Meet the Director: United Kingdom Communications

Dr. Peter Zhang

• Associate Professor of Communication Studies. Ph.D., Communication and Culture, Indiana University – Bloomington.
• Went through the joy of studying abroad years ago. Loves students.
• Finds liminal spaces to be profoundly educational and life-enhancing. Believes in the serviceability of counter-environments.
• Got his B.A. and M.A. in English. Familiar with British literature and culture.
• Had close working relationships with Corporate Britain years ago. Established a sound working relationship with colleagues at Kingston University, London.
• Plays basketball, table tennis, and catch.
• Interested in Zen. Appreciates understated British elegance.
• Favorite sin: to poeticize theory. Fond of writing “Follow the Brush” pieces.
• Lives next to a family from Birmingham. Can’t have enough of British humor.
• Favorite joke: “What did Big Ben say to the Leaning Tower of Pisa?” “I’ve got the time if you’ve got the inclination.”
• Loves nature, conversations, books, and cities where tradition and modernity coexist.
• Knows how the 64 hexagrams of the I Ching works. Capable of dealing with the occult.
• Native fluency in Chinese. Experienced in consecutive and simultaneous interpretation. Used to live in Beijing, Tianjin, and Xi’an (where the terracotta warriors are).
• Experienced in foreign affairs. Been to Britain, Japan, Canada, Taiwan, and China for business. Went to Mexico as a member of the GVSU Delegation in 2014.
• Loves cities that have a river in them. Delighted by the sound of birds, crickets, cicadas, and the sight of flocks or formations of birds.  
• Published a good number of articles in the fields of media ecology, rhetorical studies, Deleuze studies, interality studies, etc. Enjoys collaborative writing. Experienced in guest editing academic journals.
• Favorite misquote: “Oh, to be in London now that July is there.”
• Facebook group: GVSU Communications in London.  

For more information on the program, visit www.gvsu.edu/studyabroad/ukcommunications