EASC Events
Contents
EASC Helps Establish a Committee on Asian Security
In November, the East Asian Studies Center will host the Nuclear Proliferation in Asia Symposium, which will be the inaugural event for the Committee on Asian Security. This committee combines the efforts of the EASC, the Indian Studies Program and some members from the Department of Central Eurasian Studies to look at both traditional and more-generally focused issues of security in Asia, and specifically China, North Korea, India and Pakistan.
The symposium, which will be held on November 18th, beginning at 1:30 p.m. in the Persimmon Room at the I.U. Bloomington Indiana Memorial Union is open to students, faculty, staff, and members of the Bloomington and Indianapolis communities. Following opening remarks by Peter Scoblic, the Executive Editor of the New Republic, the first part of this half-day event will look at the historical antecedents of the nuclear situation in India, Pakistan, China, and North Korea with a panel moderated by Patrick O’Meara and panelists Mike Robinson, Sumit Ganguly, and Robert Ross. The second panel of the day will look at the contemporary nuclear situation in these countries with an eye toward the future. This panel will be moderated by Jeffrey Wasserstrom with panelists Jacques Fuqua, Dinshaw Mistry and Yu Bin. Rebecca MacKinnon, former Bureau Chief of CNN in Beijing and Tokyo will provide remarks as well.
The Committee hopes that this will be one of many symposia looking at traditional security issues as well as issues of self-determination and diaspora. Working papers from this and other Committee on Asian Security talks will be available in both on-line and hard copy formats.
Third Annual Symposium on Asia in the Curriculum Held in Indianapolis
EASC sponsored the Third Annual Symposium on Asia in the Curriculum, a three-day event which was held at IUPUI, September 16-18, 2004. This seminar was open to all educators working in the field of East Asian studies and provided a forum through which participants could share their experiences and ideas on promoting Asian studies at all levels of education. One hundred and sixty-four participants from around the United States attended the symposium, including Mr. and Mrs. Freeman, founders of the Freeman Foundation.
The symposium combined various tracts and lectures with special events such as the showing of the Korean film, ‘The Way Home,’ a winner of several Korean film awards, a production of the I.U. Bloomington-student created kabuki play Love Suicides at the Jordan River, and a banquet dinner complete with a koto duet recital performed by the EASC’s Anne Prescott and her student Miyako Fuqua.
Keynote speeches were given by Indiana Superintendent of Public Instruction Dr. Sue-Ellen Reed and special invited speaker Frances Wood who talked about 'The Mysterious East.’ Perhaps most well-known for her book Did Marco Polo go to China?, Dr. Wood is the Head Librarian of the Chinese Section of the British Library and author of many other notable titles including The Blue Guide to China, Oriental Gardens, No Dogs and not Many Chinese: Treaty Port Life 1843-1943, and The Silk Road.
Participants also had the opportunity of attending three sessions of panel discussions: "Asia in the Curriculum: Beyond the Textbook,” “Asia in the Classroom: Emerging Needs" and " Next Steps." In addition three further panels were offered featuring a new, more content-orientated "Arts in Asia Track," utilizing music and the visual arts. A final session called "Next Steps in the Symposium’s Evolution," focused on future development of the symposium and included discussion on issues such as whether to institutionalize the symposium, possible future locations and organizers for next year’s event.
Teaching about Asia Seminar Alumni Meet in Chicago
Alumni of the Teaching about Asia seminar programs in south-central Indiana traveled to Chicago as a follow up to their seminar work. Known as enrichment events, these occur after the seminar has finished and offer teachers a way of staying energized and connected. Led by Mary Hayes (EASC) and Professor Scott Clark (Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology, 2002 Terre Haute NCTA seminar leader), the group visited the Qianlong exhibit at the Field Museum, had a guided tour of Chinatown, toured two Japanese gardens, did an in-service at the Smart Museum, and met with the midwest director of the Japanese-American Citizens League. Mitsuwa Japanese Market and meals at Chinese and Japanese restaurants were also on the itinerary. In addition to these activities, teachers discussed strategies for incorporating East Asia in the classroom.
