In The News

Korea Herald: Why Arabic Is So Popular Among South Korean Students?

Bak Se-hwan December 25, 2017
Students intent on entering the best colleges make strategic choices on every detail, and that was behind Arabic becoming the most popular second-choice foreign language for Korean students taking the Suneung, a college entrance exam. English and a second foreign language are among the test subjects. “More than seven out of 10 Suneung test-takers chose Arabic as a second foreign language this...

Financial Times: Inside China’s Secret “Magic Weapon” for Worldwide Influence

James Kynge, Lucy Hornby and Jamil Anderlini October 26, 2017
The United States once charmed the world with innovations and a confident culture – but stagnation, insecurity and a lack of civility have weakened what Harvard’s Joseph Nye identified in the 1980s as soft power. China’s Xi Jinping, in consolidating his own power, sees value in presenting a confident and caring face to the world. The headquarters for China’s soft-power strategy is in Beijing and...

Caixin: China’s Quest for “World Class” Universities

Chen Shaoyuan, Xu Zhuang, Kong Xiangfeng and Li Rongde September 27, 2017
The ideas, studies and research pursued at the world’s top-ranked universities stimulate innovation and economic growth. China has targeted 42 universities for increased funding to improve their global rankings – Peking and Tsinghua universities may not have far to go, ranked 27th and 30th, respectively, by World University Rankings. Another 96 universities have been ordered to improve their...

EOS: USGS Library Cuts Would Harm Research, Education

Kimberly M. S. Cartier September 3, 2017
An austere US budget proposal targets education, research and programs that analyze climate change. “The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Library, home to one of the largest Earth and natural science collections in the world, faces a 52% funding decrease in the fiscal year (FY) 2018 federal budget proposed by President Donald Trump,” reports Kimberly M. S. Cartier for EOS Earth & Space Science...

BBC News: Namibia's Himba People Caught Between Traditions and Modernity

Pumza Fihlani August 31, 2017
Small rural villages around the world are less isolated, and encroaching modern ways of life divide their people about how quickly to accept another language, women’s rights and family planning, schools and new curricula, or specialized businesses and consumerism. Pumza Fihlani of BBC News write about Namibia’s Himba people. “A steady stream of young men and women has been opting to leave the...

The Economist: Stumped for Words: Language Battle Hampers Algeria’s Development

August 28, 2017
The legacy of the French settler-colonial project continues to impact the politics of education in Algeria. “The republic’s official language is standard Arabic, but few children grow up speaking it, so they often feel lost on their first day of school. Berber, the tongue of perhaps a quarter of Algerians, was officially recognised last year – but no one can agree on which of its six dialects...

National Geographic: What Makes a Genius?

Claudia Kalb May 12, 2017
Some ideas and creations are visionary and influential, spreading around the globe to resonate through the ages. The work of Albert Einstein, with the theory of relativity, and William Shakespeare whose plays explore human relationships and emotions, are two examples. Scientists study the sources of genius, which may not be easily identifiable. “Genius is too elusive, too subjective, too wedded...