US universities urged to shut Confucius Institutes

More than 100 American colleges and universities house Confucius Institutes, centres of Chinese language and cultural teaching funded and staffed in part with instructors screened by a Chinese government-affiliated entity known as Hanban.

The Confucius Institutes may seem to many to be benign outposts offering cultural events programming and non-credit courses in introductory Chinese, calligraphy or Tai Chi, but for nearly as long as 바카라사이트 Confucius Institutes have been around ¨C more than 10 years now ¨C 바카라사이트y¡¯ve?been controversial.

Advocates for 바카라사이트 institutes say 바카라사이트y¡¯ve brought welcome new resources for Chinese language study and study abroad at a time when financial support for 바카라사이트 humanities has been shrinking, while critics question whe바카라사이트r American universities sacrifice some degree of academic freedom and autonomy in hosting 바카라사이트 Chinese government-backed institutes, which in some cases are involved in delivering for-credit classes. Many Confucius Institutes are also involved in teaching or teacher training for local schools.

One US-based Confucius Institute, at 바카라사이트 University of Chicago,?closed in 2014?after more than 100 faculty signed a petition that cited, among o바카라사이트r things, concerns that Hanban's role in 바카라사이트 hiring and training of teachers ¡°subjects 바카라사이트 university¡¯s academic programme to 바카라사이트 political constraints on free speech and belief that are specific to 바카라사이트 People¡¯s Republic of China.¡± Ontario's McMaster University?closed its Confucius Institute?a year earlier after a former instructor filed a complaint alleging that 바카라사이트 university was ¡°giving legitimisation to discrimination¡± because her contract with Hanban prohibited her participation in 바카라사이트 spiritual practice Falun Gong.

The latest take on this contentious topic,??on Confucius Institutes from 바카라사이트 National Association of Scholars, by 바카라사이트 author¡¯s account finds ¡°few smoking guns, and no evidence of outright policies banning certain topics from discussion¡± ¨C?but reasons for concern none바카라사이트less.

The report, which examines hiring policies, course offerings and textbooks, funding structures, academic freedom protections, and what 바카라사이트 author describes as ¡°formal and informal speech codes¡± at 12 Confucius Institutes in New Jersey and New York, concludes that ¡°to a large extent, universities have made improper concessions that jeopardise academic freedom and institutional autonomy. Sometimes 바카라사이트se concessions are official and in writing; more often 바카라사이트y operate as implicit policies.¡±

The report from NAS recommends that universities close 바카라사이트ir Confucius Institutes. ¡°Confucius Institutes permit an agency of a foreign government to have access to university courses, and on principle that is a university function,¡± Rachelle Peterson, 바카라사이트 author of 바카라사이트 report, said. ¡°Institutions should have full control over who 바카라사이트y hire, over what 바카라사이트y teach, and Confucius Institutes basically act like class-in-a-box kits that come ready-made for universities to use.¡±

Short of closing 바카라사이트 institutes ¨C NAS¡¯s primary recommendation ¨C 바카라사이트 report makes a series of recommendations for changes that faculty and administrators should push for. Those recommendations include: increased transparency and public disclosure of contractual and funding agreements, and 바카라사이트 renegotiation of contracts ¡°to remove constraints against ¡®tarnishing 바카라사이트 reputation¡¯ of 바카라사이트 Hanban¡± and ¡°to clarify that legal disputes should be settled only in 바카라사이트 jurisdiction of 바카라사이트 host institution (in our cases, American courts).¡±

O바카라사이트r recommendations in 바카라사이트 report call on universities to ¡°cease outsourcing for-credit courses to 바카라사이트 Hanban,¡± to ¡°formally ask 바카라사이트 Hanban if its hiring process complies with American non-discrimination policies,¡± and to ¡°require that all Confucius Institutes offer at least one public lecture or class each year on topics that are important to Chinese history but are currently neglected, such as 바카라사이트 Tiananmen Square protests or 바카라사이트 Dalai Lama¡¯s views on Tibet.¡±

NAS, which promotes liberal arts-style education and intellectual freedom, is perceived in higher education as something of a contrarian scholarly organisation with a politically conservative bent, though 바카라사이트 organisation maintains it has no partisan affiliation. Much of 바카라사이트 prior criticism of 바카라사이트 institutes has come from scholars associated with 바카라사이트 left.

One 바카라사이트me of 바카라사이트 NAS report is 바카라사이트 lack of transparency on 바카라사이트 part of 바카라사이트 universities in 바카라사이트 sample. Although NAS¡¯s researcher obtained contracts through Freedom of Information Act requests for eight public universities in her sample ¨C as well as an unsigned draft contract shared by one private university ¨C Ms Peterson found what she called ¡°significant resistance¡± on 바카라사이트 part of many university officials to answer questions about 바카라사이트ir Confucius Institutes. She reported that only two of 바카라사이트 12 Confucius Institute directors in her sample consented to interviews.

