Bennington Branch, American Association of University Women (AAUW)
Press Contacts: Judy Murphy, 802-375-3294/Julie Mackaman, 802-823-5545
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE APRIL 11, 2017
AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF UNIVERSITY WOMEN SPONSORS
PUBLIC MEETING ON LITERACY IN MEDIEVAL CHINA

The Bennington Branch of AAUW invites members of the public to attend a free lecture by Christoper Nugent, professor of Chinese at Williams College, on Monday, April 24th, 7 p.m., at the Bennington Free Library.

In this 12th installment of an international speaker series that has taken participants on a tour of the non-Western world, we will return to China, a country much in the news during the presidential election season and in the first months of a new term. Last year's speaker focused on China's president Xi Jinping and this year we will dig deeper into the rich educational history of a world power that remains a mystery to much of the Western public.

Professor Nugent, who has taught at Williams College for 13 years, holds an undergraduate degree in Religious Studies from Brown University and a PhD in Chinese Literature from Harvard. He has lived in China and Taiwan for a number of years. His research focuses on the literary culture of medieval China.

Medieval Chinese society was arguably the most highly literate of its era. Members of the elite social classes were not only able to read, but were expected to produce literary works in a range of poetic and prose genres in contexts ranging from banquets to the civil service exam.

Professor Nugent will investigate some of the ways they developed these literary skills, focusing on manuscripts of educational primers from the sixth through the tenth centuries discovered in the caves of the Oasis city of Dunhuang in Gansu province over one hundred years ago.

Light refreshments will be available following the program.

The Bennington Branch of AAUW advocates for quality education and equity for women and girls, presents periodic meetings on topics that support lifelong learning, holds monthly meetings in Bennington and the Northshire, publishes a monthly newsletter, sponsors a book group, supports anti-discrimination lawsuits, and awards scholarships to local non-traditional women college students. For information: www.aauwvt.org/Benningtonvt.html