Light Center for Chinese Studies launches Spring Guest Lecture Series
KALAMAZOO, Mich.-- Western Michigan University’s Timothy Light Center will begin its 2025 Spring Guest Lecture Series this month. All events are free and open to the public. Prior registration is recommended.
Dr. Patrick Fuliang Shan, professor of history at Grand Valley State University, will speak Feb. 5. His remarks titled “China’s First Communist and the United States: Li Dazhao’s Changing Attitudes towards America” are scheduled for 3:30 p.m. in 3130 Sangren Hall on WMU’s campus. The presentation explores Li Dazhao’s evolving attitudes toward the United States and analyzes his ideological shift. Li Dazhao was a co-founder of the Chinese Communist Party and a mentor to Mao Zedong.
Dr. Don Wyatt, professor of history at Middlebury College, will speak April 10. His lecture titled “Aboard Ships Bound for Oblivion: Early Modern Entrances of the African into China” are scheduled for 3:30 p.m. in 3520 Sangren Hall.
A unit of the Haenicke Institute for Global Education, WMU’s Timothy Light Center for Chinese Studies was established in 2010 to enhance the work of faculty and graduate researchers specializing in Sinology, as well as those with teaching or research interests in China. The Light Center encourages interdisciplinary collaboration and global partnerships to enrich the international curriculum, arts and culture on campus.
About the Haenicke Institute for Global Education
The Diether H. Haenicke Institute for Global Education, established in 1998, fosters an environment that supports the global engagement of the WMU community. Its offices assist more than 1,500 international students and recent graduates, as well as nearly 1,000 WMU degree-seeking students studying at partner institutions in China and Taiwan.
The Institute facilitates short- and long-term study abroad programs for students, faculty and staff. It also hosts a variety of global learning activities to encourage a more globally engaged southwest Michigan. These initiatives include designing and promoting scholarship and academic opportunities; providing outreach to area K-12 schools; hosting lectures, panels and events; and showcasing arts, entertainment and culture from around the world.
More information at www.wmich.edu/global.