2004 Teaching East Asian Literature in the High School Workshop a Major Success!
Beginning on July 18, 21 high school teachers came to Bloomington to study the history and literature of China, Japan and Korea. Professors from Columbia University and Indiana University-Bloomington taught this summer’s week-long workshop. The first two-days were about the literary traditions of Japan preceded with historical background. On Wednesday, two professors presented about literature, culture, and history of the Korean peninsula. The week ended with two days devoted to Chinese literature and history. Throughout the week, Cecilia Boyce of Hillsborough High School (Odessa, FL) and Judith DeWoskin of Community High School (Ann Arbor, MI) guided participants on how to creatively implement East Asian literature into the high school classroom.
In addition to the formal sessions, the 2004 Literature Workshop provided cultural presentations on aikido, tai chi, samulnori and East Asian fashion, as well as East Asian films and cuisine for participants to immerse themselves in East Asian culture for the week. With a final banquet on Friday, July 23, the Workshop wrapped up. Presenters, participants, and East Asian Studies Center staff members celebrated the conclusion of a wonderful week and look forward to 2005!
Teaching East Asian Music in the Elementary Classroom Workshop Continues to Shine
“Overwhelmingly perfect!!” That’s how one of the participants of the Teaching East Asian Music in the Elementary Classroom workshop summed up her experience. Twenty music teachers from Indiana, Tennessee, Colorado, Illinois, New Jersey, Ohio, North Carolina and Taiwan gathered at I.U. Bloomington June 13-16 to learn more about the musics of East Asia and how to incorporate them into their teaching. Sessions were led by Dr. Han Kuo-Huang (China), Dr. Anne Prescott (Japan), Dr. Hilary Finchum-Sung (Korea), and Dr. Terese Volk. The workshop also featured demonstrations and hands-on experience with East Asian instruments and a special concert by Chinese pipa virtuoso Hong Shao. Dates for the 2005 workshop will be announced soon. For all the latest information, see our website at www.indiana.edu/~easc.
2004 Study Tour takes High School Teachers to China
Seventeen teachers from the Midwest had the opportunity to travel to China this summer to learn more about that country and culture firsthand. The EASC study tours are a follow-up to the 30-hour NCTA Teaching about Asia seminars for teachers to improve their knowledge of East Asia. Both the seminars and the study tours are generously funded by the Freeman Foundation.
The teachers who came from Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, Kentucky and Alabama prepared for the trip with extensive reading, orientations in Bloomington and Chicago, and curriculum planning. During their three weeks in China they visited Beijing, Xi’an, Nanjing, Shanghai, Suzhou and Hong Kong. The group saw many historical sites, visited two schools, climbed on the Great Wall, and journeyed to a rural village. They were also given free days in which to pursue individual research and curriculum development plans. Many are already actively implementing their newly-developed lesson plans.
EASC/EALC staff/faculty accompanying the group were Jeff Wasserstrom (Professor, Chinese history), Anne Prescott (EASC Outreach Supervisor) and Jeff Payne (EASC Outreach Assistant). Also lending their expertise were Jim Winship (Professor, Political Science, Augustana College, Illinois) and curriculum coordinator John Frank (US History, Center Grove High School, Indiana).
EASC Series Ready for the Fall
The schedules of the popular East Asian Colloquium Series and Film Series have been set for the fall. All events take place on the I.U. Bloomington campus.
