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SHERMAN, TEXAS—Austin College has been awarded a two-year grant from the ASIANetwork-Luce Foundation Postdoctoral Teaching Fellow Program to add a faculty member beginning in the upcoming academic year. The additional position will enhance the increasingly popular East Asian Studies interdisciplinary program at the College.
“East Asian Studies is a natural complement for many of our strong academic programs that are popular among students. We see much overlap between our students and political science and international relations, business and economics, computer science, environmental studies, and public health,” Jennifer Johnson-Cooper, associate professor of Chinese, said. “The Asian region is critical to informed discussions about pressing global issues for our globally minded students. We teach courses on everything from Chinese medicine to Japanese imperialism; from Japanese disaster response to kung fu films.”
The teaching fellow will teach courses related to Chinese politics and/or Chinese foreign relations, pursue active research, and participate in the intellectual and cultural life of Austin College. “We are looking for someone to help us build upon an already strong and innovative program,” said Dr. Sheila Amin Gutiérrez de Piñeres, vice president for Academic Affairs and dean of the faculty. “We were successful in our grant application to the Henry Luce Foundation by way of the ASIANetwork due to our excellent track record of faculty development.”
ASIANetwork is a consortium of about 160 colleges working to strengthen Asian studies for undergraduates within the liberal arts model. In addition to the teaching fellowship, the ASIANetwork offers conferences, faculty enhancement, student-faculty fellowships, and student awards.
“Expanding the presence of China in our curriculum responds to trends in high schools, where Chinese language instruction is being added. The long-term hope it that we will be able to expand Chinese language instruction at upper levels and have a banner program for this critical-needs language,” Johnson-Cooper said.
Austin College’s program in East Asian Languages and Cultures is an interdisciplinary exploration of East Asia as a whole region. Chinese and Japanese language classes are foundational to the program, and students build their understanding of the region’s culture through other courses taught in English. The College offers a major in East Asian Languages and Cultures with concentration options in Chinese, Japanese, and Comparative Studies.
Qualified applicants who have completed a PhD from a North American university no earlier than spring 2014 should email a letter of application, CV, statement of teaching philosophy, evidence of teaching effectiveness, copies of transcripts, and three letters of recommendation to eassearch@austincollege.edu.
Austin College, a private national liberal arts college located north of Dallas in Sherman, Texas, has earned a reputation for excellence in academic preparation, international study, pre-professional foundations, leadership development, committed faculty, and hands-on, adventurous learning opportunities. One of 40 schools profiled in Loren Pope’s influential book Colleges That Change Lives, Austin College boasts a welcoming community that embraces diversity and individuality, with more than 40 percent of students representing ethnic minorities. A residential student body of approximately 1,275 students and a faculty of more than 100 allow a 13:1 student-faculty ratio and personalized attention. The College is related by covenant to the Presbyterian Church (USA) and cultivates an inclusive atmosphere that supports students’ faith journeys regardless of religious tradition. Founded in 1849, the College is the oldest institution of higher education in Texas operating under original name and charter.