Global Tracks and Immersive Models

The practice of architecture today occurs at a global scale and must address issuesbeyond borders and immediate frames of time. Longer term educational programssuch as dual-degree tracks provide more international experience and educationthat may better equip future designers for this demanding and changing environment.These programs look to engage students more deeply from within their respectivehost countries. This study provides an in depth case study of a dual degreeprogram between Tongji University in Shanghai and the University of Hawaii in Honolulu.It establishes context through a typological assessment of current east-westarchitecture and urban design exchange programs based on surveys of leading anddeveloping Chinese universities. The following contrasts similarities and differencesin specific pedagogy, how pedagogies are reconciled is discussed, and this program’scurriculum are contrasted with traditional and short-duration exchange programs.While transnational education is not new, Chinese and Western Universities are experimentingwith a variety of new, immersive educational models. Though Westerncurricula have helped shape the Chinese higher education sector, there has alwaysbeen a greater flow of ‘eastern’ students to the ‘west’. According to the Institute ofInternational Education, in the United States alone 58% of international studentsare from Asia with Chinese students comprising 60% of that group. This trend ispredicted to continue, ostensibly through US policies designed to encourage thisflow, however the globally-engaged academic community is also seeing a dramaticrise in non-western universities looking to participate in, rather than just contributeto, these new models.Tongji holds the second highest ranked Architecture and Urban school in mainlandChina, while the University of Hawaii Manoa maintains a long-established focuson the Asia-Pacific region and is the geographically closest American university toChina. Currently in its second year, the Global Track|China Focus is a new graduatelevel program that is designed to educate students in a professionally minded andglobally aware environment. Over three years Chinese and American students takeclass and internships together in China, Hawaii and New York with professors fromthe US and China. Critical evaluation of the program and its experimental curriculumis focused on the challenges it has and continues to face. These include academicconcerns that arise in a program comprised of Chinese and American students andcommunication issues. It also addresses administrative challenges that go into shapingsuch a program, such as academic freedom and University accreditation.

Volume Editors
Alice Kimm & Jaepil Choi

ISBN
978-0-935502-91-6