EASC Events
Contents
EASC Funds the First EALC/Business Trip to China
With support from the Freeman Foundation, EASC helped sponsor the first EALC/Business Study Tour to China during spring break. The ten day trip took place from March 10-19, 2005 in Shanghai and two surrounding cities. Over 70 students applied for the program. Twenty students were selected to use Freeman funds, seven LAMP (Liberal Arts and Management) students were funded by LAMP Scholarships, and two students self-paid. The three-credit, semester-long course on Chinese Business and Culture was team taught by Rick Harbaugh of Business Economics and William Travis Selmier in Political Science, both of whom are Chinese speakers. In addition to the 29 students, Rick, and Travis, the group also consisted of the Chair of the Business Undergraduate Program, Professor Marc Dollinger, Business School Advisor Gail Fairfield (who participated in last year’s trip to Tokyo, due to her experience growing up in Asia), and Tammy Orahood, the trip administrator. The make-up of the students was as follows: 18 business students, 7 LAMP, and 5 College of Arts and Sciences. Seven of the students were conversant in Chinese.
Students met weekly during the semester for class in which they focused on Chinese Economic history, recent economic growth and basic Chinese language. Students were put into groups and asked to take on the role of investment banker and evaluate several of the up and coming industries in China. Upon return from the trip students worked on a 20-page paper on a topic developed during the trip.
Some highlights of the tour included side trips to the historical cities of Hangzhou and Suzhou, company visits to Citibank, the Shanghai Stock Exchange, Intel China, AC Neilson, and ILX Mandarin Group (an entrepreneurial magazine distribution company), and cultural trips around Shanghai, including the famous Shanghai Art Museum, Old Town, the Jade Buddha Temple, and the Chinese acrobats. The I.U. delegation also attended a reception hosted by I.U. Alumni currently living in Shanghai.
Student participants were thrilled to have the opportunity to use part of the world as their classroom. Nikolai Jenkins (BUS) explains, “The trip allowed me to see the part of China that textbooks and coursework can never reveal. My preconceived notions of China were nothing like the realities we witnessed. Like a picture is worth a thousand words, visiting China was like reading a thousand books.” Scott Tidwell (BUS) was happy to have the opportunity to get a look at the Chinese economy first-hand. He says, “The study tour left me with an understanding of how China’s unprecedented economic expansion will influence this nation’s and the world’s culture, politics, and business throughout my lifetime. Kelley School classes frequently touch on the significant impact China is expected to have in each of these areas, but no text or lecture could ever provide the perspective I have gained from experiencing China firsthand. I regard the study tour as one of the most noteworthy and valuable experiences of my Kelley School of Business education.” Amy Oekten (LAMP) adds, “I really enjoyed meeting with the companies, such as Citigroup and Nielsen, because they gave us some great insights into how business is run in China and where it is going in the future. As a business major, it is such a great opportunity to meet with these companies because China is 
becoming such a major player in so many markets. Another event that I really liked was the I.U. alumni networking dinner. This was so advantageous because all business majors know how beneficial networking is. All of the alumni were very open about their experiences in China and were more than willing to give us their contact information for future use.”
Trip administrator, Tammy Orahood concurs, "The overall feedback for the trip was very positive. The students had their eyes opened regarding the economic potential of China, and learned some background on its formidable history and culture. I am sure that this trip and class was just the beginning of the students’ interest in China!"
Globalizing East Asian Studies Workshop a Success
On Monday, April 4, 2005 from 12:00 to 3:45 pm, the East Asian Studies Center held a public workshop in the Indiana Memorial Union Oak Room entitled "Globalizing East Asian Studies." With two lunch presentations and two panel sessions, the workshop focused on strategies and ideas for integrating discussion of China, Japan, and Korea into undergraduate classes and for placing the experiences of these countries into the broadest possible international context.
Topics covered included historical connections between East Asia and the Philippines; uses of maps in the classroom to present alternative viewpoints; international law as a reflection of Western cultural ideas and how East Asia has been effected globally due to conflicting attitudes and ideologies; global history from an East Asian perspective; European versus U.S. classroom approaches towards teaching about East Asia in general and China in particular; and the effects of popular culture on breaking down borders between individual East Asian countries as well as East Asia and the West.
