2012 US-China International Youth Festival
“Think Global, Act Local”
July 1-29, Xian & Beijing, China
3-Day Youth Summit
…to tackle global issues with elite peers and high-profile experts
3-Week Service Learning
…to gain hands-on experience in influencing Chinese young minds
2-Day Xian Tour and 1-Day Beijing Tour
…to immerse in an ancient and modern Chinese culture and scenery
To win a full-package grant up to $2,000 or to get an early-bird registration rate (before April 30), apply now at http://eactus.com. Grants will be allocated on a first-come-first-served basis.
Need more information?
More background information about the IYF
The first US-China International Youth Festival (IYF) was held between July 12, 2011 and August 6, 2011 in China. IYF was initiated and hosted by Education Association for China Tomorrow (EACT), one US 501 (C) (3) non-profit organization. Through the Global Development Youth Summit, volunteer teaching, and cultural immersion programs, IYF provided an excellent platform for youths from all over the world to exchange ideas and perspectives on mutual understanding, self-improvement, youth entrepreneurship and career development, climate and environmental sustainability issues, and the realization of the Eight Millennium Development Goals of the United Nations.
The first IYF was officially included in “UN’s International Year of Youth” (From August 12, 2010 to August 11, 2011) which gained plenty supports from related governmental agencies as well as a good number of organizations and individuals from US, China and many other countries. Participating parties include the US Embassy in Beijing, the World Bank, the World Health Organization, UN-Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, Dream Corps International, Civic Concepts International, and several renowned universities and institutions. Other supporting organizations include the US State Department’s “100,000 Strong Initiative,” American Congressmen, the governments of Washington D.C., Maryland and Virginia, the Chinese Embassy in the United States, the Department of Education, International Monetary Fund, top-ranked universities like Harvard, Yale and Cornell, and many overseas Chinese groups.
Appointment of Dr. Abhisheka as Lecturer in Hindi
We are delighted to announce the appointment of Dr. Abhisheka as inaugural full-time Lecturer in Hindi in the Department of Modern Languages and Comparative Literature.
Abhisheka, since 2009 a full-time lecturer in Hindi at the University of Michigan, earned his PhD in Hindi Literature from Jawaharlal Nehru University in New Delhi, where he also earned his MA and M.Phil in the same subject. His literary research concerns Bhakti and Bhaktmal literature. (He also holds a BA in Physics!) He has taught many levels of Hindi at Michigan, and before that taught Hindi as a second language as a Visiting Assistant Professor at the University of Delhi, to American diplomats at the US Embassy there, and at the University of Florida in Gainesville. He has served as a reader for Critical Language Scholarships in Indic Studies and has participated in a number of ACTFL workshops, technology-training workshops for language teachers, and other forms of professional development. Besides Hindi and English, he is fully at home in Bhojpuri, Avadhi, Brajbhasha, and Magahi and has strong Urdu skills and some Persian as well.
Please join us in welcoming Dr. Abhisheka to Boston this fall. It is a great satisfaction to have Hindi at last represented by a full-time faculty position.
Welcome to Yoon Sun Yang, Assistant Professor of Korean and Comparative Literature
We are delighted to announce that Dr. Yoon Sun Yang has accepted our offer of the position of Assistant Professor of Korean and Comparative Literature and will be joining us this fall. She will be teaching Introduction to Korean Literature and Gender in East Asian Film.
