By John G. Dulmage ’12, Adjunct Faculty Member
NU College of Liberal Arts and College of Graduate and Continuing Studies
Kevin Fleming, Ph.D., chairman of the Psychology and Education Department, has a vision for applied psychology in a global cultural context. Beginning in fall 2016, Norwich University, in cooperation with g-Meo, a global education collaborative, and one of its consortium partners, Concordia University of Chicago, introduced Cross-Cultural Psychology at the Chengdu American Center for Study Abroad.
The spring minisemester expanded to include Social Psychology and Cross-Cultural Psychology for its second time. Summer Session 1 in June and July, in cooperation with another consortium partner, Fairleigh Dickinson University, welcomed four Norwich students (Sana Hamze ’20, Damon Watkins ’20, Morgan Chapman ’18, and Emily Johnston ’20) who will attend five weeks of class in Developmental Psychology and the flagship standard, Cross-Cultural Psychology.
Under Norwich Adjunct Faculty member John Dulmage ’s leadership, these courses deliver content with a cultural emphasis. Dulmage has reached out to the Chinese service and business community, creating sustainable relationships that will enrich student academic experiences and social lives while in Chengdu.
Students have immersed themselves in Mandarin and in cultural excursions, stressing practical elements at local human service organizations. Current students have also visited Xi’an, the site of the Terra-Cotta Warriors, and the Chinese Opera, made dumplings with local Chinese families, visited the city’s historical sites, played traditional Chinese musical instruments under the guidance of Sichuan University Music Observatory students and, of course, shopped at ultramodern malls such as the student favorite, Raffles City.
Chengdu is a modern 21st century city of 14 million people, bustling with traditional values linked with newly sought westward-leaning aspirations. Students have discovered that Chinese students have much to offer the world but also are willing to learn Western values and beliefs. Also, American students can participate in many team-building sport activities while they are here. They also visit various corporate organizations as part of their professional development to investigate internship possibilities.
Following the lead of the Norwich Criminal Justice Program in recent years, the Norwich psychology program is establishing itself as a principal partner in providing student enrollment and programmatic leadership in two pivotal Norwich academic disciplines.
What is the next frontier? Simply bringing more Chinese students to Norwich and encouraging more Norwich students to enroll in the Chengdu Study Abroad Program.
The door is open…
