Cynthia Y. Ning

 

Personal:

 

Work address: Center for Chinese Studies                 

           

                        University of Hawai‘i at Manoa      

                       

                        Honolulu, HI 96822                           

                                     

                        Tel: (808) 956-2692;

 

                        FAX: (808) 956-2682

 

                   E-mail: cyndy@hawaii.edu

 

 

Education:

1986:               PhD, U. of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI

                        Major: Chinese Language & Literature;
                        Minor: Chinese Linguistics

Dissertation: Comic Elements in the (Yuan drama) Xiyouji zaju

1977:               MA, U. of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI;

                        Chinese Language & Literature

1974-5:           Mandarin Training Center, National Taiwan   Normal University

1973:               BA, Kalamazoo College, Kalamazoo, MI; German Language & Literature

1971-2:            Universität Erlangen; Erlangen, Germany

 

Work experience

1991--: Center for Chinese Study, UH
1991, 1992, 1993, 2000:  Teacher trainer in Chinese, Summer Intensive Language Training Intitute, National Foreign Language Resource Center at the Second Language Teaching & Curriculum Center, UH
1990–5:          Leader of the Curriculum/Methodology Team,   National Foreign Language Resource Center, UH
1988–1993:   Director, Testing Project, Nat. Resource Center for East Asian Studies, UH
1988:             Lead teacher, 2nd Year Chinese, East Asian Summer Language Institute, Indiana U.
1986–91:       Coordinator, Center for Japanese Studies, UH
1985–6:         Teacher of Chinese, Punahou School
1983–5:         Project Administrator/Outreach Coordinator,   National Resource Center for East Asian Studies, UH
1979-83:        Instructor in Chinese, Dept. of East Asian Languages & Literatures, UH
1976-8:         Graduate Assistant in Chinese, Dept. of Far Eastern Languages & Literatures, University of Michigan
1969-73:       Assistant in Chinese, Neglected Languages Program, Kalamazoo College

 

 


Grants & awards:

2000-:          Clarence T.C. Ching Foundation, award to write the manuscript for “Legacy: Hawai‘i’s Chinese Societies in the Year 2000” (Principal Investigator, $25,000)

1998–2001: US Department of Education, International Research & Studies Program, “Exploring in Chinese: a Second Year Text for Mandarin Chinese” (Principal Investigator, $167,500)

1997:          Selected for “Ninety Fabulous Faculty” (out of 3,000) of the University of Hawaii, in celebration of the 90th anniversary of the founding of the University

1995–7:      National Security Education Program, “A Two-year Distance Education Program in Mandarin Chinese” (Core investigator, $337,126)

1995:         Fulbright-Hays Group Projects Abroad, “China Field Study” (Group leader, $54,000)

1994–5:     Hawaii Committee for the Humanities, “Legacy: Profile of Hawaii’s Chinese Community” (Associate Humanities Scholar; $9,745)

1994:         UH University Software Development Program Award for “ABC Chinese Language Database” (Principal Investigator; $14,076)

1994:        Teacher of the Year award, Hawaii Association of Language Teachers

1993-96:   US Department of Education, “Program to Develop the Second Language Teaching and Curriculum Center at the University of Hawai‘i as a National Resource Center” (Investigator; area project team leader; $1,300,000)

1993–95:  US Department of Education, International Research & Studies Program, “The ABC (Alphabetically-based Computerized) Chinese-English Dictionary Project” (Principal Investigator; $99,904)

1993:        Presidential Citation for Meritorious Teaching, University of Hawaii

1992:       UH Educational Improvement Fund, “Developing an alternative environment for teaching reading in first- and second-year Chinese, and assessing the efficacy of this environment using a computerized reading-proficiency test.”  (Principal investigator; $3,000)

1991:       UH Research Relations Fund, “Communicating in Chinese”  (Principal investigator; $4,000)

1990-93:   US Department of Education, “Program to Develop the Second Language Teaching and Curriculum Center at the University of Hawai‘i as a National Resource Center” (Investigator; area project team leader; $1,300,000)

1988-9:    Hawaii Committee for the Humanities, “The Future of Noh & Kyogen: Traditional Japanese Arts in the Post-modern World” (Project Director; $12,000)

