As a budding anthropologist, Cassie Jordan wants to know what makes people tick.

And thanks to a prestigious scholarship, she will take her curiosity to China for a four-month study of the Yunnan province, the country’s most diverse region.

Jordan, 20, of Kenosha, an anthropology student at Illinois Wesleyan University, received $4,000 through the Gilman International Scholarship to help pay for her stay. As part of her scholarship, she will complete a project about her experiences while also promoting international education.

She leaves for China Thursday and will be keeping a blog (http://blogs.iwu.edu/cjordan/) of her travels.

Jordan is a 2008 graduate of Tremper High School and expects to receive her degree in anthropology in 2012.

Q: Why did you decide to study in China?

A: I’m in the SIT ( School for International Training) program, where they’re trying to promote international education. I had my choice of other countries, but I chose China. Ever since I took a cultural revolution class on China, I’ve fallen in love. It’s a fascinating world and a fascinating country. And, my sister currently lives in China. My sister, Danielle Jordan, has worked in Nanjing for three years. The first two weeks I’ll be with my sister.

Q: Where will you be going to do your studies and research?

A: The program starts Feb. 21 in Kunming (the provincial capital), which has 7 million people. Then a little ways into the program they send us to Yunnan for exploration. There are 19 students in my program, and they’re from all over the United States. They send us out to get to know the culture, and I think it’s going to be a wonderful experience.

Q: What will you be researching while you are there?

A: I’d like to (learn more about) religion in China. In China, the government doesn’t teach about religion. Basically, the government is telling the people to be atheist, a policy that’s been in place for a long time. Ever since the Cultural Revolution (1966-76), they’ve been saying this. Yunnan is next to a few different countries (Vietnam, Laos and Myanmar). China has 56 minority cultures, and 25 of those live in Yunnan. Buddhism and Taoism are the two major religions. Of course, I’m trying to go in with an open mind. Studying as an anthropologist, I would like to know how the minority cultures keep those cultures alive and how they have kept those traditions going and keep on teaching them given the government (mandate).

Q: Do you speak Chinese?

A: I’ve taken classes in Mandarin, but I’m far from fluent. I will be doing an intensive language study, and the program involves a lot of visiting professors at Yunnan Nationalities University. There’s an urban homestay and rural homestay where you stay with families. You do everything with them except your classes. It really immerses you in language, and it helps you to communicate, forces you to communicate. My rural homestay is with the Bai culture. It will be for a week in a remote village called Shaxi Village.

Q: Have ever been to China before?

A: Yes. I actually went with the Milwaukee Youth Symphony Orchestra in summer 2007 to Bejing and Xi’an.

Q: What instrument do you play?

A: I was a biology and music major, and I’ve played the bass eight years. My second semester, I dropped music all together, and then I took the cultural anthropology class, and since then I’ve been hooked.