As the importance of China’s influence grows, so does the need for people who understand Chinese culture and the Chinese language. To foster that sort of understanding, universities across the United States, including Michigan State University, have established Confucius Institutes.Host universities like MSU work with the Chinese education agency Hanban to train teachers from the U.S. and China to promote Chinese language learning.
In a recent report, though, the American Association of University Professors called on schools to either scrap their partnerships or renegotiate them. The AAUP says these arrangements lack transparency and put academic freedom at risk.
Current State spoke with Joerg Tiede of the AAUP, along with Nancy Romig and Ruhui Ni, associate directors of MSU's Confucius Institute.