The Oxford School of Global and Area Studies (OSGA) is seeking to appoint a part-time (0.75 FTE) fixed-term Teaching Fellow in the International Relations of Contemporary China. This is an exciting opportunity to join Oxford’s internationally renowned Contemporary China Studies Programme (CCSP) and contribute to graduate teaching and supervision in one of the world’s leading centres for the interdisciplinary study of contemporary China.
The successful candidate will provide teaching and supervision at graduate level, contribute to examining and graduate admissions processes, and play an active role in the academic life of the School. In addition to teaching on the International Relations of Contemporary China, the postholder will contribute to research methods teaching, including research design sessions, and undertake advanced academic study to support teaching and student supervision.
The Faculty of Arts and Humanities invites applications for the position of Head of Department of Portuguese (at the rank of Full/Associate Professor). The Department of Portuguese is an established and lively scholarly community. The Department offers an undergraduate degree in Portuguese Studies concentrating on Portuguese with selected courses in Language, Linguistics, Literature, Culture, History and Translation. At the undergraduate level, the Department also teaches Portuguese language within the Faculty of Law and offers elective courses in Portuguese as a foreign language to students from all faculties of the University. At the postgraduate level, the Department offers two Master programmes (i) Portuguese Language and Intercultural Studies; (ii) Translation Studies (Portuguese-Chinese), as well as one PhD programme covering various areas of Portuguese Studies.
Roles & Responsibilities:
• Write and edit media releases for international media;
• Maintain and build XJTLU’s international media contacts, including handling media enquiries, and capture media contact information in a database shared with other Communications team writers
• Help to develop communication strategies to increase earned media coverage for XJTLU in influential international and English-language Chinese media platforms;
• Organise and participate in media relationship maintenance activities, including one-to-one meetings with international journalists and group media events;
• Discuss, plan and implement annual media promotion packages for the University that are both effective and on budget;
• Invite and host international media covering key University events, including the coordination of schedules, briefings and other logistical requirements as required;
• Write and edit a variety of other materials used in marketing and communications, such as social media posts, student recruitment campaigns, web page content, website news stories and articles, newsletters, event promotion, University background information, video scripts, speeches and reports, and other items;
• Help plan and coordinate content for complex editorial projects targeting international and Chinese audiences such as magazines or annual reports as assigned;
• Edit original English material developed by other departments or translated from Chinese for use on the XJTLU website, in media releases, or other publications while ensuring accuracy, coherent messaging and a consistent voice and style;
• Plan and organise international PR events or campaigns;
• Other duties as assigned.
Qualifications:
• Master’s degree or equivalent professional qualification in journalism, communications, public relations or related fields;
• Excellent writing skills; native English; written fluency in additional languages is a plus;
• More than three years of experience in a communications management position in a corporate or institutional setting is essential; minimum of three years of directly relevant experience in a university environment and in-depth knowledge of higher education is preferred;
• Experience in managing media relations in higher education is preferred;
• Experience working with creative teams to develop complex projects such as news, stories, feature reports, collateral materials, web and digital content, and advertising;
• Cross-cultural communication skills and experience of working with people from diverse backgrounds;
• Flexibility to work some nights and weekends is essential.
Xiamen University is pleased to announce an international communication conference on “Global Communication and Global Governance,” organized in collaboration with members of the National Communication Association (NCA) and leaders from the Communication University of China (CUC). The conference will be held at Xiamen University, China, from May 29 to 31, 2026. Under this overarching theme, organizers invite research presentations that engage broadly with the communication discipline, particularly within three thematic tracks; the one most likely to be relevant to followers of the Center for Intercultural Dialogue is:
Theme 2: Video Trends in Intercultural and International Communication
From short-form video, proliferating entertainment platforms, and livestreaming to documentaries, viral clips, and transnational media flows, video has become a central site of cultural expression, negotiation, and contestation. This track foregrounds video as a key mode of symbolic action in intercultural and international communication, inviting scholarship that examines how video technologies and practices shape representation, identity, power relations, and cross-cultural understanding. They invite scholarship on platform cultures, digital storytelling, creator and influencer economies, diasporic media, and the transnational circulation of video across linguistic and cultural boundaries, foregrounding dialogue on how evolving video practices are transforming intercultural communication. They welcome perspectives that critically engage how contemporary video trends both enable and constrain intercultural and international dialogue in an increasingly mediated and contested global environment.
