Name: Bing Mu                    
URI Position: Assistant Professor of Chinese, Coordinator of Intercultural Communicative Competence
Email: mubing@uri.edu
Preferred pronouns: she/her

The College of Arts and Sciences is pleased to welcome several new professors on the tenure-track who began in the fall 2019 semester. Assistant Professor Bing Mu, Ph.D., joins the University’s Chinese language program in the Department of Modern and Classical Languages and Literatures. She is also our new Coordinator of Intercultural Communicative Competence. In 2018, Mu received her Ph.D. in Chinese Language Pedagogy from the Ohio State University. While pursuing her degree, she taught beginner- to advanced-level Chinese courses and offered introductory courses on the contemporary and traditional cultures of China, Korea, and Japan. She describes her dissertation as an examination of “intercultural communication through the lens of intention for the purpose of enhancing learners’ intercultural communicative competence.” After receiving her Ph.D., she worked at the University of Pennsylvania as a Lecturer, teaching beginner-level Chinese.

Reflective of her experience, Mu will teach Beginning Chinese and Advanced Chinese Composition and Conversation this academic year. After co-authoring the book Action! China: A Field Guide to Using Chinese in the Community and pursuing projects on language pedagogy, she looks forward to continuing her research at URI. “My research interests include intercultural communication and competence, pedagogical material development and creation, Chinese phonology, and sociolinguistics,” she says “At URI, I hope to implement intercultural pedagogical approaches to enhance learners’ intercultural communicative competence in study abroad programs and beyond.”

As she begins her new appointment at URI, Mu looks forward to being a part of the community of students and faculty here. She says: “URI not only has one of the most vibrant language programs in the country, but also plays a leading role in combining foreign language education with other disciplines to prepare students for the competitive market on a global scale.” She describes language learning as opening a window to a new world and new perspective. “To become global citizens, students should not only learn to speak the target language, but also develop an understanding of the differences and similarities of different cultures, and participate in the culture,” Mu says. “At URI, I will work closely with students to help them…think critically, develop an interest and openness towards cultures with different values and beliefs, embrace differences and diversity, and compete globally.”

~Written by Aria Mia Loberti