1988-89:  US Department of Education, “Program to Train Teachers for Foreign Language Programs in Elementary Schools” (Investigator; $110,000)

1987-8:    US Department of Education, “Developing & Implementing Proficiency-based Curricula in Chinese & Japanese at the Elementary, Secondary, & Post-secondary Levels” (Project Director; $115,908)

1987-8:    Hawaii Committee for the Humanities, “Chinese Social Relations: The Ideal vs. The Real” (Project Director/Humanities Scholar; $12,780)

1987:       UH University Research Council Travel Award

1986-7:    US Dept. of Education, “Developing Proficiency-based Curricula in Chinese & Japanese for Elementary & Secondary Schools”  (Project Director; $90,618)

1986:       Fulbright Summer Seminar in the PRC (Participant & Language Consultant)

1985-6:    US Department of Education, “Developing Tools for Proficiency Measurement & Instruction in Chinese & Japanese” (Project Director; $34,492)

1985-6:    Hawaii Committee for the Humanities, “East Asian Outreach” (Project Director/Humanities Scholar; $11,000)

1984-5:    Hawaii Committee for the Humanities, “East Asian Outreach” (Project Director/Humanities Scholar; $1,100)

1975-9:    U. of Michigan Graduate Fellowship Awards

 

Courses taught:

First year-Fourth year Chinese (regular, intensive, experimental, & distance)

Mandarin for Cantonese Speakers

Laughter & Comedy (an Honors Colloquium)

Comic Literature of China & Japan

Asian Nations Studies: China

Proseminar on Asia: China

Hollywood Cinema & US Society (an Honors Colloquium)

Chinese Film: Its Art & History

 

Publications (language):

Exploring in Chinese: A Second-year Curriculum, with John Montanaro & Kristine, Wogstad, Far Eastern Publications, Yale University (forthcoming in 2002)

“Breaking the Tyranny of the Textbook: “Winging It” in the Chinese Language Classroom,” in The Journal of the Chinese Language Teachers Association,forthcoming

“Second Language Studies and College-level Chinese Language Textbooks in the U.S.” in China Review International, Volume 8 Number 1 (Spring 2001), pp. 34-56

Communicating in Chinese: A First-year Curriculum, Far Eastern Publications, Yale U.

            Student’s book 1: Listening & Speaking, 1993.  243 pp.

            Teacher’s book 1: Listening & Speaking, 1993.  199 pp.

            Student’s book 2: Reading & Writing, 1994.  288 pp.

           Teacher’s book 2: Reading & Writing, forthcoming in 1999.

            Picture cards to accompany Student’s Book 1, 1994. 

            Audiotapes to accompany Student’s Book 1, 1995.

Listening Comprehension Workbook with Audiotapes, with Yeh Meng, 1999.

Video modules for listening/viewing comprehension: Say It in Chinese, by The Hawaiî Department of Education, to be aired on PBS in Fall, 2002

Testing bank, forthcoming.

Chinese Language Video Lessons for Classroom Use with Stephen Fleming and David Hiple, UH Second Language Teaching & Curriculum Center, 1997

Chinese Sentence Book: A Copy-Ready Workbook, Bess Press, 1996

Chinese Language Video Clips for Classroom Use with Stephen Fleming and David Hiple, UH Second Language Teaching & Curriculum Center, 1996

Readings in Authentic Chinese Texts (3 levels) with Stephen Fleming & David Hiple, UH Second Language Teaching & Curriculum Center, 1994

Authentic Chinese Video with Madeline Spring, David Hiple, & Stephen Fleming, UH Second Language Teaching & Curriculum Center, 1994

Review, College Chinese  by Shou-ying Lin, The MLA Journal, Vol. 76 No. 1, University of Wisconsin Press, 1992

Review, Chinese for Beginners & Advanced Beginners  by Ellie Mao Mok, in The MLA Journal, Vol. 73 No. 2, University of Wisconsin Press, 1989

Review, The Chinese Language  by John DeFrancis, in The Honolulu Star Bulletin & Advertiser, Feb. 1985

