Dr. Charles
Peek, Martin Distinguished Professor of English at the
University of Nebraska at Kearney, has been named a
Fulbright Scholar to China for February-July, 2005.
Dr. Peek, whose specialty is American Literature, is one of
only 21 scholars from universities across the nation
selected for Fulbright awards to teach in China, and the
only one who will be teaching literature.
Among his assignments will be teaching two graduate classes
in Modern American Literature, thesis assistance and
workshops for training teachers. In addition, he will
participate in a lecture tour to other universities where
there are Fulbright scholars. According to Dr. Peek, the
other Fulbright scholars are in the fields of law, political
science, marketing, journalism, economics, American studies
and English.
"My classes, which will be taught in English, will focus
mostly on Faulkner, Cather, Hemingway, the Harlem
Renaissance and American drama," Dr. Peek said. "The
expectation is that students will not only learn in the
content area of the class, but will also have an opportunity
to improve their English language skills."
Dr. Peek will teach at Northeast Normal University in
Changchun, Jilin. He will be the located the farthermost
north of any of the Fulbright scholars.
"It gets to 20 degrees below zero, much like Minneapolis,"
he said.
Before he begins at Northeast Normal University, he and his
wife Nancy, who will accompany him on the Fulbright
assignment, will attend an orientation in Beijing.
"We will be staying in a small complex that NNU devotes to
'visiting experts,' where each visitor has private
accommodations," he said. "It is said to be modern by
Chinese standards. We intend, however, to be flexible in
both our arrangements and expectations."
In addition to teaching at NNU, Dr. Peek has already been
invited to lecture at Zhongnan University of Economics and
Law, where Stetson University professor of law Stephen
Everhard will be posted, and at East China Normal
University, where Paul Levine, director of American Studies
at Copenhagen University, Denmark, is posted.
"China regards the U.S. as its most important bilateral
relationship," he said. "They want to build relationships."
Fulbright awards are competitive, based on merit. After a
proposal is reviewed by scholars in one's field, an award is
made based on selection by the Center for the International
Exchange of Scholars, the Fulbright officers.
