News
6th DFW Chinese Teachers Training Workshop Held on UT Dallas Campus - August 22, 2012, the 6th Dallas - Fort Worth Chinese Teachers Training Workshop was held on the campus of the University of Texas at Dallas. Sponsored by the Confucius Institute of the University of Texas at Dallas, the workshop was organized and promoted by the 6th Dallas – Fort Worth Chinese Teachers' Training Committee. Over 100 local Chinese teachers from K-12 schools and colleges attended the workshop, which focused on three chosen topics of Chinese language teaching.
UTD Confucius Institute Held a Ceremony of Signing Agreements with the Confucius Classrooms and Presenting the Plaques (September 6, 2011) - On September 6, 2011, a high-class ceremony was held in McDermott Library Hall at UT Dallas to sign the agreements with the new group of Confucius Classrooms and present the plaques. Consul General XuErwen, Director Yan Guohua from Houston Consulate General, UTD president, executive vice president, senior vice president, superintendents and principals attended the ceremony. So far, UTD Confucius Institute has set up 10 Confucius Classrooms in Northern Texas.
The ceremony was presided by Dr. Gu Mingdong, the director ofthe Confucius Institute at UT Dallas. President David Daniel delivered the welcome speech on behalf of the University. He gave the thanks to all the supporters of the Confucius Institute and believed that the new cooperation with the Confucius Classrooms would bring more opportunities to communicate with China. Consul General Xu gave congratulations to the Confucius Classrooms and expressed that the Consulate General in Houston would continue supporting the Chinese programs. Principal Walter Kelly from the Highland Park High School addressed that the school would supportthe new Confucius Classroom with its own characteristics on behalf of the new group of Classrooms.Dr. Bryson, the assistant superintendent introduced her successful experience to promote Chinese programs in Coppell Independent School District.
In a friendly atmosphere, Dennis Kratz, the executive director of the Confucius Institute, signed the agreements with the principals from Highland Park High School, Ursuline Academy of Dallas, Episcopal High School of Dallas and New Tech High School respectively.
Consul GeneralXu, Consul & Director Yan, UTD President Daniel, Executive Vice PresidentWildenthal, Senior Vice President Jamison, Executive Director of CI presented the plaques to all the new Confucius Classrooms.
Consul General and his colleagues visited the Chinese Cultural Experience Corner, the new offices and Chinese reading room of the Confucius Institute and listened to the work report of the Confucius Institute.
UT Dallas Professor Chairs International Summit Forum in China (June 2, 2011) - On June 2, 2011, Prof. Ming Dong Gu, director of the Confucius Institute at UT Dallas, was invited to chair an International Summit Forum in Yangzhou, China. The forum, titled "Theory and The Disappearing Future: On De Man and Benjamin," gathered together over forty scholars from the US and China, among whom were two distinguished speakers, Prof. J. Hillis Miller from the Unversity of California-Ervine and Prof. Tom Cohen from the State University of New York at Albany. A former coleague of Paul de Man and a member of the Yale School of Deconstructive Criticism, Prof. Miller spoke on the relevance of De Man's critical theory for present-day literary studies. Prof. Cohen, one of de Man's students, spoke about the so far unpublished details of De Man's influential speech on Walter Benjamin's famous essay "The Task of the Translator." Their presentations centered on the main ideas of a book jointly authored by Miller, Cohen and Claire Colebrook, Theory and The Disappearing Future: On De Man, On Benjamin, to be published by Routledge. Prof. Gu commented on their presentations and the forum participants engaged the speakers on issues adumbrated in their speeches including such hot topics as globalization, consumerism, terrorism, financial meltdown, environmental crises, and their impact on literary theory and cultural studies.