Resources in Teaching Chinese as a Foreign Language, National Resource Center for East Asian Studies, U.of Hawaii at Manoa, 1983

 

Publications (literature & film)

“Qingchunji (Sacrificed Youth)” and “Zhang Nuanxin” in Women Filmmakers and Their Films, St. James Press, forthcoming

““Other”-cultural Comedy: US and Chinese Comic Cinema” in The Honolulu Magazine, November, 1996

“Chinese Romantic Comedy” in The Comic in the Culture, a Humanities Guide by the UH Summer Session, 1996

“Yuan zaju zhong de xiju chengfen: zaju zhong de Tang Sanzang he Sun Wukong” (Comic elements in Yuan zaju: Tripitaka and Monkey in the Xiyouji zaju), Hebei Shiyuan Xuebao (Journal of the Hebei Teachers Institute), Yuan Qu Yanjiu Zhuanhao (Special Issue on Yuan Drama), Hebei Teachers Inst. Press, No 2, 1990

“Meiguo de Quxue Yanjiu” (Yuan drama studies in the USA), Hebei Shiyuan  Xuebao (Journal of the Hebei Teachers Institute), Yuan Qu Yanjiu Zhuanhao (Special Issue on Yuan Drama), Hebei Teachers Institute Press, No. 2, 1990

“The Uses of Traditional Chinese Fiction” in Myriad Worlds: 200 Years of the Chinese in Hawaii, Hawaii Heritage Center, 1989

Translation, “Ah Jia’s Theory of Xiqu Performance” by Liu Yizhen, with Hu Dongsheng,Yang Zhi, & Dai Ling, in Asian Theatre Journal Vol. 5 No. 2, U. of Hawaii Press, 1988

“The Treatment of Personal Liberty in Chinese Dramatic Comedy,” in Chinese Social Relationships: The Ideal Vs. The Real, Center for Chinese Studies, U. of Hawaii at Manoa, 1988

Translation, “Literature & I” by Ba Jin, with Yihua Wang, in Stone Lion Review No. 14, Harvard University, 1986

 

Papers presented (language)

“Second Language Studies and College-level Chinese Language Textbooks in the US” on the panel “Chinese Language Teaching in the US”; invited paper presented at the conference “Chinese Contributions to America: An International Academic Conference,” held October 20-21, 1999, in Flushing, New York.

“Materials for the Second Year: Student Input, Simulated Authentic Video, and the Feature Film” on the panel “The Challenge of the Second Year”—Chinese Languaage Teachers Association (CLTA)/American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) joint Annual Meeting, November, 1998, Chicago

“Techniques for Teaching on Interactive Television” (panel presentation)—CLTA/ ACTFL joint Annual Meeting, November, 1997, Nashville

 “Slices of Life: Videotexts in the Classroom” (panel presentation)—CLTA)/ACTFL joint Annual Meeting, November, 1996, Philadelphia

“Using Authentic Video in Classroom Instruction” on the panel “Distance Learning in Mandarin Chinese”—CLTA/ACTF joint Annual Meeting, November, 1995, Anaheim, CA

“Integrating Authentic Reading into Classroom Instruction” on the panel “Teaching Reading Using Authentic Texts”—CLTA/ACTFL joint Annual Meeting, November, 1994, Atlanta, GA

“Communicating in Chinese: An Overview” on the panel “Communicating in  Chinese in Principle and Practice”—ACTFL Annual Meeting, Nov. 1993, San Antonio, TX

“The Issue of the Writing Task” on the panel “Computer-Adaptive Reading Proficiency Testing in Chinese”—CLTA Annual Meeting, Nov. 1993, San Antonio, TX

“Cultural Considerations in Devising Role-plays” on the panel “Role-plays in East Asian Languages”—ACTFL Annual Meeting, November 1992, Chicago, IL

“Implications of Criterion-based Testing for Classroom Teaching” on the panel “Criterion-based Testing and Teaching in Chinese”—CLTA Annual Meeting, November, 1992, Chicago,

“Performance-based language instruction” as an invited speaker at the Colloquium on Teaching East Asian Languages, Indiana University, August 30, 1992, Bloomington, IN

“Standardized Testing Techniques Applied to Classroom Testing” on the panel “Proficiency, Prochievement, and Achievement Testing in Less CommonlyTaught Languages”—ACTFL Annual Meeting, November 1991, Washington D.C.