With a focus on innovative learning, teaching, and research, XJTLU draws on the strengths of its parent universities and plays a pivotal role in facilitating access to China for UK and other institutional partners. At the same time, XJTLU is exploring future education by blending the educational theory, best practice and culture from the West and the East. The School of Humanities and Social Sciences (HSS) is dedicated to developing and delivering the most attractive humanities and social science degree programmes for Chinese and international students at undergraduate and postgraduate levels.
The Dean of HSS is a member of the University’s senior management team. This role reports directly to the University Vice President of Academic Affairs and serves as the chief academic and administrative leader of the School of HSS.
The appointee is expected to provide energetic leadership and strategic direction in reshaping HSS education and research of the School, aligning with the University’s vision to become a leading reformer of HSS education in China and globally; in guiding the School in its diverse activities including undergraduate and postgraduate curriculum developments, research directions, academic partnerships, and industry linkages; and further advancing its global stature.
Communication Department Director, College of Liberal Arts, Wenzhou-Kean University, Wenzhou, China. Deadline: open until filled; posted 18 January 2026.
The Department Director is both a tenure track faculty member with an academic rank and an academic administrator who assumes a pivotal role in providing academic leadership, articulating the department’s goals and needs, and shaping the vision of the department to elevate its educational quality and academic reputation…The Department Director will be a full time, 10-month tenure-track Assistant/Associate/Full Professor. Each term is set for three years, allowing the incumbent Department Director to reapply, alongside other candidates, for the subsequent term…A Department Director can hold the position for a maximum of two consecutive terms.
The Associate Dean for Internationalisation and Global Partnerships (AD IGP) plays a pivotal strategic leadership role in advancing the international ambitions of IBSS, in full alignment with XJTLU’s institutional vision as “根深中国的国际大学，国际认可的中国大学”—a deeply rooted Chinese international university and a globally recognised Chinese institution. Reflecting IBSS’s mission to bridge the local and the international, this role is designed for a senior academic leader who can connect global expertise with local relevance, building partnerships that are globally impactful and contextually grounded.
At its core, the role is responsible for developing and maintaining a diverse and high impact strategic portfolio of international collaborations—including academic mobility programmes, institutional agreements, joint research, and co-delivered educational initiatives. These efforts aim to enhance IBSS’s global profile while also reinforcing its role as a connector between international networks and the Chinese education and business ecosystems. The Associate Dean will act as IBSS’s representative in high-level institutional dialogues abroad, cultivating relationships that position the School as a bridge between China and the world.
The School of Education and English is looking for an ambitious, talented, and experienced academic with a passion for teaching and a well-developed research profile to join its team of scholars in the field of Applied Linguistics. The successful candidate will be expected to contribute to teaching, curriculum development and supervision within the undergraduate English and Applied Linguistics and the MA in Applied Linguistics programmes, as well as providing wider supervision for a growing numbers of PhD/EdD students. The successful candidate will also be expected to take a lead role in collaborative research projects, as well as conducting original research of their own that results in presentations and publications of a high international standing in relevant and recognised areas of applied linguistics.
The Faculty of Social Sciences seeks to appoint an internationally accomplished scholar to lead the Department of Communication. The appointment will be made at the rank of Professor, Distinguished Professor or Chair Professor. The candidate should have strong credentials including an international research profile, a distinguished record of academic achievements, exceptional leadership and management skills, and strategic vision. While the post is open to all areas and methodological approaches of media and communication studies, we are especially interested in candidates with an established international reputation and whose academic expertise is relevant to the concerns of Macao and the Greater China region. The successful candidate will possess:
A PhD degree in communication, mass communication, media studies, or related fields;
Expertise and knowledge in one or more sub-disciplines such as research methodology, journalism, advertising, public relations, new media, and/or international/intercultural communication;
An outstanding record of internationally-recognized research and scholarship;
A proven record of excellent teaching;
Demonstrable competence in management, planning, and communication;
Ability to play a leadership role in the Department;
Proficiency in English is required as it is the working language, while knowledge in Chinese or Portuguese will be an advantage.
An ethnographic study of ethnic minority students’ multilingualism in rural China: A conversation with Yizhe Jiang.
