Teach and Learn Chinese Characters with Technology: A Method that Works

Finding the most effective ways to teach and learn Chinese characters is a challenge faced by beginning-level instructors and students. Training to become fluent in character recognition is the first step students must take if they want to read Chinese texts and to achieve an advanced level of literacy in Chinese. To help students overcome … Read more

Prosecutorial Discretion: A Double-Edged Sword

The prosecutor is the central figure in the administration of criminal justice. As the leader of law enforcement in the community, the prosecutor has the obligation to participate actively in marshalling society’s resources against the threat of crime. But the basic duty of the prosecutor is to seek justice, not merely to convict. It is … Read more

Naming out Grief: Three Refugee Tales, Fact & Fiction

One of the latest debates taking place on the streets and in the country’s most respected newsrooms is whether to call victims of recent the hurricane refugees. Some say that the word is insulting. It implies that the evacuees, so many of whom were people of color, are not citizens. Author Andrea Louie contends that … Read more

Lu Xun, a Nation’s Emblematic Writer

Lu Xun (1881-1936) was the first and most prominent figure in modern Chinese literature. His groundbreaking fiction and essays exerted a vast influence that touched on every aspect of China in the modern world. Professor Chou will speak about this towering literary figure, what he wrote, why his writings were so influential, and what his … Read more

Post-Crisis Asia: Assessing South Korea’s Dramatic Recovery From the Asian Financial Crisis

This lecture examines the factors behind the remarkable economic recovery of South Korea from the Asian financial crisis that had gripped the country during late 1997.  It examines the restructuring efforts undertaken by the Korean government in the corporate, financial, labor market, public enterprise, and foreign investment sectors, and   evaluates the results as well as … Read more

“What! A Labor Shortage in China?”

Is it even conceivable that there could be a labor shortage in China? Knowledgeable people have diametrically different views. The question itself operates like a Rorschach inkblot: the answer tells more about the presumptions of the respondents than the reality facing them. But there is a reality and there is an answer, and the implications … Read more