John Williams, assistant professor of political science and co-director of Asian studies, and Janis Treworgy, professor and program chair of geology, will direct this program.
John Williams is a graduate of Principia College and holds at J.D. from George Washington University. Professor Williams is chair of the political science department and co-director of Asian studies at Principia College. He has successfully directed five previous Principia Abroad programs—one in 1993 to Viet Nam, the second in 1996 to China, including Xinjiang and Tibet, the third in 1999 to China and Mongolia, and the fourth in 2002 to Viet Nam, China, and Tibet, and the fifth in 2004 again to China and Mongolia. Since 1993, John has spent over two years "on the ground" in East Asia, including conducting professional research. He has delivered scholarly papers and published articles on politics in Mongolia and other parts of Asia. Professor Williams grew up in India and Thailand, and in the last year has been to China, Mongolia, Vietnam and India.
Dr. Janis Treworgy graduated from Principia College with a B.S. in geology and did her graduate work at the University of Illinois. She worked at the Illinois State Geological Survey in Champaign-Urbana for 25 years before coming to Principia College to teach in 2000. She is director of the Principia Mammoth Project, a field/lab-based learning experience for students. She loves to teach geology in the field. As a Principia student she participated in a summer abroad to Australia; the focus was on geology, history, literature, and education. She also joined a Washington Field Program during which she did an internship at the U.S. Geological Survey, working in the collections at the Smithsonian Institute Natural History Museum.
Joshua Sprague will travel with the group as the program resident counselor. He also served as the resident counselor for the 2004 Mexico Abroad, although most of the year he works on Principia’s college campus as assistant director of freshman housing and resident counselor of Rackham Court.
John, Janis, and Joshua are all class-taught Christian Scientists.