I have had the good fortune of sharing a conversation recently with Professor Yizhe Jiang (at the University of Macau) about her doctoral dissertation research in Guizhou Province, China. Her research on some important aspects of multilingualism of young ethnic minority students in Rural China involved extensive ethnographic fieldwork and, in my views, its outcome can help shed light on some important aspects of our work in intercultural communication and dialogue. This is the second installment of a series of conversations with colleagues in various disciplines for their insights and perspectives on matters and practices in this regard.
Yizhe, thank you very much for sharing your research work and reflections with us. To better contextualize our conversation for our readers, what is the general focus or thesis of your Ph.D. dissertation research? How is the research focus relevant to intercultural communication or dialogue?
The title of my Ph.D. dissertation is The Nature of Multilingualism of Ethnic Miao and Dong Liushou Ertong in Rural China. This research is based on an ethnographic study of a unique group of children in Guizhou Province (貴州省), China. These children belong to the Miao (or Hmong) and Dong (or Kam) ethnic groups and live in the multiethnic and multilingual Jinping County (錦屏縣), which is part of Qiandongnan Miao and Dong Autonomous Prefecture (黔東南苗族侗族自治州) in Guizhou. They speak their ethnic languages (Miao or Dong), a regional Han Chinese dialect (Jinpinghua), standard Mandarin (Putonghua), and learn English in junior middle school. My study investigated their daily language use and functions at school, as well as their ideologies regarding these different language varieties.
Through many intercultural dialogues, the research highlighted how these children navigated various cultural contexts—Miao, Dong, and Han (the majority ethnic group in China), as well as modern and traditional, formal and informal, urban and rural dynamics.
What motivated you to pursue the subject matter? Why was researching the subject matter important to you, say, professionally and personally?
Due to significant economic disparities between major cities in eastern China and rural areas in the west, my study participants are ethnic minorities and Liushou Ertong (留守兒童), a unique group of children whose parents work in large cities for better incomes. Consequently, these children are often cared for by their grandparents and see their parents only a few times a year. Unlike their urban counterparts raised by their parents, these students show stronger proficiency in their ethnic languages, namely Miao or Dong, as they have to communicate with older relatives in their traditional villages. At school, they naturally switch between ethnic languages, Jinpinghua, and Putonghua for different communicative purposes. Intrigued by their linguistic repertoires and concerned about their living conditions, I am eager to explore their stories and share them with the outside world.
Please briefly describe your project’s field research sites and their relevance to address your questions.
A glimpse of the center of Jinping County (錦屏縣), Guizhou, China, September 2021
I took the above picture in the center of Jinping County, where two large rivers merge—part of the upper reaches of the Yangtze River. The government has implemented strict environmental protection laws and regulations. As a result, there are few large companies and factories in the area, causing most young adults to work outside the county. Consequently, many children here are Liushou Ertong, especially those living in remote villages.
All of my participants were enrolled in a suburban boarding middle school, featuring an equal representation of Miao and Dong students. Due to the accelerating pace of urbanization, fewer children remain in villages in Jinping, resulting in the closure of middle schools in remote areas. After graduating from village elementary schools in six Miao and Dong towns, these students enter the central middle school in suburban Jinping, where they spend five days a week and take a bus home on weekends.
Who were the main human subjects of your project’s field research, such as students, their families, teachers, school administrators, etc.)?
At the center of my study are four ethnic minority Liushou Ertong: Ling, Xian, Min, and Fei (pseudonyms). Ling and Xian are Miao girls from different villages in the same town, while Min is a Dong girl living half an hour away from Fei, a Dong boy from the same mountain range.
To understand the students’ language use at home, I interviewed their grandparents. I also interviewed four teachers: Mr. W, a Dong male history teacher who occasionally uses Dong in formal classes; Mr. W, the vice principal and English teacher who knows the school language policy well; Mr. P, a Dong female who served as their Chinese teacher and frequently communicated with the students’ families; and Mr. L, a Miao female English teacher who taught these students for one year. All are fluent in their ethnic languages and familiar with the students’ language habits.
What have been some of the biggest challenges facing you over the course of your fieldwork and how did you address these challenges?
