Peter Vernezze is on a Peace Corps mission to China to teach at the Sichuan Normal University in Chengdu



Vernezze said he had wanted to become a volunteer for the Peace Corps since he was an undergraduate. When he graduated from the University of Wisconsin in the late seventies, he applied but was turned down. "It seems there was not a pressing need for philosophy majors at that time," Vernerzze said, "so I shelved it away under the title of 'things I would like to do some day.' At some point in your life, however, you realize you have to do the things you wanted to do, or you won't do them. So I sent in an application, underwent an interview, and filled out about a thousand forms - and here I am." Once Vernezze was accepted to the Peace Corps, he had to request a leave of absence in writing. According to Frank Guliuzza, Chair of the Department of Political Science and Philosophy at WSU, the request would need the support of the department chair, college dean, university provost, and eventually the WSU Board of Trustees. Once accepted to the Peace Corps, Vernezze was then assigned to teach in China.

Peter Vernezze is on a Peace Corps mission to China to teach at the Sichuan Normal University in Chengdu

Philosophy professor goes east to teach, learn

Peace Corps sends Verenezze to a university in China

Cooper, Shirrel

Issue date: 3/19/07 Section: News

Caption: Professor Peter Vernezze takes a break from teaching and sips a cup of tea while on his Peace Corps mission in China.Photo: Vernezze, Peter

Vernezze takes a break from teaching and sips a cup of tea while on his Peace Corps mission in China.

The group known as China 12s includes a Weber State University professor who hasn't been seen on campus since last summer. WSU Philosophy Professor Peter Vernezze has taken a leave of absence from his teaching at WSU and is instead teaching university students in China.

Vernezze is a member of the Peace Corps, whose mission is to help interested countries train their men and women in the workforce where the demand for English is greater than the supply. This is the twelfth year the Peace Corps are in China; hence Vernezze is part of the China 12s.

Vernezze said he had wanted to become a volunteer for the Peace Corps since he was an undergraduate. When he graduated from the University of Wisconsin in the late seventies, he applied but was turned down.

"It seems there was not a pressing need for philosophy majors at that time," Vernerzze said, "so I shelved it away under the title of 'things I would like to do some day.' At some point in your life, however, you realize you have to do the things you wanted to do, or you won't do them. So I sent in an application, underwent an interview, and filled out about a thousand forms - and here I am."

Once Vernezze was accepted to the Peace Corps, he had to request a leave of absence in writing. According to Frank Guliuzza, Chair of the Department of Political Science and Philosophy at WSU, the request would need the support of the department chair, college dean, university provost, and eventually the WSU Board of Trustees.

Once accepted to the Peace Corps, Vernezze was then assigned to teach in China.

"You don't technically get to choose your Peace Corps assignment," Vernezze said. "Although you do have some input in the process, in essence you provide Peace Corps with your qualifications and they decide where you can be of most use."

In Vernezze's case, he said his teaching experience made him a natural candidate for the China assignment, where he was placed as a teacher in a Chinese university.

Before he could begin teaching, he had to undergo a training process to become better suited for teaching in China.

"The ten-week training process with which I began my Peace Corps experience was a combination language, teaching and culture boot camp which kept us going from eight to five for six days a week in the midst of the hottest summer on record in Chengdu," Vernezze said. "It was unforgettable in both the best and worst senses of the word."

Now that he is in his actual assignment, Vernezze said he feels his life is very similar to how it is in the states.

"I am attached to Sichuan Normal University in Chengdu where I teach fourteen hours a week," Vernezze said, "and during the semester, I spend most of my time teaching class, preparing for class, grading, etc. But it only takes a trip to the grocery store to remind me that I am not in Kansas (or Utah) anymore."

Before joining the Peace Corps, Vernezze said he had traveled a lot and knew that "people in different parts of the world react differently when they find out you are an American."

When he first arrived in China he said he wasn't sure of how the average Chinese man or woman would react to Americans.

"It has been my experience so far that there is a real affection for the United States and its citizens on behalf of the Chinese," Vernezze said, "and hence that a great opportunity exists to build understanding and friendship between the two cultures."

Last semester Vernezze taught oral English and British and American Culture classes. This semester he will be teaching mostly writing courses. His classes hold between 25 and 40 students.

WSU philosophy major Rachel Robison took four classes from Vernezze before he took his leave of absence and said she believes "he is committed to possibly the most commendable thing that someone in his profession can be: living a philosophical life. This comes out in his teaching, his advisement and any personal interaction I have ever had with him … I have the utmost respect for his decision to join the Peace Corps. He is a great person and I wish him the best."

Vernezze's assignment in China runs through August 2008, when he will then return and resume teaching at WSU again. Guliuzza said he feels Vernezze's time in China is a great opportunity.

"I am confident that [Vernezze's time in China] will serve to make him a better teacher," Guliuzza said, "as it would likely improve any of us should we have the chance to teach for an extended period of time in a different country. Too, Dr. Vernezze's research interests include work in Eastern religions and Buddhism. What could be a better opportunity for a scholar who wishes to study and write about these subjects?"

You can reach reporter Shirrel Cooper by calling 626-7655.

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Headlines: March, 2007; Peace Corps China; Directory of China RPCVs; Messages and Announcements for China RPCVs; Teaching English; University Education; The Peace Corps Library; Peace Corps History; Bulletin Board; Recent Peace Corps News

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