Carol Osborne, professor of English at Coastal Carolina University, has been selected to participate in the Fulbright-Hays Seminars Abroad program in China in June and July 2009. She will improve her understanding and knowledge of Chinese culture in order to enhance the curriculum of her world literature course and to develop a new upper level course on Chinese literature and culture.

The National Committee on U.S.-China Relations (NCUSCR) has administered the Fulbright-Hays Seminars Abroad Program to China since 1981 as part of memorandum of understanding with the Chinese Ministry of Education. The program is designed to give American educators an introduction to China's history, culture and society.

Osborne is one of 16 professors who will travel abroad through the Fulbright program. The group will meet in the San Francisco Bay area for a pre-departure orientation program, providing an opportunity for participants to attend briefings on topics such as Chinese culture, society and language.

Osborne's travels in China will include stops in Beijing, Xi'an, Shanghai and Hong Kong. She will visit cultural and historic sites, government offices and educational institutions, and she will attend lectures on Chinese history, economics, education and politics.

Osborne earned a Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) degree in English education from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a Ph.D. from the University of Virginia. She was on the English faculty at Murray State University, where she served as director of humanities.

Osborne began teaching in the MAT program at Coastal Carolina University in 2002. She now teaches contemporary literature, media and culture, world literature, popular fiction, and adolescent literature.