STARTALK at UB

Program Director and Lead Instructor

Chuan Lin is currently Director of the Chinese Language Program and Assistant Teaching Professor in the Department of Linguistics at the University at Buffalo. She earned her MA and PhD in Chinese Linguistics and Chinese Language Pedagogy from the University of Hawai'i at Mānoa, and her M.Ed. in International Education from Vanderbilt University. Her research focuses on individual differences in second language learning, with a particular interest in motivation for learning Mandarin as both a foreign and heritage language. Dr. Lin has over 15 years’ experience of teaching Chinese language in U.S. colleges. Prior to joining UB, she taught novice, intermediate, and advanced level of Chinese language courses and Chinese culture content courses at Georgia State University, Georgetown University, University of Hawai'i at Mānoa and Vanderbilt University. She also taught in summer intensive programs such as Princeton in Beijing (PiB) and the Chinese School at Middlebury College.

Program Co-Director

Erin Kearney (PhD, University of Pennsylvania) is Professor of Language Education and Multilingualism in the Graduate School of Education and current Chair of the Department of Learning and Instruction at the University at Buffalo. Trained as an educational linguist and as a former French teacher, Dr. Kearney carries a deep appreciation for and interest in classroom-based language instruction into her research, her work as a pre- and in-service language educator, and her advocacy and leadership in the world language profession on local, state, regional, and national levels. Dr. Kearney’s research on world language pedagogies as well as intercultural teaching practices in addition to her long-standing and deep engagement with language educators in New York state, has contributed significantly to the design of the proposed program.

Instructor

Xianxian Fang is currently a Lecturer of Chinese in the Department of Linguistics at the University at Buffalo. She earned her MA from Beijing Normal University, one of the top-ranked normal universities in China. From 2013 to 2021, she served as a Senior Lecturer of Chinese and Director of the Beijing Summer Program at the University of Southern California (USC). Ms. Fang teaches a wide range of courses, including beginner, intermediate, and advanced Chinese, as well as classical Chinese. Her current research interests include Chinese pedagogy, intercultural communication, and second language assessment. She is also a certified ACTFL ILR OPI Tester.