At the end of May 2012, the American Studies Center at Shanghai University hosted a three-day symposium and student summit.

Mary Anglin, associate professor in UK's Department of Anthropology, discussed the effects of globalization on gender in reference to Appalachian women and Appalachian communities. In order to better understand the region's past and present, studies of women and gender in Appalachia should not be ignored.

Frank Walker, associate professor in the Department of English, discusses the origin of the word "Affrilachia" and how the use of the word forces the redefinition of a region traditionally described as all-white. Walker noted several key artists and intellectuals from Appalachia to illustrate the region's cultural diversity.

Ron Pen, a professor in the UK School of Music, discussed how Appalachian music unities people and place, and how the styles brought to the region by its immigrant residents combined and generated several new musical genres, such as swing, bluegrass, rockabilly, and contry. Music creates a bond that binds individuals as shared community and creates a society based on values rooted to identiy and place.

Arturo Sandoval, a professor in the College of Fine Arts, discussed representations of beauty and diversity through the work of Appalachian quilt artists. He used the international art quilt competition Quilt National biannual as his main research reference. Quilt National is described as a trendsetter in the fiber art fild and displays the most important and innovative art quilts from around the world. Sandoval's presentation guided attendees through a variety of fiber arts and mixed media quilts.

At the end of May 2012, a delegation of faculty from the University of Kentucky went to Shanghai University to promote the American Studies Center, a partnership between UK and SHU. Michelle Sizemore facilitated a group discussion between UK and SHU students about cultural difference, identity, and storytelling across cultures.

James Knoer, Meredith King & Geoffrey Banta are three students that took Chinese language courses at Shanghai University in May & June of 2012. Their professor, Liang Luo, is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Modern & Classical Languages, Literatures & Cultures (MCL) at the University of Kentucky.

With the help of a generous grant from the U.S. State Department, UK has been able to forge a partnership across the Pacific. On March 29th, 2012, three UK scholars will go to deliver lectures for the Inaugural Symposium for the American Studies Center at Shanghai.

Kelly Schumm is an Economics and Finance senior who recently traveled to Shanghai to study Mandarin. Kelly briefly discusses her expriences learning Chinese with UK Professor Matt Wells.

This podcast was produced by Sam Burchett.

Laura Garrison was one of a group of students that went to Shanghai University with professor Matt Wells over the summer. She told us about the skill of her Chinese language teacher during the immersion-style classes, and the adventures she had during her free time in China.