WKU News

Today, more than ever, it is important to understand China and its neighbors. At 4 p.m. Tuesday (March 19), Dr. Jennifer Rudolph will present Claiming a Pirate, Claiming Taiwan in the Mahurin Honors College-International Center’s multipurpose room (HCIC) on WKU’s main campus.

Dr. Rudolph is a professor of Asian History and International and Global Studies at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI). She is also the Director of the China Hub and Hangzhou Project Center there. Her presentation will discuss the tension between China and Taiwan, as well as the formation of Taiwan’s identity through the famous figure of the pirate-merchant Zheng Chenggong.

Dr. Rudolph is the 2018-2019 Paul G. and Ernestine G. Hatcher Lecturer in the Department of Modern Languages. The annual Paul G. and Ernestine G. Hatcher Modern Language Lecture Series is made possible through a gift by Dr. Graham Hatcher in honor of his parents, Dr. Paul G. and Ernestine G. Hatcher. Dr. Paul G. Hatcher, Professor of Spanish, taught at WKU for 27 years and served as Head of the Department of Modern Languages from 1959 to 1965. He was the first Dean of Potter College and also the first Director of International Programs at WKU. The Department of Modern Languages is very grateful for this gift.

A social time beginning at 3:15 p.m. precedes the lecture. Refreshments are provided.

The Department of Modern Languages at WKU offers a Chinese major/minor program, as well as a Chinese Flagship Program. These programs provide high-level language and culture training to prepare students for careers in a wide variety of fields. Faculty will be on hand to provide additional information about Chinese and about other language programs in the department.

For information on this event or about programs in World Languages, contact the Department of Modern Languages at (270) 745-2401 or visit https://www.wku.edu/modernlanguages/.