PCIX-SHU 102 Experience Studio: Making a “Good Life” in Rural Guangdong Province
A Project-based Ethnographic Fieldwork Course
JANUARY TERM 2025
Instructor: Dr. Liangliang Zhang
Dates and Location: January 4-14, 2025 in Qixi Village, Zhongshan City, Guangdong Province
Prerequisites: Advanced Chinese 2 or native speaker of Chinese
Course Description
Experience Studio engages students in an immersive learning experience that brings them outside the classroom and into the community. This project-based course provides students with an opportunity to learn about ethnographic fieldwork in practice, and in doing so, support the reflective development of one of China’s first self-proclaimed “eco-village” communities (taking shape since 2014).
Students will acquire embodied knowledge of this small but vibrant grassroots community and explore its connections to projects and processes beyond the village boundaries. Guided by theoretical resources from anthropology and allied disciplines, students will explore different modes of living in the Kei Kai village, interacting with stakeholders of diverse backgrounds. In doing so, they will learn about the aspirations, possibilities, tensions, and contradictions that are reshaping China’s rural environments and rural existences.
This course empirically revolves around the lived experiences of Kei Kai villagers, and theoretically revolves around a holistic research question: How do people strive to make a “good life” in a rural environment undergoing rapid structural transformations?
Students will (1) explore the theoretical and practical foundations of community-engaged ethnography through readings, field-based seminars, and reflective practice in consultation with local stakeholders. Through self-reflection and in-depth interactions with classmates and community partners, students will (2) gain firsthand experience of the processes, challenges and rewards that constitute both ethnographic fieldwork and community engagement. Drawing on their immersive ethnographic fieldwork and adopting a team ethnography approach, students will (3) co-design and co-produce short ethnographic films that document the diverse living practices encountered in Kei Kai, with the aim to address the holistic research question stated above and to facilitate the outreach of the village community.
Given the intensive and immersive nature of this course, in-person attendance throughout the course period is mandatory for enrollment.
Itinerary & Course Requirements
For more information, please refer to the course syllabus.
Tuition & Fees
Tuition is USD 3,832. This covers accommodations, most meals, and workshop and activities fees. Students will need to purchase their own roundtrip transportation to and from Kei Kai Village. More information will be provided after admission to the course.
Contact Us
Questions? Email contact shanghai.january@nyu.edu.