Patrick Crotty – Boren Scholarship recipient

The Asian Studies Program would like to congratulate Patrick Crotty on being awarded a Boren Scholarship. Boren Scholarships are initiative of the National Security Education Program, provide unique funding opportunities for U.S. undergraduate students to study less commonly taught languages in world regions critical to U.S. interests, and underrepresented in study abroad, including Africa, Asia, Central and Eastern Europe, Eurasia, Latin America, and the Middle East.

Patrick will be spending his time in China learning Chinese until his return in August. His future plans are to work for the United States working to establish positive U.S. – China trade polices.

Olivetti Posy – Critical Language Scholarship recipient

Miss Olivetti Posy was awarded the Critical Language Scholarship Program, 2018. Miss Olivetti is a intelligent and hard working students. She has been taking Chinese language courses for four semesters. She majors in mathematics with a concentration in actuarial studies. She would like to apply her language skill in work with the numbers used to calculate currency exchanges, money transfers between businesses in China and the United States, or analyze the data of the Chinese and United States economies. Posy will enroll in a program in Shanghai this summer.

The Critical Language Scholarship (CLS) Program is an intensive overseas language and cultural immersion program for American students enrolled at U.S. colleges and universities. The program includes intensive language instruction and structured cultural enrichment experiences designed to promote rapid language gains.

 

Lecturer Dr. Daniel Hsieh

On Monday, March 12th the Asian Studies program hosted Dr. Daniel Hsieh. He is Chair of the East Asian Language Department and Associate Professor of Chinese at the School of Languages and Cultures at Purdue University. He presented the lecture “Love and Women in Chinese Records of the Strange.”

More than fifty students and faculty attended the event, which was more than was expected. It was a successful and wonderful event!

Prof. Garrett Davidson in the College of Charleston Magazine

Arabic Studies professor Garrett Davidson was honored in the College of Charleston Magazine this summer. Professor Davidson strives to foster connections with a part of the world that students might otherwise now know.

“This is a region that’s very misunderstood,” says Davidson, adding that 21st-century American cinema hasn’t helped the matter. “Arabs tend to be villainized and dehumanized in Hollywood films. So, one of the goals is to humanize them for these students – to connect them to these societies in a way that challenges their perceptions.”

“This course explores political and social issues that are very foreign to students – and in a very foreign environment. So, using a medium that they are so familiar with – that they are comfortable with – makes it more approachable,” says Davidson, noting that the course includes films from all over the Arabic world, from Morocco to Iraq, providing the perfect channel for exploring any number of political, historical and cultural issues. “These films are exposing them to important themes in modern Arab societies and cultures in ways they really connect with.”

The full article can be found here: http://today.cofc.edu/2017/06/16/arabic-studies/

Asian-Pacific Islander Unity Celebration 2017

On Tuesday, May 2, 2017 the Office of Multicultural Student Programs and Services and student organizations Asian Student Association and the Chinese Club honored the accomplishments of our Asian-Pacific Islander Graduates. Our very own Dr. Karambelkar was the key note speaker of the event.

http://msps.cofc.edu/multiculturalgraduationcelebrations/asian-pacific-islander-unity-celebration.php

Goose Creek City Council Honors Prof. Leena Karambelkar

On April 11, 2017 the Goose Creek City Council honored Professor Leena Karambelkar, Director of the Hindi Program, with this year’s Goose Creek Artist Guild Purchase Award for her mixed media painting “Nirvana”.

The painting was presented during the meeting and will be on display at City Hall.

You can find the announcement of the award in The Berkeley Observer or at the link below.

http://www.berkeleyobserver.com/2017/04/12/goose-creek-city-council-honors-award-winning-artist/

 

 

Shout out to professor Leena Karambelkar

Professor Leena Karambelkar, Director of the Hindi program, was highlighted in a special feature of the Office of Institutional Diversity’s monthly newsletter. This month OID’s newsletter celebrates women’s history, women in higher education.

You can find the newsletter here
http://diversity.cofc.edu/OID%20Newsletter/March%20Newsletter.pdf

Chinese Performing Arts Show & Speech Contest at the The Citadel

On February 25, 2017 at The Citadel students participated in the Chinese Performing Arts Show & Speech Contest.

The event included
Ming Ke / Traditional Instruments Pipa & Guzheng
Chen Lan / Ancient Poetry Operatic Singing
Li Huang / Classical & Poetry Dances
Jia Jia / Chinese Flutes
Tu Shuai / Guqin
Haijing Zhuang / Guzheng
Classical Chinese Dances by City Art Center
& Mama Dance Group

The event was sponsored by:
Project GO

The event was coordinated by:
The Citadel
The College of Charleston, School of Languages, Cultures, and World Affairs
Charleston Chinese Culture Center
Poetry & Beyond

TLT “Shout-Out” to Professor Karambelkar!

We’re so proud to share the exciting “Shout-Out” that TLT gave to Professor Leena Karambelkar on November 2nd. TLT gave the “Shout-Out” to Professor Karambelkar for inspiring her students’ creativity with problem-based learning (PBL). She attended TLT’s Faculty Technology Institute in 2012 and learned about PBL from D. John Peters. According to Professor Karambelkar, “PBL makes students the decision-makers and active participants in the process of learning while the instructor’s role is of a facilitator, guide, and mentor.” Examples of student projects included poetry, teaching materials about Indian scientists, and a book written in Hindi for young girls.

“It is pure joy to see how these enthusiastic students create beautiful pieces of knowledge using critical thinking, intuition, and an urge to learn more,” says Professor Karambelkar.  And students appreciate her approach to teaching: “Ms. Leena is a fantastic teacher. Going from Hindi 101 to Hindi 202, I have learned so much. By the time you get to 202, she customizes the work to each student so that we are all working on material that matters to us.”

 

tlt-shout-out