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Current
Fellows
Past
Fellows
Universities |
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Generously supported by the Freeman Foundation, the Freeman Fellows Program promotes international understanding through academic exchange between Chinese and American scholars. Targeting young professors in the humanities and social sciences, since the fall of 1996, the Program has coordinated and supported faculty exchanges between the University of Illinois and key Chinese universities.
The number of participating Chinese Universities has grown from three in 1996, to six in 1998, to eight in 2000. There are currently 10 participating universities. Since the inception of the program, more than 175 Chinese scholars have resided for a year at the University of Illinois. These promising scholars audit classes and undertake research projects during their stays. In order to enhance their understanding of the United States, the Chinese scholars also attend a year-long seminar series presented by University of Illinois faculty and community members. The purpose of the seminars is to broaden their understanding of American culture, to learn about the American experience, to expose the scholars to areas of study outside their area of expertise, and to experience a variety of teaching styles. Freeman Fellows are also encouraged to attend and participate in academic conferences in their disciplines.
The Freeman Fellows also have the opportunity to learn more about American history and culture by participating in field trips to such places as Indianapolis, IN, St. Louis, MO, Hannibal, MO and Springfield, IL. Another field trip highlight includes a visit to an Amish farm and a meal in an Amish home. Freeman Fellows are also valuable resources for area teachers who are anxious to learn more about China and incorporate that knowledge into their classrooms.
The program also provides for UIUC scholars and students to visit the partner universities in China, and more than 20 University of Illinois scholars and 170 students have been hosted in by our partner universities for short- or long-term stays.
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Freeman Fellow Program Partner Universities |
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Listed here are Chinese Universities from which
scholars who have participated in Freeman Fellows come from.
Click on each to find more about them and a link to their respective
websites. |
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Peking
University (Beijing) |
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Remin
University (Beijing) |
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Fudan
University (Shanghai) |
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Nanjing
University (Nanjing) |
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Northwest
University (Xi'an) |
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Wuhan
University (Wuhan) |
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Xiamen
University (Xiamen) |
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Sun
Yat-sen University (Guangzhou) |
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East
China Normal University (Shanghai) |
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Southwest University (Chongqing) |
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Program Eligibility |
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Freeman Fellows must be faculty members at one of the 10 University of Illinois-Freeman Fellows partner universities in China. Applicants from other universities will not be considered. Applicants should be faculty members of any rank. A Ph.D. is not required to apply or participate in this program. Applications are welcome from participants in any humanities or social science academic discipline. Scholars must be capable of conducting research and communicating in English. |
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Selection Procedure |
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Each year approximately 8 Freeman Fellows will be invited to the University of Illinois. In November of each year a letter is sent to each of the participating universities inviting them to submit application documents from specified faculty members. Those interested in applying should contact the international study officer at their respective university for specifics on the application procedure at that school. The international study office from each university then forwards the applications from that university to the Freeman Fellows office at the University of Illinois. Applications submitted directly to the University of Illinois will not be accepted.
Application materials include a CV, a one-paragraph bio, a research proposal, a cover letter, and three letters of recommendation.
A sub-committee of the Freeman Fellows Advisory Committee at the University of Illinois evaluates all of the applications on the following basis:
• Potential for future influence in the scholar’s field in China
• Appropriateness of the proposed research to be conducted at the University of Illinois
The selection committee will give preference to candidates who demonstrate that the resources at the University of Illinois will be of particular help in their research proposals. Applicants should demonstrate knowledge of the University’s faculty and resource offerings in their applications, and are advised to consult the University’s website before submitting their applications.
The sub-committee of the Freeman Fellows Advisory Committee will draw up a short list of final candidates. Those people will be notified by e-mail, and at that time they will be asked to send a recent photo of themselves by e-mail attachment. A Skype video-conference interview, conducted by staff from the Freeman Fellows Program and the Center for East Asian and Pacific Studies, will then be scheduled for each candidate. The purpose of this interview is to learn more about each candidate, to explore the appropriateness of the proposed research to be conducted at the University of Illinois, and to determine the candidate’s ability to communicate in English. The Advisory Committee may also ask for clarification on some aspects of the candidate’s application at that time.
The results of the interviews will then be returned to the sub-committee for further deliberation and final selection of the Freeman Fellows.
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A Year in the Life of a Freeman Fellow
What’s a “typical” year
for a Freeman Fellow?
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Arrival: Aug. 1
Freeman
Fellows arrive in Urbana-Champaign
Orientation: Aug. 2-Aug.15
The next three weeks
are spent in orientation: getting settled into university housing,
filling out paperwork to become part of the university community,
touring campus and community facilities, meetings with faculty
partners and host families, and other activities designed to
help the Freeman Fellows become a part of the University of
Illinois community.
Academic Year: late August-early May
For the next 9 months the Freeman Fellows are involved in many campus
activities, including fulfilling their own research goals,
auditing courses, giving lectures on campus, perhaps co-teaching
a course, attending professional conferences throughout the US, and
attending regularly-scheduled Freeman Fellows events (see below). At
the end of the academic year, we celebrate the achievements of the Freeman
Fellows with the annual Freeman Fellows Graduation banquet.
Departure: June 1
Freeman Fellows return to China. |
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Regularly-scheduled Freeman Fellows events |
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Cross-cultural conversations |
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Beginning during orientation and continuing through September, the Freeman Fellows are invited into homes in the neighborhood around the university for lively, candid conversations on topics of interest. Past Freeman Fellows have enjoyed discussing topics such as:
• Consumption and conservation
• Parenting in a cultural context
• Managing stress
• Parents and teachers in childhood education
• Universities reaching out to others
• Access to news and information
• Academic and personal ethics
• What does it mean to be a faculty colleague?
Freeman Fellows Seminar
Throughout the academic year the Freeman Fellows participate in a regularly-scheduled seminar designed to introduce them to a variety of scholars in disciplines from across campus to speak to them on American culture, research at the University of Illinois, and other topics of interest.
Field Trips
The Freeman Fellows have the opportunity to learn more about American history and culture by participating in field trips to such places as Hannibal, MO, St. Louis, MO, Indianapolis, IN, and Springfield, IL. Another field trip highlight includes a visit to an Amish farm and a meal in an Amish home. Freeman Fellows are also valuable resources for area teachers who are anxious to learn more about China and incorporate that knowledge into their classrooms. |
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Hannibal, MO |
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Local Farm |
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Chicago, IL |
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The Center for East Asian and
Pacific Studies at University of Illinois
230 International Studies Building, 910 S. Fifth Street Champaign IL 61820
phone: 217.333.7273 fax: 217.244.5729 eaps@uiuc.edu |
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