Shanghai: History, Culture, and Art

At Columbia College Chicago, we like to say the city is our classroom, and our students learn from the creative professionals producing the culture of our time. But what if the culture you want to study is that of contemporary China? If you're one of the Columbia undergraduate students keeping this blog, you take your 'classroom' to Shanghai. Our student bloggers are enrolled in the J-Session course Shanghai: History, Culture, and Art. This course introduces modern Chinese history through Shanghai's important role as a sea port in the 19th century, as a city occupied by Western and Japanese forces in the 20th century, as the seat of the first Chinese Communist party, and as a contemporary art and business center. Students arrived in Shanghai to visit temples, tea-houses, Art Deco buildings, and modern skyscrapers; talk to gallery curators, visit Modern Art Museums and schools, as well as enjoy performances by cutting-edge musicians and dancers.