“Proficiency-based language instruction” (keynote address), British Columbia Chinese & Japanese language teachers conference, November, 1991, University of British Columbia, Whistler, British Columbia

“Preliminary data from 1989-90 standardized testing project in Chinese and Japanese”—CLTA/ACTFL Annual Meeting, November 1989, Boston, MA

“Criteria for Teaching & Testing a Proficiency-based Curriculum”—ACTFL Annual Meeting, November 1988, Monterey, CA

“Communicating in Chinese” on the panel “New Materials in Teaching Chinese as a Second Language”—CLTA/ACTFL Annual Meeting, Nov. 1990, Nashville, TN

“Varieties of Information-gap Activities”—HALT/HCTE Joint Annual Conference, February 1988, Honolulu

“Implementing Proficiency-oriented Curricula in Chinese”—CLTA/ACTFL Annual Meeting, November 1987, Atlanta, GA

“The Proficiency-based Curriculum in Chinese & Japanese at the Elementary & Secondary Levels”—Annual HALT/HCTE Conference, April 1987, Honolulu

 

Papers presented (literature)

“For Money or Love: Configurations of Romance in Early Drama” on the panel “In Honor of James I. Crump’s Contribution to the Study of Yuan Drama”—Assc. for Asian Studies Annual Meeting, April, 1996, Honolulu, HI

“Romantic Comedy in Traditional Chinese Drama” on the panel “Transgressor-heroes in Chinese & Japanese Comedy”—Modern Languages Association Annual Convention, December 1991, San Francisco

“Comic Elements in Yuan zaju: Tripitaka and Monkey in the Xiyouji zaju”—First International Conference of the International Society on Yuan Drama Studies, February 1990, Shijiazhuang, PRC

“Yuan Studies in the USA”—First  International Conference of the International Society on Yuan Drama Studies, February 1990, Shijiazhuang, PRC

“The Chinese View of Liberty”—symposium on “Chinese Social Relationships: The       Ideal vs. the Real,” April 1988, Honolulu

“The Comedic Tradition in Classical Chinese Drama”—International Conference on Comparative Literature sponsored by the UH/EWC, January 1988, Honolulu

“Comedy in Yuan Drama: Tripitaka & Monkey in the Xiyouji Zaju”—AAS Annual Conference, April 1987, Boston

“The East Asian Presence in Hawaii”—AAS Annual Conference, March 1985, Philadelphia, PA

 

Workshops conducted

“Performance-based Instruction in Chinese” with co-presenters Stephen Fleming, David Hiple, and Tao-chung Yao, held at the University of Hawaii under a grant form the University of Hawaii National Foreign Language Resource Center (15 participants came from institutions teaching US students in the US, Taiwan, and the PRC), July 10–21, 2000

“University of Hawaii–Peking University Chinese Language Teaching Workshop #2” with co-presenters Stephen Fleming, David Hiple, and Tao-chung Yao, under a grant from the National Security Education Program, at Peking University (participants were from approx. 10 institutions in Beijing), April 18–20, 1996

“University of Hawaii–Peking University Chinese Language Teaching Workshop #1” with co-presenters Stephen Fleming and David Hiple, under a grant from the National Security Education Program, at Peking University (participants were from approximately 15 institutions in North China), April 11–13, 1995

“Principles & Practice of Proficiency-based Language Instruction”—Yale-in-China program, Chinese U. of Hong Kong, March 17–19, 1994

“The Chinese Speaking Test”—sponsored by the Center for Applied Linguistics (Washington, D.C.), offered at annual conference of the Chinese Language Teachers’ Association, Washington, D.C., Nov. 21-22, 1991

“Principles & Practice of Proficiency-based Language Instruction”—given in Chinese at the Yale-in-China program of the Chinese University of Hong Kong, September 11-14, 1991

“The Chinese Speaking Test”—sponsored by the Center for Applied Linguistics (Washington, D.C.), offered at the U. of Hawaii, July 6-7, 1991

 “Foreign Language at the Elementary School: Methodology”—College of Languages, Linguistics, and Literatures, August 6-24, 1990,Honolulu (course coordinator).  Sponsored by the Hawaii Department of Education. 