Here are the dates for the remaining colloquium lectures:
Oct. 29 (Fri) |
Rick Harbaugh (School of Business, I.U.) “Why Are Chinese Characters so Hard?” |
Nov. 12 (Fri) |
Robert Fish (Indiana State University) “Making Mixed-Blood Orphans in Postwar Japan” |
Dec. 3 (Fri) |
Ethan Michelson (Sociology-EALC, I.U.), Heidi Ross (School of Education, I.U.) and Jeff Wasserstrom (History-EASC, I.U.) “Images of A Changing China: A Three-Part Presentation Illustrated with Photographs From Recent Trips Across the Pacific” |
Below are the dates for the remaining films in the Fall semester:
On the Occasion of Remembering the Turning Gate. October, 23, 7:30 pm, Woodburn 101
Korea, 2002, Dir. Hong Sang-soo, 116 min. This is a film with a straighforward plot and one that is entirely dependent on its actors. The story is that of a failing film actor in Seoul who travels throughout Korea with two female companions. The travelers are forced to deal with issues of love, friendship, career, and morality. A great example of the amazing films being produced in Korea. In Korean with English subtitles.
Love Letter. November 6, 7:30 pm, Woodburn 101
Japan, 2002, Dir. Shunji Iwai, 116 min. A film with beautiful landscape used as a character. This film is the story of Hiroko, a widower, who is seeking to move beyond her lost love by writing a letter to him. As her feelings and memories spring forward during the writing of the letter, Hiroko begins to dream of an alternate universe where the letter reaches her dead lover. A sweet and endearing film that never strays too far into sentimentalism. In Japanese with English subtitles.
The Way Home. November 20, 7:30 pm, Woodburn 101
Korea, 2002, Dir. Jeong-Hyang Lee, 88 min. This is the story of Sang-woo, a seven-year-old boy from the city, and his elderly grandmother, a mute who has spent her entire life in a small rural village. When Sang-woo’s mother is forced to send him to live with his grandmother, Sang-woo is shocked at what he finds-a place without indoor plumbing or access to fast-food restaurants. Angry and confused, Sang-woo rejects his grandmother’s attempts to please him. But, as time passes, the old woman’s kindness begins to touch the young boy’s heart-awakening curiosity, understanding and finally, love. In Korean with English subtitles. Rated PG.
The Mission. December 4, 7:30 pm, Woodburn 101
Hong Kong, 1999, Dir. Johnny To, 84 min. A film celebrating Hong Kong’s cinematic past and promising a bright future. Mr. Lung, a mobster of great importance in Hong Kong is nearly killed. In response, the crime boss hires five men to make up an elite bodyguard force. However, as the men begin to see Mr. Lung for what he is and develop a fraternal bond, their role as enforcers are put to the test. This is not the typical Hong Kong crime thriller. It has a sleek, modern feel with a story that rises above its seeming melodramatic appearance. In Mandarin with English subtitles.
EASC Bids Farewell and Welcomes New Staff
With the start of the new academic year, EASC once again finds itself saying goodbye to long-time staff members. Mary Hayes, Outreach Coordinator, came to the Center in 2001 and helped build several of the Center’s most successful endeavors, including the NCTA Japan study tours and the Teaching East Asian Literature in the High School Classroom workshops. She has returned to school full-time to pursue her Master’s degree. After two years as an Outreach Assistant, Jeff Payne has left the Center in order to focus on his research in the Political Science Department.
There have been several other staff changes as well. Anne Prescott's position of Outreach Coordinator has expanded to include supervision of all the Center's outreach activities. Maryanne Kim has taken on the position of Assistant Outreach Coordinator. She will be coordinating EASC's Teaching East Asian Literature summer workshop as well as continuing the popular Storytelling program and her other duties. Clarke Hudson, editor of the Journal of Chinese Religions, has taken on a new duty this year. He will work as the Grant Assistant for the EASC taking over from Sarah Pedersen, who is now in Japan. Jeremy Mixell and Jessica Dzieweczynski have been hired as the new Outreach Assistants. Andy Sobol has returned to the Center after a year in Japan. In addition, the Center welcomes Anne Sorensen as Conference Assistant, and Aaron Brummett and Jessica Abell have been hired as office assistants for the academic year.
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Last updated: 10/15/2004
URL: http://www.indiana.edu/~easc/newsletter/
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