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Teaching Public Administration As a Fulbright Scholar In China:Analysis and Reflections(videos, brand names, etc.) to achieve that goal is therefore generallyacceptable. Several possible causes for widespread plagiarism in China havebeen described in literature by Stone (2008). Its roots have been traced toclassical Confucian education, dating from around 500 B.C., which requiredmemorization of classical texts. The more recent history of Communism, inwhich all property is shared, also could have created an environment that isincompatible with the Western notion of intellectual property rights. Whileplagiarism was a serious problem among my first-semester MPA students, itwas less widespread among students in my advanced graduate elective. Whatwe require of our students throughout their education seems to be introducedmuch later in the system in China.My insistence on appropriate citation even seemed to be a surprise to thejunior faculty member who was my teaching assistant. In his Lesson #5 to thePublic Administration faculty, he wrote that in America, “academic honesty isrequired in the whole class, and plagiarizing is forbidden completely.”5. Chinese Conceptions of TeachingTeachers in China are expected to transmit information and also to “cultivate”students’ interest in the subject area, as well as in areas outside of the scope ofthe topic (Watkins, 2000). Based on a recommendation from a former FulbrightScholar in China, Dr. Kathryn Mohrman, I incorporated a valuable techniquethat is an example of a teacher’s role extending beyond his/her area of expertise.During the first class, I introduced myself and my family, including pictures ofmy husband and daughter, our house, and my university campus. I then askedthem to write down and turn in the following three items:1. What they wanted to learn about the course topic.2. What they wanted to know about life in the U.S.3. What they wanted to know about anything else that I might be able toaddress.The questions in the first category were fairly general topics that I alreadyplanned to cover. The second and third questions provided material that Iaddressed during the first 10-20 minutes of each class. Examples of some of themost thought-provoking questions that I addressed include:• Do all Americans own guns?• What do you do when the President doesn’t have the right backgroundor skills to do the job?• Do Americans really believe in God, or is it just part of their culture?It was clear that despite their exposure to Western movies and the Internet,having the opportunity actually to talk to an American was a unique andvaluable opportunity for most of the students. They were very interested andengaged in this part of class. This process got them to warm up to listening toEnglish, and I think it also helped them focus on the course material. ThisJournal of Public Affairs Education 343
Teaching Public Administration As a Fulbright Scholar In China:Analysis and Reflectionsaspect of the class clearly fit with the notion of the teacher as a moral model.They wanted to know what I thought both personally and professionally on arange of topics that I would not normally discuss with students in the U.S. Iwas able to follow up on many of these discussions with the small groups ofstudents I took to lunch after class.6. QuestioningStudents in Western classrooms are expected to raise their hands and askquestions when they do not understand something or want to share a comment.If you ask Chinese students whether they have any questions you generally willreceive only blank stares. Chinese students are not expected to ask questions inclass unless they have conducted an independent investigation upon which tobase those questions (Watkins, 2000).By the end of the semester, several students teased me by saying, “That was avery good question,” or “That is a good idea.” I said something to this effectwhenever a student made any contribution. This was in sharp contrast to theirdescription of the typical Chinese professor who, when they asked a question,would make students feel that they were wrong or stupid to ask. Speaking up inclass was a challenge even for the more advanced graduate students.According to my teaching assistant, as a faculty member I stimulated studentsmore than the typical Chinese faculty member. His guidance to colleagues wasto be “generous with encouragement, inspiration, and praise of students.” Hesaid that I was “confident in the process of teaching and enjoy the experience ofcontact with students.”Before going to China, I thought that Chinese faculty members carried heavyteaching loads and, as a result, didn’t spend much out-of-classroom time withstudents. What I found was that faculty members did develop some closerelationships with their students, but that most spent little time in their offices.This was not because of teaching loads, but because of their low salaries and theneed to do consulting or other work to supplement their incomes. Facultypositions continue to be sought after, and have substantial status, but thesalaries do not reflect this level of recognition.7. Group WorkWhile group work in Western classrooms tends to involve small groups ofstudents talking among themselves, Chinese teachers more frequently have twostudents engage in a dialogue in front of the class. This approach is consistentwith the focus on “moral training,” and works well in larger classes (Watkins,2000). Thompson (2000), in examining use of cases with Chinese MBAstudents, noted a preference for working in small groups, as opposed to classwidediscussions.Because students were extremely hesitant to ask questions or participate in344 Journal of Public Affairs Education
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