* Study Tour *

2012 Peace and Reconciliation Study Tour to China

For Teachers and Educators

The New Jersey Alliance for Learning and Preserving the History of World War II in Asia (NJ-ALPHA) will sponsor up to three history, social science, and humanity secondary school/college teachers or educators to participate in the Peace and Reconciliation Study Tour to China (for short also called China Study Tour) during the summer of 2012.  The targeted teachers/educators are those teaching in the NJ/NY area or other parts of the Eastern U.S. For this year's tour, NJ-ALPHA will join the China Study Tour organized by Toronto ALPHA (http://www.torontoalpha.org/).

This is the sixth year for NJ-ALPHA to sponsor teachers/educators to participate in such a tour. All the participants who have returned from these summer study tours have praised the experience as unforgettable and eye-opening, and it has changed their lives (see some sample testimonials included below).

Program Description:

This is an intensive, immersion program to enhance the participants' understanding of the cultural and historical background of China (and Korea) during the Asia-Pacific War 1931-1945. The study tour's schedule includes discussion of the history of Sino-Japan (and Korea-Japan) relations, visits to museums and historical sites, meeting with and collecting oral histories from survivors of wartime atrocities, and participation in briefing sessions and lectures held by scholars, professors and educators. A main objective of the tour is to develop ideas and teaching material/methods in using and enhancing the New Jersey Curriculum Guide: "The Nanking Massacre and Other Japanese Military Atrocities, The Asia-Pacific War:  1931-1945."  Information about this tour can also be found in the flyer.

The dates of the tour are tentatively scheduled for July 6 to July 21, 2012.  The tentative itinerary includes visits to Shanghai, Nanjing, Harbin, Seoul (South Korea), and Hong Kong.  

Expenses:

NJ-ALPHA will provide scholarships that will pay for all group travel and accommodations (double occupancy) and meals in China and South Korea during the period of the study tour. Current estimate for this cost is approximately $3,000 per participant.  Participants are responsible for their own air tickets from the U.S. to Shanghai, from Harbin to Seoul, from Seoul to Hong Kong, and from Hong Kong back to the U.S. (including international airport taxes), visa/passport application fees.  These expenses are estimated to be approximately $2,500.  Participants are also required to have their personal medical and accident insurance covering the period of the study tour.  A $200.00 deposit is required and paid to NJ-ALPHA upon acceptance into the program; this deposit will be refunded upon submission of a reflection essay to NJ-ALPHA and a proposed lesson plan or equivalent educational project or a public presentation after completion of the tour.

Application Details:

A completed application (click on "Application Form" button below) with all associated documents must be received by March 1, 2012. All history, social science, and humanity secondary school/college teachers and educators in the NJ/NY area, as well as other parts of Eastern U.S., are invited to apply.

Application can be submitted via email to njalpha2004@gmail.com, or via post office mail to:

NJ-ALPHA

P. O. Box 1121

Piscataway, NJ 08854

Applicants may be interviewed in person or over the phone by NJ-ALPHA or Toronto ALPHA. The successful applicants will be notified around or before the middle of April 2012.

Participants will be required to participate in one or more pre-tour meetings. Besides attending the pre-tour meetings, participants are expected to:

Testimonials from Participants of Previous China Study Tours:

• Doug Cervi
• Bob Holden
• Catherine Matysik
• Christine McSpirit
• Young Yoon
• Frances Flannery
• Steven Marcus
• Maryann McLoughlin
• Rosemarie Wilkinson
• Leah Brown-Klein
• Renqia Yu
• Derek Khoudja
• Barbara Wind