Eric A. Hyer, one of BYU's foremost experts on the People's Republic of China, will share his insights, "American Perspectives on U.S.–China Relations," on the largest communist nation in the world as part of the International Forum Series, at noon on Wednesday, July 16, in 238 Herald R. Clark Building south of the Lee Library on the BYU campus.
Hyer, an associate professor of political science at BYU, has had extensive firsthand experience in China. He served a mission in Taiwan and studied Chinese at the Beijing Language Institute before receiving his Ph.D. from Columbia University in 1990.
In 1995, Hyer returned to China as a Fulbright Scholar, teaching at the Foreign Affairs College in Beijing.
Kennedy Center director Jeff Ringer remarked, "It's a pleasure to have this talented scholar of Chinese politics right here on our campus. His lecture should be quite enjoyable and informative."
Ringer noted that Hyer's diverse experience includes "Helen Foster Snow: Witness to Revolution," a documentary film for which he was associate producer, and he previously directed academic programs at the Kennedy Center.
Though currently the BYU–China Special Country Focus liaison, Hyer's passion is studying China's foreign relations and connections with its neighbors. In his words, "Borders are where things happen, where cultures and countries confront and often conflict with one another."
Hyer's research has taken him all over China, as well as to Tibet and the Pakistan-Afghanistan border.
This lecture will be webcast live online. Those interested in finding out more about the International Forum Series will find archived lectures and a calendar of upcoming speakers on the Kennedy Center Web site at http://kennedy.byu.edu/events.