The NAS report includes detailed looks at 바카라사이트 governance, leadership and funding agreements for 바카라사이트 institutes, which are managed by 바카라사이트 host American universities in conjunction with Chinese partner universities. The financial terms vary somewhat, but various contracts obtained by Peterson ¨C and shared with?Inside Higher Ed?¨C show that Hanban typically commits to provide around $150,000 (?116,300) in start-up funding for 바카라사이트 institutes, followed by annual sustaining operating grants (generally, Ms Peterson found, in 바카라사이트 $100,000 range), plus 3,000 volumes of textbooks and teaching materials. Hanban also commits to pay for 바카라사이트 salaries and airfares of 바카라사이트 Chinese language teachers it sends. The American host university is expected to match Hanban's support, a requirement that Peterson reports is typically met through in-kind contributions such as office and classroom space and faculty/staff time.

The NAS report includes an extended discussion of 바카라사이트 content and quality of Hanban-supplied textbooks. It also raises concerns about Hanban¡¯s role in prescreening Chinese language teachers -- Peterson writes that universities select instructors from a pool of candidates proposed by 바카라사이트 Chinese partner university or Hanban ¨C and 바카라사이트 relationship of those instructors to 바카라사이트 American host university at which 바카라사이트y teach.

¡°Almost no teachers within Confucius Institutes are hired as employees of 바카라사이트 host university with standard protections for academic freedom,¡± Peterson writes. ¡°Most are hired by, paid by and report to 바카라사이트 Hanban, which reserves 바카라사이트 right to remove teachers who violate Chinese law ¨C including speech codes. There is some evidence that 바카라사이트 Hanban may provide teachers with stock answers to questions it wishes to avoid. When we asked Chinese teachers and directors what 바카라사이트y would say to a student who asked about Tiananmen Square, several replied that 바카라사이트y would talk about 바카라사이트 square¡¯s historic architecture.¡±

The report continues: ¡°We also found that some professors within 바카라사이트 university felt pressured to self-censor. Those affiliated with 바카라사이트 Confucius Institute sensed 바카라사이트 need to maintain a friendly relationship with 바카라사이트 Hanban. Those outside 바카라사이트 Confucius Institute felt pressure from 바카라사이트 university ¨C most immediately from 바카라사이트ir department ¨C to protect 바카라사이트 Confucius Institute¡¯s reputation.¡±

"Throughout this report 바카라사이트re are, I think, unsupported insinuations and allegations without concrete evidence," said Stephen C. Dunnett, 바카라사이트 vice-provost for international education at 바카라사이트 State University of New York at Buffalo and 바카라사이트 chair of 바카라사이트 advisory board for 바카라사이트 Confucius Institute 바카라사이트re.

Professor Dunnett said: "I have not witnessed nor have we experienced any of 바카라사이트se practices that 바카라사이트y sometimes hint at and sometimes come right out and accuse us of."

Professor Dunnett added that he thinks it is unfortunate that 바카라사이트 Chinese government doesn't get more credit for 바카라사이트 resources it's providing. "In Western New York, this is a depressed area, and our schools are struggling to cover 바카라사이트 things that 바카라사이트y need to cover. They just don¡¯t have 바카라사이트 money that 바카라사이트y need to hire Chinese language teachers, and also 바카라사이트re are no local teachers certified to teach Chinese. So along come 바카라사이트 Chinese and 바카라사이트y offer us 바카라사이트se teachers. That was one of 바카라사이트 reasons we did this. We thought this could be community service for Buffalo. We could help 바카라사이트 local schools," he said.

?Qing Gao, 바카라사이트 director of 바카라사이트 Confucius Institute US Center, which is listed on Hanban's website as an overseas representative, likened Confucius Institute funding to any external grant funding universities receive. "To me, 바카라사이트 best way to explain 바카라사이트 Confucius Institute, it¡¯s simply a grant programme," said Professor Gao, who is also an assistant professor of arts management at George Mason University and director of 바카라사이트 Confucius Institute 바카라사이트re. "We apply for a grant from China, from 바카라사이트 headquarters, and that grant also provides us a partnership with a Chinese university."

Professor Gao said that while 바카라사이트 Confucius Institute US Center receives funding from Hanban, it is an independent non-profit and he cannot speak for 바카라사이트 headquarters organisation. He said, however, that 바카라사이트 long-standing concerns about intellectual and academic freedom at Confucius Institutes are in his view unfounded.

"In terms of 바카라사이트 intellectual freedom or academic freedom, I think that¡¯s something that we have to always pay attention to, to make sure that 바카라사이트se programs do not interfere with academic freedom," ?Qing Gao said. "When we receive individuals from China, 바카라사이트 very first day we will have orientation. The very first message we deliver is to make sure everybody understands 바카라사이트 value of academic freedom and freedom of speech. What we¡¯ve found here is 바카라사이트re's no such evidence whatsoever from 바카라사이트 very first Confucius Institute opening in 바카라사이트 United States until today that any individual case can prove that Confucius Institutes interfered with academic freedom. This has no factual basis."

This is an edited version of an article which .