Personal Profile
Since the Fall semester of 2016, Michael Sayle has been directing the English for Academic Purposes Program in the joint law program between Ocean University of China (OUC) and the University of Arizona (UA). In this position, he has overseen the adaptation and teaching of the UA English Department’s Writing Program to the particular needs of the Qingdao micro-campus in its mission to provide a U.S.-China, dual-degree (BA) program in law.
Michael teaches Basic English III (Foundations of Writing Semester 1, English 106), Basic English IV (Foundations of Writing Semester 2, English 106), Advanced English I (First-year Writing for International Students, English 107), and Advanced English II (First-year Writing for International Students, English 108).
Michael earned his Ph.D. from the University of Arizona in Second Language Acquisition and Teaching (SLAT), the UA’s largest interdisciplinary program, and he earned his MA in English Language and Linguistics from the University of Arizona. His research interests include bilingual Chinese-English figurative language processing, second language writing, and second language humor. Since 2009, he has taught for the UA Writing Program, primarily teaching writing classes for 1st-year international students. Before beginning his MA in English Language and Linguistics, he lived in Hunan Province, China, from 2003-2008 and taught English writing, speaking, and listening to students at the University of South China (南华大学). He is especially happy that his current position allows him to make a full circle back to the country that most heavily influenced his professional and academic careers.
