Fisherman Village in Sattahip, Chonburi in Thailand. Photo courtesy of Picsgen.
Nonclassroom experiences enhance education
UPPER BURRELL, Pa. – Penn State students returning home for the summer often take summer courses at a local Penn State campus. Penn State New Kensington students are eschewing the hometown advantage and are taking a business class in Thailand.
Making the most of Chancellor Kevin Snider’s vision to expand student experiences and embrace diversity for the campus community, eight students, accompanied by three faculty members, depart on May 28 for a two-week journey to Kingdom of Thailand in Southeast Asia. The summer excursion is the capstone of a summer business class (global marketing) and international studies class (Special Topic) that runs from May 11 to June 28. The upper-level courses satisfy one of the program requirements for a Certificate in International Studies. Offered at only two Penn State campuses -- New Kensington and Shenango -- the undergraduate certificate is intended to provide students with a broad and deep understanding of a diverse world.
“The students will attend presentations on how Thai companies attract foreign customers and the differences between Thailand and the United States on cultural norms and values, educational systems, and social structures,” said Rujirutana “Dr. A” Mandhachitara, associate professor of business administration and the event organizer.
The New Kensington group will spend half of the trip in Bangkok and the second half in the Sattahip district, which is in the Chonburi province. On-site educational visits will include International College and Culinary School, Museum of Counterfeit Goods, Jim Thompson Thai House, the Mandarin Oriental Hotel, where two former U.S. Presidents were the past guests, and the Eastern Seaboard Industrial Park, also known as the Detroit of the East.
One class project is producing of a short commercial to promote a product from Thailand that they will market in America. The movie clip will be a part of a post-trip presentation to the campus community.
“My expectations of the students' learning experiences are very broad,” said Mandhachitara, who holds a doctorate in marketing from Thammasat University in Thailand, her native country. “I want to get them exposed to the all-around experience of traveling to another country. I expect them to be aware of the cultural differences and diversity.”
Formerly known as Siam, the setting for the classic Rogers and Hammerstein musical, “The King and I,” Thailand is located in the middle of the Indochina Peninsula and is bordered by Burma, Laos, Cambodia and Malaysia. Its southern border opens to the Gulf of Thailand and into the South China Sea. The world’s 51st largest country is slightly larger than California.