EMU Today

YPSILANTI – During a summer when many people were primarily house-bound, Geoffrey Stanton traveled virtually to the other side of the world, educating students and stimulating minds as he taught music appreciation and world music to students in China.

Stanton, a veteran, part-time lecturer in the School of Music and Dance, recently completed a five-week summer residency as a visiting professor for Szechuan University in the People's Republic of China.

The exciting stint was an experimental on-line endeavor in which a handful of US professors and instructors across the country were specifically invited to participate.

Stanton taught two music courses, “Music Appreciation,” and “Music of the World.” In doing so, he enjoyed both the connection he made with students and increasing Eastern’s international footprint.

“In these times of troubled relationships between the US and China, this type of academic and fine arts outreach is good for furthering international artistic exchange and promoting EMU,” Stanton said.

Recruited to go to China

Stanton’s academic odyssey started several years ago, when a headhunting organization (Lion International) contacted him and then connected him with the University. 

He was originally scheduled to teach in Shanghai, China, but then broke his ankle, preventing that trip. Then this year brought a variety of international complications, both political and pandemic related, that prevented in-person instruction.

But the University called back and suggested an experiment. He could teach out of the comfort of his own home.

This meant plenty of work, however. Stanton had to pre-record everything for the asynchronous classes, writing 40 two-hour lectures in the space of five weeks. Those lectures, power point with imbedded media, had to go through government censors.

“Interestingly, the censors’ objections were never to content but rather to my initial use of bright colors and special effects in my presentations,” related Stanton.

“I was busy day and night,” Stanton says now. “There were many technological hurdles in addition to just putting together the lectures.”

He worked through a TA, and while he didn’t see his students face to face, Stanton says he got a strong sense of their appreciation for him and the courses from their comments on the papers and other assignments he graded.

“On the radar with China”

“I missed the classroom – that’s where I put on my show,” Stanton said.  “Yet they were very good students, with excellent English. The whole experience was very positive. Chinese students are not unlike American students in their passion for multimedia stimulation.”

Stanton says the students were very hungry for western culture, and “absolutely loved” the lessons in hip hop and country music. The world music class touched on a variety of genres, including western traditions, African music, hip hop and Chinese traditional music.

Stanton, who has been with EMU since 2008, is a prize-winning composer and recipient of the 2015 Part-Time Lecturer Outstanding Teaching Award. He says he hopes to physically teach in China in the years to come.

In the meantime, he has a distinct and far-flung online educational experience to recall and savor.

“We are definitely on the radar with China,” Stanton said. “A lot of Chinese students are interested in coming here. From my standpoint, we at Eastern sit very positively with China.”

About Eastern Michigan University

Founded in 1849, Eastern is the second oldest public university in Michigan. It currently serves nearly 18,000 students pursuing undergraduate, graduate, specialist, doctoral and certificate degrees in the arts, sciences and professions. In all, more than 300 majors, minors and concentrations are delivered through the University's Colleges of Arts and Sciences; Business; Education; Engineering and Technology; Health and Human Services; and, its graduate school. EMU is regularly recognized by national publications for its excellence, diversity, and commitment to applied education. For more information about Eastern Michigan University, visit the University's website.