Symposium on "Sinologism" Jointly Held by UT Dallas and Nanjing University (February 25, 2011) - The Confucius Institute at UT Dallas and the Institute of Advanced Studies for Humanities and Social Sciences of Nanjing University jointly organized an International Symposium, "Sinologism: Theoretical Explorations." It was held on October 19-21, 2010 in Nanjing, China. Prof. Ming Dong Gu, director of the Confucius Institute, was the co-organizer. The symposium was attended by over a dozen internationally renowned scholars from universities and research institutes in the US, Hong Kong, and China, as well as 60 scholars of China-West studies from different institutions of higher learning in China. Prof. Ren Lijian, Vice President of Nanjing University, opened the symposium with his congratulatory remarks. Prof. Gu delivered the theme speech: "What Is Sinologism?" Each of the symposium speakers gave presentations centering on the proposed theme, and symposium attendants were also engaged in heated discussions and debates. The symposium proposed a new theoretical category and initiated a new critical approach to China-West studies. It was reported in a mainstream Chinese newspaper, Zhonghua dushu bao (Chinese Readers' Newspaper) and was widely circulated online.
UT Dallas President Visits China (October 25, 2010) - The University of Texas at Dallas President Dr. David Daniel and Dennis Kratz, dean of the School of Arts and Humanities at UT Dallas, recently spent a week in China, visiting China Three Gorges University (CTGU) and attending the 2010 World Expo in Shanghai.
This marked President Daniel's first trip to Yichang, an ancient city located at the Eastern entrance to the three gorges, and he received a warm welcome - CTGU even dedicated a celebratory gala in their honor. Kratz added, "We were fortunate to be in China during the Mid-Autumn Festival, a time of joy and family celebration."
Drs. Daniel and Kratz had the rare privilege of not only visiting the famous Three Gorges Dam but also being invited to view the hydroelectric plant within the massive structure. The purpose of the visit was to strengthen and enhance the partnership between the two universities that began in 2007, when UT Dallas and CTGU established the first Confucius Institute in Texas to increase mutual respect and cooperation specifically between the people of China and the Southwest region by promoting the study of China's language, history and culture.
UT Dallas President, Dean Visit Chinese Partner University (September 24, 2010) - UT Dallas President Dr. David Daniel and Dennis Kratz, dean of the School of Arts and Humanities, are currently visiting Three Gorges University in China. Three Gorges, which is the partner school to UT Dallas, hosted a celebratory gala in their honor.
Six Confucius Classrooms Established in Coppell and HEB ISDs (July 7, 2010) - Six schools in the Coppell and Hurst-Euless-Bedford Independent School Districts (CISD and HEB ISD) that have expressed a strong interest in Chinese language learning will now get their chance, as agreements were signed last month establishing the first Confucius Classrooms in Texas.
The Confucius Classroom is an initiative of the Confucius Institute Headquarters in Beijing, to enhance understanding and friendship between the young people of China and the United States by sponsoring courses of Chinese language and culture in primary, middle and high schools. The Confucius Institute at The University of Texas at Dallas facilitated the proposal process in Coppell and Hurst-Euless-Bedford, and will oversee the program via occasional site visits and project development.
Four schools from Coppell ISD applied to and have been approved for the Confucius Classroom program: Coppell Middle School East, Coppell Middle School West, Coppell Middle School North and Denton Creek Elementary School; and two schools from HEB ISD: Trinity High School and Lawrence D. Bell High School.
For a school to be accepted into the Confucius Classroom program, both the ISD and the school must have a strong interest in offering Chinese language courses to students; the school's principal or vice-principal must be willing to take charge of the Confucius Classroom directly; the school must provide an appropriate site for teaching, office space and administrative personnel for the Confucius Classroom; and the school must provide necessary living and working conditions for the volunteer Chinese language teacher(s), if requested.
The Confucius Institute Headquarters provides participating schools with a start-up fund of up to $10,000, and up to an additional $20,000 of Chinese language teaching and cultural equipment and materials, including books, audio-visual and multimedia materials, and courseware. Students will learn basic communication skills in the Chinese language, including listening, speaking, reading and writing. Each school will independently decide on the curriculum and textbooks for its students.
Tian Xijun, associate professor and program coordinator for the Confucius Institute at the University of Texas at Dallas, says, "UT Dallas is the first Confucius Institute in Texas that has established Confucius Classrooms, and we plan to establish 20 to 30 additional Confucius Classrooms around the DFW metroplex in the future."
