From the Office of the Dean...

November 06, 2008

College celebrates opening of new Confucius Institute with events, November 17

The College of Arts and Sciences will celebrate the opening of its new Confucius Institute on Monday, November 17, with a series of events aimed at exploring Chinese art, culture, history and business.

The events will begin at 1:30 p.m. and include panel discussions on Sino-American business exchanges and the presence of USC athletes at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Additionally, there will be a hanging costume exhibit and a presentation of "Beyond the Classroom: China", a short documentary by Department of Art professor Laura Kissel. All events will be held in the Daniel-Mickel Center and Lumpkin Auditorium on the 8th floor of the Moore School of Business.

The events will conclude with a music and dance performance by the Nanjing Normal University Art Performance Troupe at 7:00 p.m. in Longstreet Theatre.

*All events are free and open to the public*

PANEL DISCUSSION
"Forum on Sino-American Business Exchanges"
Monday, November 17, 2008
1:30 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.
Lumpkin Auditorium, Moore School of Business

PANEL DISCUSSION
"USC at the 2008 Beijing Olympics"
Monday, November 17, 2008
1:30 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.
BA 856, Moore School of Business

COSTUME EXHIBIT
"Exploring Chinese Fashion"
Monday, November 17, 2008
1:30 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.
Daniel-Mickel Center, Moore School of Business

VIDEO PRESENTATION
"Beyond the Classroom: China"
Monday, November 17, 2008
1:30 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.
BA 855, Moore School of Business

PERFORMANCE
Chinese Music and Dance Ensemble featuring the Nanjing Normal University Art Performance Troupe
Monday, November 17, 2008
7:00 p.m.
Longstreet Theatre

A copy of the Confucius Institute events poster may be found here.

About the Institute

The Confucius Institute is a collaborative project between the University of South Carolina, Beijing Language and Culture University (BLCU), and the Office of Chinese Language Council International (OCLI), a division of the Chinese Ministry of Education. The establishment of the Institute will bring USC, the Columbia region, and the state of South Carolina valuable new opportunities to strengthen public education at all levels and to capture greater economic benefits from the state’s growing trade with the People’s Republic of China and the East Asia region. 

Modeled in part on cultural programs such as Germany’s Goethe Institutes and the British Council, Confucius Institutes are designed to promote education about Chinese language, culture, and society.  First launched in 2004, dozens of new Institutes have opened in over 20 countries around the world.  In the United States, Confucius Institutes have been established at universities such as the University of Massachusetts, the University of Kansas, and North Carolina State University. 

The Confucius Institute will build on USC’s commitment to teaching and research about China in serveral ways:

• The Institute will bring instructors from BLCU to the USC campus to teach both university-level and community –oriented and community-oriented education courses. 
• Both USC and OCLI will contribute funds to expand USC’s China-related research collections in the Thomas Cooper Library. 
• New “Confucius Scholarships” will send USC undergraduates to study at BLCU.
• The Confucius Resource Center, also housed in the Cooper Library, will provide English- and Chinese-language materials ranging from the latest scholarly reference works to general interest books and multimedia materials on Chinese culture and Chinese language learning.

Over the long term, the Confucius Institute will provide instructional and research units at USC, state agencies, and members of the business community with a pipeline for providing training and enrichment to students and faculty interested in studying and working in the greater China region.