Guest presenters were Martin Lewis (Stanford University), Kären Wigen (Stanford University), Adam McKeown (Columbia University), and Rana Mitter (Oxford University). Presentations were also given by I.U. East Asianists Lynn Struve (History) and Anne Prescott (EASC). Heidi Ross (Education) and Rick Wilk (Anthropology) graciously served as moderators for the panels. Over thirty people were in attendance including East Asian faculty and staff, faculty from other area studies, and graduate and undergraduate students.
Several other events were held in conjunction with this workshop.
The Center for Law, Society, and Culture co-sponsored with EASC a mini-symposium on Immigration Law on Monday, April 4, from 4:00 to 6:00 pm in the Moot Court. Adam McKeown was the featured speaker.
On Tuesday, April 5, a follow-up meeting for further discussion on integrating East Asia into the undergraduate curriculum was held for I.U. faculty members from 9:00 to 11:00 am in the Distinguished Alumni Room at the Indiana Memorial Union. The workshop concluded Tuesday, April 5 at 11:00 am with a reception in the Faculty Room of the University Club. During the reception, attendees drank a special toast to Lynn Struve, honoring the fact that she achieved the unusual feat of having two books she edited appear in print simultaneously.
This workshop was generously funded by the Undergraduate Initiative grant from the Freeman Foundation.
Human Rights in Asia Symposium Held at I.U.B.
The Committee on Asian Security presented a symposium on human rights in Asia on April 22, 2005 on the Bloomington campus. Students, faculty, and other interested individuals heard keynote remarks from Tom Malinowski, Washington Advocacy Director for Human Rights Watch. Malinowski highlighted some countries of concern in Asia, including North Korea, Burma, and Nepal. Asia’s influence, he said, is growing in all areas. We hear less of an argument now about "Asian values" being different from those in the West. The rise of grassroots organizations in many Asian countries is creating internal pressure on governments. Malinowski also noted the importance of China. While there has been progress in the protection of human rights in recent years, the country’s future direction will depend on how the Chinese people define their national greatness. Malinowski urged the United States and others to continue to engage both the Chinese government and its people.
Two panels of experts then examined the status of human rights in several countries in Asia. The first panel looked at civil and political rights in China, including Tibet, Korea, and Southeast Asia. A second panel explored the ways that gender affects the enjoyment of human rights in China, Japan, South Korea, Indonesia, and India.
The Office of the Vice President for Research, the Office of International Programs, the Center for the Study of Global Change, and the College of Arts and Sciences provided generous support for this event. Audio files and panelists’ abstracts from the symposium are available on the EASC website.
On Wednesday, April 27th, the father-son shamisen duo, Nitta Oyako performed at the first Christian Church in Bloomington as part of the Lotus Blossoms outreach program. From Japan, this duo of Hiroshi and Masahiro plays in a style called Tsugaru shamisen, in which a larger sound compliments the delicate sensibility of classic shamisen. It is “Wabi and Sabi”--the expression of quiet passion. Their Lotus concert is part of their first American tour. On Friday, April 29th, they offered a free lecture demonstration which was open to the public.
EASC to Help Sponsor Business Symposium
EASC is co-sponsoring with the Kelley School of Business and CIBER, the Executive Symposium on Business in Emerging Markets: BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India and China) on June 24 at IUPUI. Keynote speakers include: Richard A. Smith, President, Eli Lilly Asia Limited, Hong Kong and Changqi Wu, Associate Dean, Guanghua Management School, Peking University. Please look for more about this event in the October issue of the newsletter.
Naoko Kojima Gives Special Lecture
On March 9th, 2005, Rikkyo University Professor Naoko Kojima gave an informal talk called “Sexuality, Reproduction and the Imperial Dynasty in Japan.” Professor Kojima completed her Ph.D. at Tokyo University, and her research specializes in Japanese courtly literature and Japanese cultural history. She is one of the best known and most prolific gender critics in the field of Japanese literature. Her publications include Critiquing the Tale of Genji, Imagining Princess Kaguya, Sexuality and Gender at the Japanese Court, and Sexuality and Reproduction “Genji Tales:” A Treatise on Heian Court Literature. The lecture, which was given in Japanese with English summaries, was well-attended and followed by a lively discussion. Members of Professor Edith Sarra’s Classical Japanese Literature course and Professor Sumie Jones’ comparative literature course Sexuality and Arts were very much inspired by Professor Kojima’s ability to draw connections between Japan’s ancient past and today.
