University of Iowa Home

International Programs Home

Center for Chinese Language and Culture (CCLC)

Director of CCLC

Judy Polumbaum, Professor, UI School of Journalism and Mass Communication

Executive Committee of CCLC

Judy Polumbaum, Chair
David Arkush, Professor of Chinese history, UI College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
Benjamin Read, Assistant Professor of Chinese Political Science, UI College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
Morten Schlutter, Assitant Professor of Religious Studies, UI College of Liberal Arts and Sciences

Missions of CCLC

The University of Iowa is well-placed to lead the efforts in promoting Chinese language and culture studies in the Midwestern region of the U.S. UI boasts a group of top-notch faculty in Chinese studies and has one of the best Chinese language programs in the U.S. UI is one of the few institutions in the U.S. that offers undergraduate and graduate degrees in all major areas of the Chinese studies. All of our faculty in Chinese studies are leading scholars in their own disciplines. In addition, UI is one of the first Chinese language B.A. programs in the U.S. UI established its B.A. degree program in 1958 and has trained several hundreds B.A. graduates in Chinese language since then. Many of our graduates are leading scholars of Chinese studies in the U.S. and the world. Professor James Watson, Professor of Anthropology at Harvard University and a member of the Board of Trustees for The Confucius Institute was one of the students who received their B.A. in Chinese from our Chinese language program in the 1950s.

Through support from Hanban, each year two visiting professors from China teach Chinese language and culture courses for the Confucius Institute at the University of Iowa. The Chinese language and culture courses taught by the visiting professors will be offered to both degree and non-degree students at The University of Iowa, and to the general public of the State of Iowa and the Midwestern region of the U.S. For the purpose of promoting Chinese language and culture studies, the missions of CCLC are as follows:

  • Offer Chinese Language and Culture Instruction
    Instruction for the Iowa Community including high school students, and to the Midwestern of the U.S. in collaboration with other units at The University of Iowa, such as the Department of Asian Languages and Literature, Center for Asian and Pacific Studies, College of Education, and The Division of Continuing Education.
  • Outreach to the Iowa Community and the Midwestern Region of the U.S.
    Recruit people to the Chinese language and culture studies and other culture events offered by The Confucius Institute at The University of Iowa.
  • Organize Chinese Cultural Events
    In conjunction with the Center for Asian and Pacific Studies, organize workshops on various aspects of traditional and modern Chinese culture and society, such as calligraphy and brush painting, cultural geography, trade, law, politics, urban life, martial arts, dance, mainstream popular culture, music, and cuisine