Dean of the College of Humanities, J. Scott Miller, has appointed Richard McBride as chair of the BYU Department of Asian & Near Eastern Languages. McBride succeeds Dana Bourgerie, who has been serving as department chair since June 2015. “Dana has led the department in word and deed,” remarked Dean Miller. “He has been encouraging and supportive of faculty development and curriculum improvement among department courses, even as he has continued to follow a trajectory of outstanding scholarly research, teaching excellence, and service.”
McBride enjoys teaching courses on Korea and East Asia and his research interests include medieval Korean and Chinese Buddhist practice, specifically the cults of buddhas and bodhisattvas and dharani and mantra (spells and incantations); medieval Korean and Chinese Doctrinal or Exegetical Buddhism, specifically that associated with the Huayan/Hwaom tradition; and early Korean history, specifically kingship, institutional history, and the cultural traditions of the Silla state (ca. 300-935), including extant poetry and fantastic literature.
“Richard brings to the position experience in leadership at BYU-Hawaii and distinguished credentials in his disciplinary field,” noted Dean Miller. “I am confident that he will serve the department well.”