A summer in Malaysia

I spent the summer of 1997--June through August--as the external examiner at the department of communication, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Bangi. At UKM, communication comes under Fakulti Sains Kemasyarakatan & Kemanusiaan (the Faculty of Social Sciences & Humanities). Associate professor Mohd. Safar Hasim heads the communication department.

While I was at UKM, I also had the opportunity to deliver an invited lecture at Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang. Its department of communication is in the Faculty of Human Ecology. Associate professor Md. Salleh Hassan heads the communication department.

Sabbatical in China

I taught English Composition in the foreign languages department at Tianjin University, China, February through June 1994. The department has three vice chairmen at the associate professor level: Liu Wen Xiang, Wei Xu Guang and Shude Ding. Liu is the de facto head.

Tianjin is the third largest city in China. The university's address is 92 Weijin Road, Tianjin 300072.

The university's International Coordination Office looks after the foreign faculty. The coordinator is Zhang Feng Lin. However, section chief Lu He Chuan and his colleague Li Xiao Zhuo are in charge of day-to-day affairs. Tel.: (022) 3358715 Fax: (022) 3358329

Teng Shi Jia, director of the International Science, Technology and Culture Exchange Center, is in charge of lodging for international faculty and visitors. The university guest houses and canteens come under him. Tel.: (022) 3350853 Fax: (022) 3358329

Chinese students are fond of practising American English. They gather on the campus' "English Bridge" on Saturday evenings to converse in English with foreign visitors and others.

During my stay, Lu He Chuan accompanied me on a train trip to Xi'an, the ancient capital of China.

When my family arrived to visit me in June, all of us took a train trip to Tai'an (in Shandong Province), where we climbedTaishan. We also spent a day in Qufu, the birthplace of Confucius. Later, we traveled to Shanhaiguan (in Hebei Province) to visit the First Pass Under Heaven and the Old Dragon Head, where the Great Wall meets the sea. We also spent a day at the nearby resort town of Beidaihe.

In Beijing, we lodged at the Xi Yuan Guesthouse of the Beijing Polytechnic University (100 Ping Le Yuan, Chao Yang District). We travelled by bus to explore the tourist attractions: those around Tiananmen Square including Great Hall of the People, Mao Zedong Mausoleum and the Gugong Museum (the Forbidden City); Tiantan Park, Jingshan Park and Yiheyuan (the Summer Palace).

Sabbatical in Australia

I joined the international communication program of the department of media and communication studies in the school of English, linguistics and media at Macquarie University, Sydney, to spend the rest of my sabbatical July through November. I taught a graduate course titled "International Communication Flows." Most of the 25 odd students enrolled in the course were foreign students from China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Thailand, Indonesia and Singapore.

The ICP director is Dr. Naren Chitty, a senior lecturer. The head of the department is Associate Professor Philip Bell. Tel.: (02) 8058786 Fax: (02) 8058240

During my sojourn at Macquarie University, I stayed in a student residence hall, Robert Menzies College (136 Herring Road, North Ryde). Its administrator is Geoffrey Chubb. Tel.: (02) 8887133 Fax: (02) 8051582. Visitors to Sydney can stay at the college during university breaks.

I also visited Central Queensland University, Rockhampton; Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane; and Charles Sturt University, Bathurst, NSW. At all three campuses, I lectured on new approaches to teaching international communication.

Update: 1 Feb. 1998
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