First, my unfamiliarity with Guizhou Province presented a challenge, as I had never visited it before. To acclimate, I worked as an English teacher for a year, teaching 266 hours to build rapport with students and teachers while learning the local languages.
Second, transportation was an issue since many participants lived in remote villages, with some Dong students residing up to an hour and a half from downtown. The winding mountain roads often made me carsick, so I sometimes invited friends or family to drive with me. I also hosted students in my apartment for TV or homework sessions, fostering communication among diverse linguistic backgrounds.
Another challenge involved language barriers. While I gradually learned the local dialect, Jinpinghua, I struggled with Miao and Dong, which belong to different language families. This often required me to rely on student translations during interviews, necessitating repeated confirmations for clarity.
What were the most memorable moments, events, encounters, etc., that you experienced over the course of your fieldwork? Why were they memorable to you?
While reading this question, many memorable moments came to mind. One afternoon, when I was walking in the mountains with two girls, I discovered a beautiful crystal stone. A girl told me it was a flint, and they introduced me to various herbs along the path. Despite being their teacher, I learned a great deal about nature from these students.
Another highlight was participating in the Miao Tasting Festival, which celebrates rice growing. Jinping is sea of folk songs, with singing competitions and activities during every traditional festival. People dressed in their ethnic attire came from various villages and even neighboring provinces. I captured a photo of some Dong and Miao people in different styles of costumes, resting and chatting by a well.
A Miao tasting festival underway in Ouli Town (偶里鄉), July 2023
I also attended a bullfighting competition, a favorite among the Dong people, which caused traffic jams even in the mountains.
A bullfighting competition in action in Yandong Town (彥洞鄉), April 2023
The most touching moments were those spent in nature, truly experiencing “field” work. Observing students in rice fields, villages, and forests, I recorded the beautiful sounds of cicadas, birds, barking dogs, crowing roosters, and the sound of fish tails hitting the water in the rice fields, along with the elders singing Dong songs. I dedicated my thesis to this generous, poetic, and mysterious land of Guizhou Province.
What was the one most important lesson that you think you have walked away with from your ethnographic fieldwork?
I believe the most important lesson is to be patient. During my initial round of interviews with the children, they were uncertain about their use of and feelings toward different languages. I felt disappointed, fearing I might not uncover many interesting aspects.
However, as I grew more familiar with them, I discovered numerous intriguing moments. For example, Jinpinghua is commonly spoken in Miao villages near the downtown area, but it was almost inaudible in Dong towns. After spending a year at school, Dong students picked up this dialect from their Miao peers and those from downtown, eventually speaking it fluently.
What advice would you give to colleagues in the field who are interested in conducting ethnographic research in China (especially in rural China), such as things they must consider doing or preparing for and things they should avoid?
I believe the first step is to be patient, as people from these areas may be unfamiliar with being observed and interviewed. Most of them have never been interviewed before and often associate it with something serious and formal. It’s crucial to spend time with them, building close relationships that help them relax, trust you, and understand that your study is not an exam.
You also need to respect local culture and customs. For example, my students’ grandparents always cooked and waited for me to share a meal during my visits. Initially, I felt guilty, but I soon realized this was their custom. They feel sad if guests don’t join them for a meal. So, throughout the rest of my study, I always brought food or cooked with them, which provided many opportunities to observe their conversations in the kitchen.
Additionally, attending their traditional festivals and activities is always fascinating, as it allows you to witness people from different backgrounds gathering and engaging in intercultural communication.
In summary, reflecting upon my learning from Yizhe’s experience and insight, I would like to offer four Key Takeaways, as follows:
First, it is not uncommon that students in China of ethnic minority heritages are bilingual or multilingual, thus presenting unique challenges and opportunities to language or intercultural educators.
Second, rural education in China, especially in regard to world language education in rural China, remains a subject that has yet to receive an extent of academic attention it rightfully deserves.
Third, due to diverse and complex inter-regional or intra-cultural differences, conducting ethnographic research in China requires a great deal of preparation and patience even as the researchers may have come from a Chinese heritage.
Fourth, immersing oneself in ethnographic research, in the manner in which Dr. Jiang has endeavored, can be, and often is, a transformative experience for the researcher.
Teaching Fellow in the International Relations of Contemporary China, University of Oxford, England, UK. Deadline: 20 July 2026.
Center for Intercultural Dialogue 