Motion Pictures and Motion in Pictures: The 2005 High School Honors Seminar
This year’s High School Honors Seminar, held on April 22, was a great success! The topic was Motion Pictures and Motion in Pictures with over 40 teachers and students from Indianapolis, Terre Haute, and Franklin, Indiana in attendance. In the first session, students learned about issues concerning contemporary Japanese film from Dr. Greg Waller. Graduate student Lori Hitchcock then took over and imparted her wisdom about martial arts in Cantonese and Mandarin cinema.
In the afternoon, students were split into two groups. The first group learned traditional tai chi techniques from Brenna Dwyer and Brent Hatfield, both members of I.U.’s Tai Chi Club. The second group learned about Korean national identity from Yoonhee Chang, a graduate student in Ethnomusicology and Jinsob Choi, a graduate student in Education. The students had a wonderful time learning “Chindo Arirang,” a traditional Korean folksong. The students then switched groups so that each had an opportunity to learn about both Chinese martial arts and Korean national identity. Overall, the semina r seems to have been a big hit!
The National Clearinghouse for U.S.-Japan Studies Offers New Publication
The National Clearinghouse for U.S.-Japan Studies has a new publication--a Japan Bibliography entitled "Resources on Japanese Art." It presents annoations of lesson plans and teacher’s guides, books and other bibliographies, Interent sites, and museum online collections concerning Japanese art.
The Clearinghouse is also introducing its popular Teaching about Japan Information Packet on CD. The CD contains all the information in the print version, except the catalog of the Stanford Program on International and Cross-Cultural Education and the newsletter of the Asian Educational Media Service.
EASC Staff Tours Kinsey Institute
On March 25, staff members of EASC toured the renowned Kinsey Institute for Research in Sex, Gender, and Reproduction. Besides learning about Alfred Kinsey, founder of the Institute, the staff members were walked through the history of the Institute, past studies, and current research projects. A visit to the Institute’s Reading Room and art gallery were also part of the tour.
The Kinsey Institute houses several archival collections one of the most extensive being the James W. Edwards Asian Collection. While mostly comprised of Edwards’ personal collection of over 3,000 books, papers, and research files, the collection also contains various artifacts and artworks such as 19th-Century Japanese pillow books and Chinese scrolls. Liana Zhou, head of the Kinsey library and affiliate of the East Asian Studies Center, compared Edwards’ collection to that of Alfred Kinsey’s, stating that "[b]oth sought to be as inclusive and wide-ranging as possible and saw the ultimate purpose of their collection as that of redefining Western views of sexuality. For Edwards, however, this goal did not end in the West; it extended to Asian cultures as well."
The most prominent feature of the Asian Collection is the material documenting the social and cultural change in China from the 1970s to the 1990s. Edwards’ paper and research focused on East Asian sexuality in regards to homosexuality, prostitution, and AIDS/STDs in China. Articles from scholarly Chinese medical journals, Far Eastern Economic Review, and major newspapers like China Daily are included among his research files.
EASC is proud to count the Kinsey Institute’s James W. Edwards Asian Collection as part of the growing list of East Asian resources available at Indiana University. For a listing of the Asian holdings at the Institute or to view the special collection, please contact the Kinsey Institute at Morrison Hall 420, Bloomington, Indiana, 47405, by phone at 812-855-3078 or 812-855-7686, or by email at libknsy@indiana.edu. The Institute is open Monday through Friday from 9:00 am to 12:00 Noon and from 1:00 to 5:00 pm.
(Information on the Asian Collection obtained from the Kinsey Institute website, www.indiana.edu/~kinsey.)
From Confucius to Chopsticks: EASC to Offer Lifelong Learning Chinese Culture Course
EASC will sponsor the second East Asia related Lifelong Learning Course in the fall. The class will meet once a week and run from September 26 until October 31. The class, which will be taught by I.U.B. East Asian librarian Wen-ling Liu, aims to familiarize students with China particularly as a ll the world will be focused on Beijing for the Olympics in 2008. The course will explore the great diversity of China through its geography, languages, holidays, food, and much more. Students will view images, listen to stories, try new Chinese food, and master a Chinese greeting. This class is great for teachers who teach Chinese New Year or have Chinese students.
Spring Colloquium Series Comes to a Close
With the end of the school year comes the end of another successful colloquium series. With the large number of new hires during the last two years, many of the colloquium lectures from this past year were given by new faculty and were an excellent opportunity to introduce the I.U. community to the work of our new colleagues. As we look forward to the next academic year, we are excited about the opportunity to introduce even more new faculty.
Last updated: 05/06/2004
URL: http://www.indiana.edu/~easc/newsletter/
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Copyright 2005, The Trustees of Indiana University