Pastreich will only talk with administrators at the East Asian universities. The EALC has not given any funding for Pastreich's trip. Pastreich said he has contacted other departments, but Packard said he thought Pastreich was paying for the trip largely out of his own pocket. The technology necessary is already largely in place, but there are still substantial challenges. If Pastreich felt getting University support was difficult, he might face even more challenges overseas.
Red tape is much more tangled there.
It's very difficult, especially when you're an outsider. While the University has used videoconferencing to create collaborative courses with schools in the United States, the international exchange would be the first of its kind. Pastreich envisions East Asian history courses taught using video lectures that students could watch in class or online. Students at different universities would complete group projects using e-mail. Pastreich will visit the University of Tokyo, Seoul National University and Peking University in hopes of creating a series of courses that will use videoconferencing and the Internet to link students across the Pacific together for classes.