Yoon Sun Yang earned her PhD in East Asian Languages and Civilizations in 2009 at the University of Chicago and since then has held the position of Assistant Professor of Korean Studies at Arizona State University. She holds two MA’s in Comparative Literature, one from SUNY Stony Brook and one from Yonsei University, one of the most distinguished universities in Korea. Dr. Yang is at work on a book manuscript tentatively titled The Rise of Modern Korean Fiction: From Domestic Women to Sentimental Men, 1906-1917. The book aims to give a gender-conscious account of the rise of modern Korean fiction, one that also calls into question dominant accounts of the “rise of individualism” in Korean literature. Yang argues that a genre of popular fiction centered on the portrayal of domestic women, the “sin sosol,” which is generally excluded from the category of modern fiction altogether, is actually an essential link in the transition from traditional to modern literature; women characters in the sin sosol “personify the historical processes that paved the way for the appearance of an individual in modern Korean fiction.” This is exciting work that promises to reshape accounts of this critical turning point in Korean literature, and it participates in the sophisticated conversation regarding colonialism and post-colonialism going on throughout literary studies. Dr. Yang brings strong Japanese skills and a good knowledge of Japanese literature to her work. Her teaching experience is broad, featuring thematic courses and survey courses taught in English translation as well as Literary and Cultural Theory, third-year Korean language, and Korean film; she also has a significant interest in translation studies and in the practice of translation.
We are extremely happy at this good news and look forward to welcoming Dr. Yang to Boston this fall. Thanks to the very hardworking search committee and to all who helped in various ways to bring us to this success.
BU’s Lauren Makishima takes 1st place at Japanese Speech Contest
We are delighted to announce that BU’s Lauren Makishima took 1st place yesterday at the Japanese Speech Contest run by the Consulate General of Japan in Boston. Selected from 24 applicants, twelve students representing Harvard, MIT and other schools in the area competed in the advanced division yesterday at the Brookline library.
Lauren’s talk focused on the Japanese homogeneous cultural identity and what it means to be Japanese from the outside. Her perspective came from growing up as a Japanese-American whose parents do not speak Japanese. Her love for and deep insight into the Japanese came through and seemed to have moved the audience. She worked very hard on perfecting the draft, her pronunciation and phrasing, and her presentation skills. Kodansha America’s vice president said that her speech was not only presented well, but had challenging and solid content. One Harvard professor commented that she couldn’t believe that Lauren had never lived in Japan.
STARTALK Chinese Language and Culture Teacher Program
Bryant University is accepting applications for STARTALK Chinese Language and Culture Teacher Program for summer 2012. This three-week summer program provides vigorous professional development on Chinese language and culture for current and prospective K-12 teachers. [Download flyer]
Dates and Time:
July 9-28, 9:00a.m.-3:30p.m. (Monday to Friday and July 28; no activities on July 14, 15, 21 and 22)
Location:
Bryant University, Smithfield, Rhode Island
The program offers two tracks:
Language Track for current and prospective Chinese language teachers from public, private and heritage schools. During the first week, participants will receive intensive training on language teaching methodology, strategies, standards, contents, and technology. During the second and third week, participants will be asked to observe master teachers and teach several practice classes with middle and high school students in the morning and participate in cultural workshops and activities in the afternoon.
Culture Track for teachers of social studies, history, arts, literature, science and other subject areas who are interested in incorporating Chinese culture and language contents into their curriculum. This track will focus on providing participants with knowledge and classroom activities about Chinese culture and history. At the same time, participants will spend half of the time learning basic language skills that will enable them to conduct daily conversations in Chinese and better understand Chinese culture through the language.
Program features
· 3 graduate credits (optional) with discount tuition
· Certificate of 100 professional development credit hours
· Lectures and seminars by renowned scholars
· Workshops by experienced teachers to share lesson plans and activities
· Various cultural activities, including calligraphy, painting, traditional music, folk dance, martial arts, and Taiji
· Field trips to the Peabody Essex Museum (Ying Yu Tang and China exhibits), Boston Chinatown, and Newport Mansions in Rhode Island
· Practice classes with middle and high school students
· Eligibility to participate in a two-week optional subsidized study trip to China at additional cost
· Campus dorms available for free for participants who live 30 miles away from Bryant campus (first come first served)
· Breakfast and lunch provided
Application
Previous experience of related teaching is not required. The program fee is $150 (non-refundable). A deposit of $200 is required (refundable only after full attendance of the program). Seats are limited and filled quickly. Please apply early. The application deadline is May 15. Online and paper applications are available here.
