Larry Herzberg, Associate Professor
Chinese and Japanese Language
616-526-6363
herz@calvin.edu
Office: Hiemenga Hall 458
Educational/Professional Background
Professor Herzberg’s love of literature led to a BA in English from Lawrence University (Appleton, Wisconsin) in 1972. He then began his study of the Chinese language at Vanderbilt University, where he studied Chinese intensively for five years. Professor Herzberg’s Master’s and Ph.D. work in Chinese were done at Indiana University, where he also served as a teaching assistant for such notable scholars as Li Oufan, later Chairperson of the Chinese language department at Harvard University, and Philip West, now Director of the Mansfield Center for Asian Studies at the University of Montana. It was at Indiana University that he also began to study Japanese. In 1980, he began the Chinese language program at Albion College and taught Chinese there until 1984. Since 1984 he has been a professor at Calvin College.
Academic Interests/Areas of Specialization
Professor Herzberg has taught first through fourth year Japanese and Chinese language courses, as well as numerous courses on Chinese and Japanese culture and society. Professor Herzberg has visited China and Japan countless times. He leads the Calvin China and Japan interim trips which take place in early summer. His trips to Japan always include numerous home stay opportunities with Japanese families.
Recent Activities/Publications
Professor Herzberg and his wife Qin Herzberg, fellow Calvin Chinese professor, recently produced a
60-minute documentary film on China entitled “China Today: Issues that Trouble Americans.” The film is based on several years of interviews with Chinese people from different walks of life, including college professors and other educators, free-thinking writers and intellectuals, marriage and family experts, and religious leaders, as well as peasants, migrant workers, and shop clerks. The film features extensive footage of daily life in China and seeks to answer the basic questions that have troubled our students over the years, such as “Will China become a democracy any time soon? How severe and cruel is the so-called “one child policy”? How much religious freedom is there really in China?” The film was published in 2008 with 1,100 copies distributed to High Schools around the world that send students to Calvin. The film in available for purchase from the Calvin Media Foundation.
Larry and Qin have also published a book with travel advice for China entitled “China Survival Guide: How to Avoid Travel Troubles and Mortifying Mishaps” (Stonebridge Press, 2008). It is the first-ever guidebook that deals with the daily, nitty-gritty hurdles a tourist faces when traveling around China, done with a lot of humor as well as invaluable travel tips.
Hobbies
When Larry is not teaching, traveling or writing he can be found playing his violin. Larry has been a full time violinist with the Grand Rapids Symphony since 1980, performing about 130 concerts a year.
Before coming to Michigan, Larry was the Assistant Concertmaster of the Nashville (Tennessee) Symphony. During his time in Nashville, he also played violin in the Nashville studios for many popular recordings, accompanying singers such as Dolly Parton, Loretta Lynn, Kenny Rogers, the Bee Gees, Rod Stewart, and yes, even Elvis!
Courses
Chinese 101/102 - Elementary Chinese
Chinese 201/202 - Intermediate Chinese
Japanese 101/102 - Elementary Japanese
Japanese 201/202 - Intermediate Japanese
Additional Information
