CRSCAD in China: Post-Disaster Community Building
The Center for Rebuilding Sustainable Communities after Disasters (CRSCAD), in collaboration with the College of Advancing and Professional Studies, offers a unique opportunity to study, and experience first-hand, best practices and successful examples of post-disaster community building in various parts of the world.
Hosted by Sichuan University, participants will spend two intensive weeks in Chengdu, learning about various dimensions of post-disaster reconstruction. In addition to lectures, research and case studies, students will take field trips to the Dujiangyan Irrigation System and Sanxingdui Museum. The Dujiangyan Irrigation System has been constructed to reclaim lands ravaged by the flooding of the Minjang River. The area, once decimated, has, through lengthy study and hard work of the local people, resulted in the Chengdu Plain where people have been living peacefully and affluently. The project is honored as the "Treasure of the Sichuan" and plays a crucial role in draining off floodwater, irrigating farms and providing water resources for more than 50 cities in the province.
Sanxingdui is the name of an archeological site in Chengdu. The artifacts from Sanxingdui have had global influence. In 1986, two large Shang-period sacrificial pits were unearthed with more than one thousand gold, bronze, and jade objects, shocking the entire country and shaking the world. Among other things, the finds proved that Sanxingdui was the capital of the ancient Shu Kingdom more than 3,000 years ago. Of all the objects excavated at Sanxingdui, the bronzes are the most fabulous and strange, with their high degree of historical, artistic and scientific value.
Courses and credit
This is a 6-credit, 2- course program*
Both courses constitute a component of the 18-credit graduate certificate program in Global Post Disaster Studies (Reconstruction with Vulnerable Populations) that is being offered by CRSCAD in collaboration with the College of Advancing and Professional Studies.
- CRSCAD 503 Topics in Rebuilding Sustainable Communities in Disasters - 3 credits
- CRSCAD 596 Independent Study* - 3 credits (Students who opt to continue their stay in China may complete this requirement online)
* Note that CRSCAD 596 is currently undergoing the university approval process, expected to be completed by end of spring semester. If the approval process is not completed by the program start date of July 15, students will only be able to take one 3-credit course, CRSCAD 503.
Pre-Travel Orientation
Prior to departure, students are required to meet at UMass Boston for orientation and preparatory classes. These are scheduled two weeks before departure time.
Eligibility
Any graduate level student or qualified professional may apply. Residents of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and Sichuan Province are encouraged to apply.
Faculty
CRSCAD Director Adenrele Awotona will accompany the students and coordinate academic content and evaluation. He is a former Dean of the College of Public and Community Service at the University of Massachusetts, Boston. Before that, he was a Director of Studies for the British Council International Seminars (Reconstruction after disasters) in the United Kingdom.
He earned his doctorate degree from the University of Cambridge, United Kingdom. He also earned a certificate from Harvard University’s Institute of Management and Leadership in Education.
His numerous publications include (with Ying Liu), "Chinese vernacular dwellings: A popular approach to housing supply", in Awotona, Adenrele (ed.). Housing provision and bottom-up approaches: Case studies from Africa, Asia and South America, Ashgate, 1999, pp.223-312 (ISBN 1 84014 303 7).
Ping Hou is a Professor at the School of Public Policy and Management at Sichuan University and a Trustee of the Chinese Association of Higher Education Public Relations Board of Education. Professor Hou is also a member of the Sino-US Association of Education and Chinese International Public Relations Association.
Professor Hou has offered more than 50,000 lectures, presentations and seminars on public policy and crises management to 600 companies and government agencies.
Disclaimer
Please be advised that international programs are subject to change, slight or major, at any time due to circumstances beyond our control; this includes any and all fees, dates, itinerary, and program activities. We will do our best to inform all applicants of any changes in as timely a manner as possible.
