James Lu, Ph. D.

Interim Dean, College of Arts and Sciences
Professor and Chair, Department of Modern Languages and Literature

Phone Number:

(951) 343-4277

Email Address:

jlu@calbaptist.edu

Office Location:

W.E. James Building, Room 256

Office Hours:

By Appointment

Education/Degrees Earned:

Academic Areas:

• World Literature
• Literary Theory
• Genre Studies
• Multicultural Literature

Professional Honors:

• 2002-2003: Distinguished Scholar of the Year, CBU
• 1999 (Summer): Fellow, National Endowment for the Humanities; Department of English, Yale University, Connecticut
• 1994 (Summer): NEH Fellow, Department of English and Comparative Literature, Princeton University, New Jersey
• 1991-1992: Junior Fellow Award, Association of American Colleges, Duke University, North Carolina
• 1986-1987: Fulbright Scholar

Classes Taught:

Undergraduate Level:

• ENG 113 - Composition
• ENG 123 - Intermediate Composition
• ENG 201 - Introduction to Literature for Majors
• ENG 233 - Survey of American Literature
• ENG 253 - Survey of World Literature I
• ENG 263 - Survey of World Literature II
• ENG 303 - Topics in World Literature
• ENG 313 - Multicultural Literature
• ENG 350 - Advanced Composition
• ENG 401 - Literary Theory and Criticism
• ENG 403 - British Novel till 1900
• ENG 433 - Major Authors
• ENG 460 - Contemporary British Literature
• ENG 473 - Creative Writing
• HUM 213 - Integrated Humanities I
• HUM 223 - Integrated Humanities II

Graduate Level:

• ENG 520 - Narrative Theory and Criticism
• ENG 525 - Non-Western Literature
• ENG 550 - Graduate Seminar: British Literature
• ENG 570 - Graduate Seminar: World Literature
• ENG 582 - Topics in Film Studies

Teaching Experience:

• 1995—Present: Department of Modern Languages and Literature, CBU
• 1993-1995: Department of Comparative Literature, Hamilton College, Clinton, New York
• 1989-1992: University Writing Program, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina
• 1985-1986: English Department, Shandong University, Jinan, China

Research, Presentations and Publications:

PAPERS PRESENTED:

“A Comparative Study of Epiphany in James Joyce’s Dubliners and Anton Chekov’s `The Lady with the Pet Dog.’” Southern Comparative Literature, Phoenix, Arizona, October, 2009.

“The Eclipsed and Silenced in the Third-Person Limited Omniscient: Narrative: A Case Study of James Joyce’s The Dead.” Christianity and Literature Conference. Newberg, Oregon, April, 2009.

”From the Heroic to the Shameful: War Trash, an Untold Story of Chinese POWs,” the PAMLA (Pacific Ancient and Modern Language Association) Conference, Pasadena, CA, November, 2008.

“Rich Simplicity: Unique Narrative Agents in Krzysztof Kieslowski’s A Short Film about Love.” Christianity and Literature Conference, Biola University, April, 2008.

Panelist, “The Sense of Place.” University of California at Riverside, Sweeney Art Gallery. Riverside, CA, October, 2008.

Moderator, “Lewis’ Correspondence and the Life of Faith" and "Faith and doubt: Ethics and Aesthetics"; the C.S. Lewis Summer Institute on "The Self and the Search Meaning," Oxford and Cambridge, England, July-August, 2008.

“From Walkman and MTV to IPod and YouTube: Allan Bloom’s Concerns Twenty Years Ago and Now.” The 2nd Annual Oceanic Popular Culture Association Conference, Honolulu, Hawaii, May, 2008.

"Wisdom from Mark Twain' s Humor: A Response to David Kaun's Work-Leisure Theory." Oceanic Popular Culture Association Conference. May, 2007.

"The Roles of the Community in William Faulkner's Novel As I Lay Dying and Zhang Yimou's Film The Road Home." Southern Comparative Literature Association Conference. Athens, Georgia, September, 2006.

"A Comparative Study of American and Chinese Animated Film Industry." International Conference on Hollywood and Chinese Cinema. Shanghai, China, June, 2006.

“From Michelangelo’s David to Derrida’s Difference: Problems of Value and Evaluation.” International Conference on Arts and Literature. Honolulu, Hawaii, January, 2004.

“Remembering the Lost Daughters: A Comparative Reading of Literature as History.” The Southern Comparative Literature Association Conference. Austin, Texas, September, 2003.

“Surprised by Insanity: Tolstoy’s Art of Reconciliation.” Christianity and Literature Conference on “Conflict and Reconciliation in Film and Literature.” Seattle, April, 2003.

“Isabel Allende’s Daughter of Fortune: A Tale of Transnational Tales,” The 3rd Annual Conference on Writing in the Academy: Craft, Critique, Culture. Iowa, March, 2003.

