2024 Fall NCTA Alumni Online Book Discussion Group:
Other Rivers: A Chinese Education by Peter Hessler
September 16 through November 18, 2024
A free asynchronous discussion group with two optional meetings on Zoom
Other Rivers: A Chinese Education, is Peter Hessler’s fourth book about China and reflects his deep understanding of the Middle Kingdom, drawn from over twenty years of reporting for National Geographic Magazine and The New Yorker. In Other Rivers, Hessler explores the ways in which changes in China’s university system and population provide a window into both economic and social developments over the past several decades.
“More than two decades after teaching English during the early part of China’s economic boom, an experience chronicled in his book River Town, Peter Hessler returned to Sichuan Province to instruct students from the next generation. At the same time, Hessler and his wife enrolled their twin daughters in a local state-run elementary school, where they were the only Westerners. Over the years, Hessler had kept in close contact with many of the people he had taught in the 1990s. By reconnecting with these individuals—members of China’s “Reform generation,” now in their forties—while teaching current undergrads, Hessler gained a unique perspective on China’s incredible transformation.”
This discussion group will be conducted asynchronously beginning September 16 (with a first post due September 23), and will continue through November 18 in 9 one- week modules. Two optional live discussions will be offered on Zoom: October 21 and November 18.
This discussion group is for NCTA Alumni in the University of Pittsburgh Coordinating Site region (PA, OH, MI, WV, MD, AL, MN, DE, LA, IL, KY)
For Pennsylvania teachers, completion of this book discussion will be worth fourteen Act 48 hours. For teachers in other states, we can provide you with a certificate of completion.
All participants will receive a complimentary copy of the book.
After you register, we will send you a confirmation email and will (depending on your response below) a complimentary copy of the book. You will also receive information on logging on to the Proboards Discussion Board site and a schedule of the readings and assignments.
Deadline to apply for this Alumni Book Group is September 3, 2024
