Visiting scholar from China
Fri, 15 Mar 2013 12:32:00 GMT
Helen (Haiyan) Wang, from the Chongquing Three Gorges University is visiting the University. She is here for a year (from September 2012) with a Chinese scholarship from the National Education Committee and has been finding out all about the School, working alongside our academic staff. She has been joining teaching sessions and seminars and discussing her work and progress with colleagues. She is a member of staff in the Office of International Co-operation and Exchange at Chongqing Three Gorges University and a part-time Chinese lecturer for international students studying there.
She holds a BA in English Language and a Masters in Chinese Linguistics and Applied Linguistics from Sichuan University. Since then, she has taught English as a second language to Chinese students and Chinese to international students. She also conducts research on China's education of international students. Some of her research papers have been published and she is currently researching into 'The diversity of language culture and its influence on China's education of international students', funded by Chongqing Municipality Education Council.
Her research interest is in the relation between language and culture. She is also interested in the learning experience of international students in higher education. In China, as she points out, students who study Chinese are not studying their first language, and possibly studying other subjects in Chinese, so linguistics and other study related issues are highly relevant for her viewing Chinese students studying in English in Huddersfield. She wants to return to China to undertake a doctorate and so the visit may result in joint research publications in future! The University in general and the School in particular has a good number of Chinese students, which means that Helen has many opportunities to develop her knowledge of the field this year.