UT Dallas Co-Sponsors Chinese Conference on Art and Technology (May 28, 2010) - An international conference on "Arts in the Age of Post-Technology" was held in Nanjing, China, from May 28 - 30. Jointly organized by the School of Arts of Southeast University, China, the School of Film and TV Art and Technology of Shanghai University, China, and the School of Arts and Humanities at the University of Texas at Dallas, the conference was attended by more than 100 participants, with 78 presentations by scholars from universities in both China and around the world.
Headed by Dennis M. Kratz, dean of the School of Arts and Humanities, UT Dallas sent a delegation of six professors to the conference. At the opening ceremony, Dean Kratz delivered his keynote address, "The Future of Arts and Humanities in the Age of High Technology," which was well-received by the Chinese and foreign scholars. His introduction of how arts and humanities at UT Dallas have confronted challenges from computing science, emerging media and other forms of technology provided much-needed food-for-thought for Chinese scholars under the pressures of similar challenges.
In parallel sessions, UT Dallas Professors Frederick Turner, Marilyn Waligore, Kang Zhang, Dwayne Carter and Ming Dong Gu gave individual presentations related to the theme of the conference and participated in heated and lively discussions on how technology has impacted arts and humanities, what problems the arts are currently facing in a post-technological era, and the possible ways in which arts and humanities can meet the challenges and prosper in the twenty-first century.
After the conference, Kratz, Zhang and Gu met with Professor Wang Tingxin, dean of the School of Arts of Southeast University, and his colleagues. They discussed ideas on how the two universities can engage in further partnerships in the future, and agreed to begin with the exchange of scholars and students in order to bolster cultural understanding, and will eventually branch out into an academic research collaboration.
Confucius Institute Team Takes 3rd Prize in Dragon Boat Race (May 16, 2010) - The 2010 Annual DFW Dragon Boat, Kite and Lantern Festival, which was hosted by the Marco Polo World Foundation, was held at Lake Carolyn in Irving, Texas on Sunday, May 16. The University of Texas at Dallas' dragon boat team, "Team Confucius Institute," placed third in the Open Division.
A dragon boat is a human-powered traditional long boat typically made of teak wood and found throughout Asia, Africa and the Pacific Islands. It is now used in the team paddling sport of dragon boat racing, which originated in China over 2000 years ago.
"Team Confucius Institute" consisted of 13 men and 8 women from the staff of the Confucius Institute and Chinese students from UT Dallas.
"We all did our best and made use of what we practiced!" said Wenxun Qiu, one of the team members. "Given more time for practice, we would have done better as a team."
Eight men's teams and 28 coed teams competed in their respective divisions at the festival. The Irving Fire Department's team was named Grand Champion.
The first festival was held in 2007 to promote the new sport of dragon boating, enhance intercultural understanding and celebrate Asian-Pacific Heritage Month.
Director of Confucius Institute Wins Diversity Award (April 17, 2010) - The 1st Inaugural Diversity Awards Gala and Scholarship Fundraiser was held on April 17 on the University of Texas at Dallas campus. Honorees included members of the UT Dallas faculty and staff, a student, and a corporate partner, who were recognized for their efforts to increase diversity and excellence at UT Dallas over the past year.
Professor Ming Dong Gu, director of the Confucius Institute at UT Dallas, received the Diversity Award for his excellent academic research and his promotion of the Chinese language and culture.
As Director of the Confucius Institute, Professor Gu endeavors to promote the Chinese language and culture through offering Chinese language classes of different levels and purposes, and organizing various Chinese cultural events and activities. He founded the Confucius Salon at UT Dallas, which gathers people to appreciate and discuss the works of Confucius on the last Sunday of each month.
Gu's efforts, along with the aforementioned scholarship fundraising initiative, will provide support for the Office of Diversity and Community Engagement's Diversity Scholarship Program to continue to increase diversity and excellence at UT Dallas.
Prof Breaks New Ground in Literary Criticism Book (Feb. 25, 2010) - Dr. Ming Dong Gu, professor of Chinese and comparative literature and director of the Confucius Institute at UT Dallas, was asked by the general editor of Norton Anthology of Theory and Criticism to choose the first Chinese theorist to be included in the publication. read more
Chinese New Year celebration (Feb. 6, 2010) - The year of the tiger roars into the University of Texas at Dallas with music, dance and theatrical performances by students from the University of International Business and Economics in China. read more
Asian culture and community events in the Dallas area (Feb. 4, 2010) - The Asian Studies Symposium at Southern Methodist University seeks to build awareness and appreciation of Asian cultural, political and economic issues among students and faculty.
