November 3, 2007
By Daniel Paulling (Class of 2008)
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| Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Roger Casey signs an agreement that allows Rollins professors to teach at East China University of Science and Technology (ECUST) located in Shanghai. |
East China University of Science and Technology (ECUST) may be more than 8,000 miles from Winter Park, Fla., but Rollins College still has a presence there. This past spring, Rollins and ECUST signed an agreement that allows Rollins professors to teach at the school, which is located in Shanghai, China. Ilan Alon, the Jennifer J. Petters Chair of International Business and Executive Director of the Rollins China Center and Rollins College Vice President for Academic Affairs & Provost Roger Casey were the major driving forces behind the agreement.
As part of the agreement, two Rollins professors have both taught there. Those professors include Yudit Greenberg, a professor of religious studies and director of Jewish Studies program at Rollins and Allen H. Kupetz, the executive-in-residence at the Crummer Graduate School of Business. Next year, Crummer Graduate School of Business Associate Professor Halil Kiymaz and Assistant Professor of International Business Marc Fetscherin will both teach classes at the university.
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| Professor of Religious StudiesYudit Greenberg teaches a class at the East China University of Science and Technology. |
Greenberg proposed the idea of teaching a course in China and while on her sabbatical last spring, she taught a comparative religion course, "Love, Eros and Religion." Sixty-five students enrolled in this humanities course, which surveyed notions and practices of love cross-culturally, utilizing perspectives and methodologies from anthropology, philosophy and the history of religion.
"The highlight of teaching was the fascinating cross-cultural dialogues that occurred during the course," Greenberg said. "I believe that I succeeded in initiating and encouraging reflection and critical thinking among the students about topics such as romantic love, spiritual experience, gender roles, family and community. This teaching experience was indeed very gratifying."
Kupetz taught his “Introduction to Management Consulting” class to 50 students. He thought it would provide a tremendous addition to the curriculum of Chinese students enrolled in the MBA program at ECUST. Like Greenberg, he enjoyed exploring the differences between American students and their Chinese counterparts. “Chinese and American students have more in common than one might think and certainly more in common than their differences,” Kupetz said. “They were motivated, participatory, eager to learn and team-based problem solvers. Their willingness to use PowerPoint to present their ideas in English and the quality of their ideas was impressive.”
For both Greenberg and Kupetz, the biggest obstacle in teaching was the language barrier. Since neither professor is fluent in Chinese, they conducted class in English, even though nearly every other class there is in Chinese. To get into the classes, students had to pass a test to make sure they could succeed in an English-only class. “The main challenge was negotiating the various degrees of English proficiency in the classroom,” Greenberg said. “Overall, the students managed with a good deal of effort on their part to keep up with the readings and lectures as indicated by their achievements on the final examination.” Kupetz said, “Perhaps the greatest challenge was making sure I was understood. I tried to repeat key points to make sure I was getting through.”
Outside of the cultural differences and language barrier, the other challenges of teaching were lessened by the staff at ECUST. Before teaching there, Greenberg provided reading materials and PowerPoint presentations to the dean that she thought the students should be able to understand. Kupetz’s transition was also helped by those at ECUST. “The strong staff at ECUST really minimized any of the potential logistical challenges,” he said. “I just showed up and taught. The experience was more exciting and interesting than challenging. I taught a subject that I know well and had a room full of eager students.”
The relationship with ECUST has helped Rollins expand its presence in China, but Alon is hoping this agreement is just the first of many in the region. Rollins has already signed a similar agreement with the University of Shanghai. “This allows for an increase in the global footprint of Rollins College,” Alon said. “It complements the College’s mission of internationalization perfectly.”