“Interactive Strategies for Language Teaching”—Hawaii Department of Education, June 22-29, 1990, Honolulu. 

“Interactive Strategies for Language Teaching”—Hawaii Department of Education, June 13-15, 1990, Hilo, Hawaii.

“Proficiency-based Instruction in Mandarin Chinese”—British Columbia Association of Teachers of Modern Languages Annual Conference, October 20-21, 1989, Vancouver.  Sponsored by the Canadian Ministry of Education.

“Workshop on Language Pedagogy for High School Teachers of Chinese”—East Asian Summer Language Institute, July 9-15, 1988.  Sponsored by Indiana U.

“Teaching Foreign Language for Proficiency at the College Level”—U. of Hawaii at Manoa, May 16-20, 1988.  Sponsored by the College of Languages, Linguistics, & Literatures/School of Hawaiian, Asian, and Pacific Studies, UH.

“Foreign Language Teaching: An Activities-based Curriculum for Functional Proficiency in the First Year”—August 10-14, 1987, The Kamehameha Schools.  Sponsored by the Center for Japanese Studies, UH.

Plus over 200 half- and one-day workshops on teaching foreign language for  proficiency & teaching Chinese language & culture, conducted in various public and private schools and at the university.

 

Professional service

1994–:  Consultant for Chinese films (write articles & film synopses, act as liaison for Chinese producers, directors, cinematographers, performers), Hawaii International Film Festival

1994–:  Managing Editor, China Review International (semi-annual journal), University of Hawaii Press

1993–:  Member of the Editorial Board, ABC Chinese-English Dictionary project (the first edition was published in 1996 by the University of Hawaii Press; an expanded edition is currently under preparation for publication in 2000)

1993–5:  Mentor in the American Council on Education’s national dissemination project entitled “Spreading the Word: Improving Foreign Language Instruction in Colleges and Universities,” with major funding provided by the National Endowment for the Humanities

1994–5:  Chair, Senate Committee on Professional Matters, U. of Hawai‘i at Manoa

1993–4:  Member, UH-Manoa Faculty Senate Executive Committee

1992–6:  Member, UH-Manoa Faculty Senate

1992–3:  Chair, Senate Committee on Professional Matters, U. of Hawai‘i at Manoa

1991–:  Member of the Advisory Board for the Chinese Proficiency Test, for the Center for Applied Linguistics

1991–3:  Consultant to the project “Developing computer-adaptive proficiency tests for Chinese,” supported by a US Dept. of Education grant to Mt. Holyoke College

1991–3:  Final judge for foreign languages, Sterling Scholar competition, State of Hawaii

1990–:  Oral proficiency tester for the American Council for the Teaching of  Foreign Languages; short-term contracts for testing in Chinese for AT &T

 

Language ability:

Chinese: Mandarin:  excellent (rated Superior for speaking & reading)

               Fuzhou:  good (estimated Advanced for speaking) Cantonese:  fair (estimated Intermediate High for speaking)

Shanghainese:  minimal (estimated Intermediate Low for listening)

German:  good (estimated Intermediate High for speaking, Advanced for reading)

French:   fair (estimated Intermediate Low for speaking and reading)

Japanese: fair (rated Intermediate Mid for speaking, estimated Novice High reading)

Urdu:        minimal (estimated Novice Mid for speaking and     reading)

 

Professional affiliations

American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (certified Oral Proficiency Tester for Chinese, trained but not yet certified in ESL; member of Nominating Committee, 1999-2002; member of Birkmaier Awards Committeee, 1999-2002)

Association of Asian Studies (member)

Chinese Language Education Association of Hawaii (President, 1983-86)

Chinese Language Teachers Association (Executive Director, 2001–2004; President, 1998–9; Vice President, 1997–8; Member of the Executive Board, 1994–2000; Program Chair for Annual Conference, 1995–6)

Hawaii Association of Language Teachers (President, 1989-1991; Chair of Annual Conference, 1989-1992)