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Confucius Institute Helps Children, Families Adapt (Jan. 12, 2010) - They were on the UT Dallas campus for ongoing lessons in Chinese language, history and culture. For the past year, the Confucius Institute has offered the classes to a network of 500 to 1,000 families in the Dallas-Fort Worth area who have adopted children from China. read more
Dean is Asian - American Council's Person of the Year (Sept. 15, 2009) - On Saturday night, the DFW Asian-American Citizens Council (DFWAACC) honored Dennis Kratz, dean of the School of Arts and Humanities, with its annual Person of the Year award.
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Translation Scholars to Explore China's Influence (April 2, 2009) - The translator plays a major role in the transmission of knowledge and cross - cultural understanding, making available not only great literature but also documents of everyday life to the rest of the world. read more
Dance Innovator Lily Cai to Teach UT Dallas Students (Jan. 26, 2009) - The colorful and symbolic dance forms of ancient China will blend with the energy of modern choreography in February, when Lily Cai comes to the UT Dallas campus for a two-week residency of workshops in dance. read more
Confucius Institute Helps Assess Fluency in Chinese (Jan. 14, 2009) - In addition to helping non-native speakers learn the Chinese language, the Confucius Institute at UT Dallas is helping people assess their Chinese language proficiency. read more
Renowned Literary Critic to Lecture on China Studies (Oct. 22, 2008) - The Confucius Institute at UT Dallas presents "An American in China: Reflections on Literary and Cultural Studies in the People's Republic of China," a public lecture by prominent literary critic J. Hillis Miller, who will be visiting campus Wednesday. read more
Confucius Institute to Celebrate 1st Year at UT Dallas (Oct. 15, 2008) - As Ming Dong Gu, Xuanchuan LIU and Sharon Yang busily prepare for the Nov. 8 first anniversary of the Confucius Institute at UT Dallas, they pause to reflect on its growth during this inaugural year. read more
Lecture to Explore Politics, Passion in Chinese Film (Sep. 9, 2008) - Few pursuits are more public than politics, or more private than love. A Confucius Institute lecture next week will explain how these seemingly disparate themes work together in the Chinese cinematic tradition. read more
Student Singers Taking Voices on Tour of China (May 27, 2008) - Seven young women who perform with the UT Dallas Chamber Singers have been getting their voices ready to travel next month through northern China with the Dallas Li-Sheng Ladies Choir.
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UT Dallas Confucius Institute Coordinates Aid to Quake Victims (May 19, 2008) - The Confucius Institute at UT Dallas has joined relief efforts for victims of the earthquake that devastated southwestern China's Sichuan Province. read more
Event to Explore World of Farewell My Concubine (Jan. 29, 2008) - The School of Arts and Humanities and the Confucius Institute at UT Dallas will host a workshop Saturday, Feb. 2, in anticipation of the Chinese Opera's performance of Farewell My Concubine at the Eisemann Center in Richardson the following week. read more
Gala Celebration for UT Dallas celebrating the new Confucius Institute set for Nov. 4 (Oct. 22, 2007) - A gala celebration to commemorate the opening of the Confucius Institute at The University of Texas at Dallas will be held on Sunday, Nov. 4, at 6 p.m. in the Conference Center. read more
Confucius Institute to open on UTD campus (Oct. 1, 2007) - This fall, the UTD campus will become home to one of 21 U.S. - based non - profit institutes designed to promote Chinese language and culture, operated with the participation of the People's Republic of China, the Office of Chinese Language International, the University of Texas at Dallas and China Three Gorges University. read more
Confucius Institute to offer cultural insights (Sep. 30, 2007) - U.S. - China relations - no doubt a key factor in global affairs and economies for years to come - can now count on "harmonious" help from the University of Texas at Dallas' new Confucius Institute.
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