China Peace Corps Volunteer Peter writes: The Beats in China



It looks like I will be starting a reading group with some graduate students on the Beat Generation. This was my idea, not theirs. ...I think they will definitely get something about America out of studying the Beats, for I think there is something quintessentially American about the Beats, especially about Kerouac, with whom we will begin. One of the article I assigned described On the Road as a love poem to America, and I think that is right.

China Peace Corps Volunteer Peter writes: The Beats in China

The Beats in China

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This entry was posted on 12/9/2006 9:24 AM and is filed under uncategorized.

[Excerpt]

It looks like I will be starting a reading group with some graduate students on the Beat Generation. This was my idea, not theirs. I’ve been looking to do something a little more intellectually stimulating than the current class load–which consists of four oral English classes and three culture classes, all with sophomores–allows. Working with graduate students in some unofficial capacity seemed to be about my best bet. Truth be told, only one of the four or five students who will be joining had heard of the Beats, and several thought the Beats and the Hippies were the same thing. I wanted to find something to read that they might find culturally significant and that I thought I could say something interesting about. And the Beats seem to be the thing that interested them the most of all the options I gave them, although truth be told I would have preferred to do Emerson.

It will be interesting to see how the Beats will play over here. They may just be seen as crazy, destructive anarchists. They certainly were perceived like that in their own days, so it would not be surprising. But it may be that the vision of the world they offer may have a particular relevance to this place and time. For just as the Beats were seen as rising up against the conformity of the nineteen fifties, and setting forth an alternative vision of how one ought to live different than that prevalent in the Ozzie and Harriet society, so there may be a level at which the prevailing values here have become equally stultified, although I am not sure quite how to explain who Ozzie and Harriet were over here.

I have been told that there was one scholar of the Beat Generation in Chengdu, a very famous scholar as a matter of fact, and that he taught at Sichuan University (not my university) and recently died. Indeed, one of the members is a teacher here and is actually hoping to do some scholarship on the Beats. The others are graduate students who are anxious to learn anything at all about American society from an American. And I think they will definitely get something about America out of studying the Beats, for I think there is something quintessentially American about the Beats, especially about Kerouac, with whom we will begin. One of the article I assigned described On the Road as a love poem to America, and I think that is right.

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Headlines: December, 2006; Peace Corps China; Directory of China RPCVs; Messages and Announcements for China RPCVs; Blogs - China; Teaching English; Teaching English

When this story was posted in December 2006, this was on the front page of PCOL:




Peace Corps Online The Independent News Forum serving Returned Peace Corps Volunteers

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All Volunteers Safe in Fiji All Volunteers in Fiji are safe and accounted for. The Peace Corps is monitoring the situation very closely. Volunteers are on standfast but there are no plans for evacuation at this time. Peace Corps is working closely with the US embassy and with host country partners to monitor the situation. Peace Corps is confident that volunteers are not in harm's way. The military seized control of Fiji on December 5 after weeks of threats. Subscribe to our news feed to read the latest breaking news.

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December 8, 2006: This Month's Top Stories Ryan Morris disputes Borat image of Kazakhstan 20 Nov PCOL announces Peace Corps News Feed 8 Dec Michael O'Hanlon writes: Civil War in Iraq? 4 Dec Dayton Daily News Editor Jeff Bruce retires 3 Dec John Sherman writes libretto for opera "Biafra" 30 Nov Carol Bellamy writes: The Hidden Cost of AIDS 30 Nov Gaddi Vasquez in Egypt with World Food Programme 29 Nov Bill Moyers writes: Message To West Point 29 Nov Alejandro Toledo appointed Stanford Fellow 29 Nov PC to start five new Master's International Programs 27 Nov Garamendi hopes to reshape role as lieutenant governor 26 Nov Parents plant seeds of caring for Carrie Jane Dulin 25 Nov Beth Duff-Brown returns to Congo Kinshasa 25 Nov Forbes gives Direct Relief International perfect score 23 Nov Margaret Krome writes: Parents provide a lesson 22 Nov PC IG investing in case management system 21 Nov Amy Taylor producing a CD called "NamibiAlive 20 Nov Chris Matthews interviews Seymour Hersh on Iran 20 Nov Joe Acaba speaks to Tech students 20 Nov Jeffrey Stanaway teaches life skills to at-risk teens 19 Nov Sam Farr's spinach fest 18 Nov Dodd Introduces Effective Terrorists Prosecution Act 16 Nov

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The Peace Corps Library The Peace Corps Library is now available online with over 40,000 index entries in 500 categories. Looking for a Returned Volunteer? Check our RPCV Directory or leave a message on our Bulletin Board. New: Sign up to receive our free Monthly Magazine by email, research the History of the Peace Corps, or sign up for a daily news summary of Peace Corps stories. FAQ: Visit our FAQ for more information about PCOL.

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Peace Corps' Screening and Medical Clearance The purpose of Peace Corps' screening and medical clearance process is to ensure safe accommodation for applicants and minimize undue risk exposure for volunteers to allow PCVS to complete their service without compromising their entry health status. To further these goals, PCOL has obtained a copy of the Peace Corps Screening Guidelines Manual through the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and has posted it in the "Peace Corps Library." Applicants and Medical Professionals (especially those who have already served as volunteers) are urged to review the guidelines and leave their comments and suggestions. Then read the story of one RPCV's journey through medical screening and his suggestions for changes to the process.

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