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Bradley Geisert
(e-mail)
For Brad Geisert, a small, liberal arts college is the perfect place to share his love of Asian history and culture. "Half of good teaching is loving the material," he said. "It's neat to be paid do something you like." When confronted with the question of why students should study Asia, he responded, "A liberal arts education is supposed to teach one about what it is to be human in the broadest sense of the word. If a person doesn't know anything about a culture other than her own, it's hard for her to know what is universal and what is particular to her own civilization. East Asia's large population, its diversity, as well as the length of its history make it rich in human experience." In addition to Japan and China, Geisert is adding more Korean exposure to his courses. He participated in the Institute on Korean Culture and Society in 2004, which provided coursework and travel and focused on Korean culture and history. Geisert's interest in Korea centers not only on elements of Korean cultural autonomy, but also on the ways in which Korea influenced Japanese culture, and Japan and China influenced Korea. A Bridgewater College graduate, Geisert received his master's degree and Ph.D. degrees from the University of Virginia. He taught at Sweet Briar College, the University of Virginia, Harvard University and Northwest Missouri State University before coming to Randolph College/ Randolph Macon Women's College in 1987. Geisert is the author of a number of publications including "Radicalism and Its Demise: The Chinese Nationalist Party, Factionalism, and Local Elites in Jiangsu Province." This book was published by the Center for Chinese Studies of the University of Michigan in the series "Michigan Monographs in Chinese Studies." He has also conducted research on the Chinese leader, Chiang Kai-shek. His interests outside of East Asian studies include works on the quest for the historical Jesus and other aspects of early Christianity.
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Kun An
(e-mail)
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