“Ishmael Reed’s Conversations with Shawn Wong,” Contemporary American Literature Symposium; Santa Fe, New Mexico, October, 2001.

“Visible on the Margin?” National Conference on Asian Americans in the Higher Education, San Francisco, California, April, 2001.

“Chinese Americans in Mass Media,” Association for Asian Studies Conference, Boston, Massachusetts, March, 1999.

“Hollywood’s Representation of ‘Aliens’ in Cultural Terms,” MLA (Modern Language Association) Annual Convention, San Francisco, California, December, 1998.

"Multicultural Dilemma in Chinua Achebe’s No Longer at Ease," the Third Annual Conference on Emerging Literature of the Southwest, El Paso, Texas, November, 1997.

"Reflective Tensions: Teaching Literature in Integrated Humanities" (with Scott Key), Conference on Christianity and Literature, Seattle University, May, 1997.

"How Are We Using CSIEC Start-Up Grants?" (with Richard Mobley), Cooperative Services International Education Consortium, Mobile, Alabama, September, 1996.

"Many Voices in the Literatures of California" (with Stanley Orr), Visioning California Conference, Pasadena, California, September, 1996.

"Maxine Hong Kingston's Monkey King: the Power of Transformation," MLA Annual Convention, San Diego, California, December, 1994.

"A Commentary on Inspiration and Poetry," AAS Annual Conference, Utica, March, 1993.

"Myth and Fantasy in Gulliver's Travels and Flowers in the Mirror," International Conference on Myth and Fantasy, Carrollton, Georgia, October, 1991.

"Asian American Writers in the Mainstream of American Literary Studies,” Southern Humanities Council Conference, Chattanooga, Tennessee, February, 1991.

PANELS CHAIRED:
"Towards a Constructive Pedagogy," International Conference on Chinese Cinema and Asian Cinema in the Context of Globalization. Beijing China, June 9-10, 2005.

"Reflections on Cinematic Transactions between East and West," International Conference on Chinese Cinema and Asian Cinema in the Context of Globalization. Beijing China, June 6-7, 2005

“Engaging Literary Polemics,” Conference on Christianity and Literature. March, San Diego, CA, 2004. (Panel Moderator)

"Reading Texts for Voices of Change," Southern Humanities Council Conference, Jackson, Mississippi, February, 1995.

"16th-Century Literature and Social Thought," Citadel Conference on Literature, Charleston, SC, March, 1991.

"Perspectives for Teaching Business Writing," CCCC (Conference on College Composition and Communication) Annual Convention, Seattle, March, 1989. (Associate Chair)

PUBLICATIONS:
"Literature and Philosophy" (book chapter, with John Towbridge and Stanley Orr), in Western Literature Studies: Traditions, Trends and Topics. Beijing: Renda University Press, 2007

“Mysterious Tenacity.” The Colors of Life: A Collection of Poetry. Ed. Howard Ely. Owings Mills, Maryland: Watermark Press, 2004. 1.

“A Commentary.” Rev. of An Introduction to China, by John B. Wong. Loma Linda, California: Loma Linda U Press, 2004. 270.

"Enacting Asian American Transformations: An Interethnic Perspective," MELUS, Winter, 1998, PP. 85-101.

"Re-constructing History: the Storytellers and Storytelling in Tracks and Homebase," Emerging Literatures, Winter, 1996, pp. 166-77.

"The Last Emperor: a History Lesson and a Lesson in History," Biography, Winter 1994, pp. 56-62.

"The Locality of the Novel: Peculiarities of Chinese and Japanese 'Small Talk'," Tamkang Review, 1990, pp. 114-125.

“A Photographer’s Snapshots: a Poem,” World Treasure of Great Poems, Vol. 2, ed. John Campbell, Sacramento, CA: World of Poetry Press, 1988, P. 413.

Translation into Chinese of The Age of Innocence, a Novel by Edith Wharton, Guiyang: Guizhou Press, 1986, 338 pages.

"American Realism and Naturalism at the Turn of the Century," Studies in American Literature, Spring 1985, pp. 25-48.

"Reading Native Son: Going Underground," Studies in American Literature, Fall, 1984, pp. 167-191.

Church Membership/Activities:

• Member of Tyler Baptist Church
• Regularly Attending Sunday Services
• Served as MC for Sunday Service

Community Service/Involvement:

COMMITTEE SERVICES:

• Undergraduate Curriculum Committee
• Graduate Curriculum Committee
• Faculty Development Committee (member and chair)
• Committee for President’s Writing Award (chair)
• Scholarship Committee
• Several WASC Subcommittees
• Support and Help in the Inland Riverside Chinese Language School

Interests/Hobbies/Travel/Family:

• Music
• Sports
• Travel

Personal Quote/Scripture/Philosophy of Education:

1. “There is plenty of heavenly music for those who are tuned in.”

2. "always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence;"

-1 Peter 3:15b, NASB