Overseas Project Experience (Applied Sociology in Asia)

This is an SMU-X Overseas module, offering an overseas experiential learning opportunity for students. The course enables students to apply classroom knowledge to real-world challenges through a consultancy project with an overseas partner. In addition to site visits and fieldwork, students will work in teams, guided by faculty and industry mentors, from problem definition through to final client presentation, gaining firsthand experience in navigating real world complexity

Students will complete a certified sustainability module by the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) as part of this course. In China, like in most developing economies, industrialization and urban development demands changes in the agricultural sector and rural communities and creates both social and ecological strains in the latter, including depopulation, environmental degradation, social inequities, and cultural decay. Sustainable rural development requires a new paradigm that re-constructs agricultural production, rural economy, rural communities, and rural-urban linkage. In this course, we use a village in southwestern China—one that is representative of typical rural communities in the country—as a case to both understand and try to tackle the multi-faceted sustainability challenges that it faces.

The village, in collaboration with researchers from Southwest University, has embarked on a series of projects, including community rejuvenation, sustainable agriculture, and agro- and eco-tourism, to various levels of success. During the Term, students will learn about sociology theories in sustainable development, agrarian change, environmental sociology, and contemporary Chinese society. In the experiential study trip to China, students will first familiarize themselves with the economic geography of Chongqing, a mega city with a significant presence of Singaporean companies. Then, on site in Yuchi Village, SMU students will partner with students from Southwest University and work together on projects identified by the community partner and present their findings and recommendations.