Tag: Faculty
Summer I ONLINE Course Opportunity! “The Role of the Quran in Contemporary Islam”
Registration for Summer classes begins on March 10!
ARST 273 (CRN 30754) will be offered ONLINE by Dr. Ghazi Abuhakema during Summer I.
Course Description: In this course, ARST 273, The Role of the Qur’a and its Place in Contemporary Islam, students are introduced to some of the key ideas and themes of the Quran and its role as the ultimate source of authority for Muslims. The course also examines current, and, in some cases, controversial, issues, and explores how particular Qur’anic passages have been cited and interpreted with respect to these issues.
Asian Studies Welcome Back Event!
Chinese Professor Brings Ancient Flavor to Celebration of Charleston’s Super Moon
Chinese Professor Brings Ancient Flavor to Celebration of Charleston’s Super Moon
When the next super moon brightens the sky September 9, 2014, you might find College of Charleston professor Lei Jin eating a moon cake to celebrate. That’s because the extra-large-looking moon is celebrated in Chinese culture with the Moon Festival.
RELATED: Read about the “super” full moon that rises September 9, 2014.
Jin has become a go-to expert on all aspects of Chinese culture in Charleston. As president of the Chinese Association of Greater Charleston, she’s organized a Moon Festival event on Saturday, September 6 at the Palmetto Island County Park in Mt. Pleasant.
“The Chinese Moon Festival is equivalent to the American Thanksgiving holiday,” says Jin, director of the college’s Asian Studies Program. “In China, it’s a national holiday.”
Like Thanksgiving, the Moon Festival focuses on food and family, moon cakes and large gatherings of relatives. The annual festival dates back more than 3,000 years to a time when people paid tribute to the moon, believing that would bring a better harvest.
RELATED: Take Chinese at the College of Charleston.
Originally from southwest China, Jin moved to the U.S. to study literature and fell in love with the Lowcountry.
Today, she teaches Chinese language, literature and cinema at the College and serves as a mentor for the Asian Students Association and Chinese Club. She also has plenty of non-Chinese students who want to learn about the ways of the most populous country in the world.
“We have more and more students majoring in international studies or international business,” says Jin. “They need to prepare themselves in terms of language and culture. China plays an important role in the world’s economy.”