
Blogs
Read about current & past students' adventures.
Sara-Summer 2011
The seminar focuses on the comparison and contrast between Western Environment and Behavior Studies and Chinese Feng Shui, exploring how the physical environment affects human behavior from these two perspectives. Students learn the true concept of Feng Shui from knowledgeable professors and practitioners, and witness firsthand examples of Feng Shui applications in the art and design of houses, imperial palaces and gardens, as well as modern-day architecture and business development. In addition, examples of Feng Shui application in other fields are introduced and examined, including the fields of business, geography, social studies, family structures, textiles, consumer science, Chinese history, art and culture. Class discussions focus on topics that examine art and design with an eye for their relation to humanities disciplines such as urban planning, family structures, political and historical developments, and landscape architecture.
The seminar begins at the Peking University campus with several on-site lectures at local temples, gardens, neighborhoods, and palaces. After Beijing, the group will travel together to Shanghai, making stops in Taizhou, Suzhou, and Nanjing before arriving in Shanghai. All students will earn 4 credits in Design Studies 361 "Design Related International Experience".
Course Equivalents
Use the links below to see a list of courses that students have taken on this program before and the UW equivalents. Note: this list only includes pre-approved courses for your program and may not be an exhaustive list of courses or departments. You will get instructions on the course equivalent process after acceptance.
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