Project Goals
Project Description
The proposed itinerary includes travel to Beijing, Shanghai, Hong Kong and Hangzhou. Each of these locations offers opportunities to investigate potential study abroad and internship for Wittenberg students. My particular interest lies in developing contacts with the Zhejiang School of Traditional Chinese Medicine in Hangzhou and, in conjunction with Stephen Smith, work to develop a curriculum for a Wittenberg summer study abroad program to be taught initially next summer.
I have a personal interest in Chinese medicine that began when I served as the Pre-Allied Health Careers Advisor here. One of the medical schools attending and presenting at the conferences of the National Association of Advisors for the Health Professions is an accredited school of Oriental Medicine. Their presence is in sharp contrast to the predominantly allopathic schools represented at this meeting, so I was prompted to discuss differing view points on the practice of medicine with representatives from the school. Since then, I have received training in medical massage and plan to be certified by the Ohio Medical Board in June. The massage practices are based on traditional Chinese massage, developed by Dr. Harvey Kellogg in the United States in the early 1900's. Western medicine developed with increasing reliance on technological advances through the 1900's and is now beginning to again turn to complementary medical techniques, including massage and other techniques of Oriental Medicine, with the establishment of the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, a branch of the National Institutes of Health.
By helping to develop this curriculum, I hope to both broaden my exposure to these areas and, more importantly, to help shape these programs and evaluate their merit for Wittenberg students interested in medicine. Biology majors do not often study abroad in international programs beyond the study courses we offer in the Bahamas. Pre-medical students are even less likely to participate in semester study abroad courses, due to the constraints of the pre-requisites, the MCAT, and the medical school application process. This course has the potential to have strong appeal for biology majors and for pre-medical students.
I am also interested in an increased exposure to the culture and practice of non-Western medicine. Next fall I am offering (for the second time) an honors seminar, "Medicine as Science/Medicine as Art." In this course we include an investigation of different views of the practice of medicine and of healing. The perspective of traditional Chinese medicine is quite distinct from the technological emphasis of the current western medical approach. I hope to incorporate materials this fall that include ideas in non-Western medicine. The practice of medicine, western or Chinese, has a strong social and cultural component. This project will provide an opportunity to learn more about both traditional Chinese medicine and the culture of China.
Impact of Project
This project will provide the opportunity to develop a summer study abroad course that has a strong potential appeal to biology and pre-medical students, students typically focused on a curriculum heavy in the sciences and with less emphasis on cultural studies, particularly non-Western courses. In addition, this experience will facilitate the incorporation of non-Western cultural ideas into existing Wittenberg courses. Finally, the proposed summer study abroad course will be led in future years by Stephen Smith and/or myself. I will approach that responsibility with much greater equanimity if I have had the opportunity to travel in China prior to accompanying students.
I have also submitted a request for funding to attend a Chautauqua short course, "Teaching Histories of Medicine and Healing in China," which will facilitate accomplishing my goals for this project.
Thank you for your consideration of this project.