Yan Liu

Yan Liu is an Associate Professor of the Practice and Director of the Chinese Program in the Department of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies (AMES) at Duke University.23 She has been with Duke since 2013, initially joining as an Assistant Professor of the Practice and progressing to her current role.13

Education and Background

Dr. Liu received her Ph.D. in Second Language Acquisition from Carnegie Mellon University in 2013.12 She also holds a Master's degree in Applied Linguistics from Beijing Foreign Studies University (2003-2005) and a Bachelor's degree in English from Lanzhou University (1995-1999).13

Professional Experience

At Duke University, Dr. Liu has held several positions:

• Associate Professor of the Practice (July 2023 - Present)
• Director of the Chinese Program (July 2023 - Present)
• Assistant Professor of the Practice (July 2013 - June 2023)3

Prior to Duke, she worked as a Graduate Student Instructor at Carnegie Mellon University from August 2009 to May 2013.3

Teaching and Research

Dr. Liu's primary focus is on teaching and coordinating Chinese language courses, particularly:

• Intermediate Chinese for non-heritage students
• Advanced Chinese for heritage students2

She has developed several innovative courses, including:

• "Chinese Translation and Interpretation" (CHINESE 332)
• "Understanding China and the U.S.: Stereotypes, Conflicts, and Common Challenges" (CHINESE 450S)
• Various Chinese CLAC (Curriculum across Languages and Cultures) courses2

Her research interests include:

• Second language acquisition
• L2 reading in Chinese
• Writing in Chinese as a heritage language
• Chinese assessment and pedagogy
• Chinese curriculum development24

Professional Activities

Dr. Liu is an active member of the Chinese Language Teachers Association (CLTA), serving as a board member since 2022 and co-chairing two special interest groups.2 She has presented her research at numerous prestigious conferences and serves as a reviewer for several academic publications.24

In recognition of her commitment to service-learning, Dr. Liu won the "Betsy Alden Outstanding Service-Learning Award" in 2020.2