For questions, please contact:
Mr. Kongli Liu
Assistant Director for Academic Programs
U.S.-China Institute, Bryant University
Tel: 401-232-6566
Email: kliu1@bryant.edu
From previous participants:
“It’s a very intense, rewarding, educational program well worth the time and commitment.”
“I intend to highly recommend this program to my colleagues. I also hope to return next year with many of my colleagues.”
“History, arts, language, and cultural information made this a very well balanced program.”
“Hands on, excellent opportunity to refine your teaching skills, networking.”
“I think the overall quality of the program was outstanding. The speakers, activities, and the contents were exceptional.”
Democratic Careening: Accountability Dynamics Across Asia
Dan Slater, Associate Professor of Political Science at the University of Chicago and the author of Ordering Power: Contentious Politics and Authoritarian Leviathans in Southeast Asia (Cambridge University Press,2012), will discuss his new project, tentatively titled Advancing Accountability: Democratic Dynamics in the Post-Colonial World. Slater proposes the term “careening” as a way of capturing the unsettledness that character-izes so many democracies that are clearly struggling but are not collapsing.
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Global Music Lunchtime Concert Series: The Virtuoso Players of Chinese Folk Music
The Virtuoso Players of Chinese Folk Music feature master performers from the Department of Fine Arts of China Ocean University in Qingdao, China. Highly acclaimed,this group performs not only traditional Chinese music, but also modern and contemporary Chinese folk music. Professor Kang Jiandong, artistic director of the group and supervisor of the doctoral program, leads the extremely talented and versatile group of six young Chinese teacher performers, who are touring throughout the U.S. this April. The group continues to develop and explore innovative programming to retain the traditional Chinese string and wind music and to absorb the essence of Western classical music.
Apply for the East Asia Institute Fellows Program 2012-2013
The East Asia Institute (EAI) based in Seoul, South Korea, invites applications for its Fellows Program on Peace, Governance, and Development in East Asia. Funded by the Japan Foundation, the Chiang Ching-kuo Foundation for International Scholarly Exchange of Taiwan, and YBM/KIS, an education institute of Korea, the Fellows Program targets East Asia specialists with cutting-edge expertise in political science, international relations, and sociology for an international exchange program with the goal of encouraging interdisciplinary research with a comparative perspective in the study of East Asia. The EAI Fellows present seminars and lectures, based on an unpublished article on current issues submitted solely for the purpose of the Fellows Program, at two or more Partner Institutions in East Asia.
Program: The Program is designed to give the Fellows the flexibility required to bring out the best of their expertise in seminars and lectures. Fellows choose the subjects of their articles, seminars, and lectures within the broadly defined themes of peace, governance, and development in East Asia in order to make the visitation an integral part of their on-going research. Fellows are free to decide how they will divide their time among two or more Partner Institutions, giving a seminar and a lecture apiece at each of the sites chosen. The Partner Institutions are the East Asia Institute in Seoul, Fudan University in Shanghai, Keio University in Tokyo, Peking University in Beijing, and National Taiwan University in Taipei.
Eligibility: The EAI Fellows Program is intended for tenured, tenure-track, and untenured East Asia specialized professors based in the United States, Canada, Europe, Australia, and other non-Asian regions, conducting research in the fields of political science, international relations, and sociology.
Selection Process: The EAI will select up to five Fellows in 2012. The representatives of the Partner Institutions plus an Advisor based in the United States select EAI Fellows through an annual competition.
Support: The program provides funds ranging from USD 8,000 to 10,000 for each of the Fellows. The grant covers an honorarium for the article, seminar, and lecture as well as the cost of ground transportation, round-trip economy-class international air flight, hotel accommodation, meals, and a per diem for a total of three-week stay in East Asia (see comments on Application Forms).
Application: For further details and instructions on how to apply, please download a booklet titled “Fellows Program on Peace, Governance, and Development in East Asia” available online at Fellows Program or e-mail fellowships@eai.or.kr for assistance. All application materials must be type-written and in English.
Deadline: Applications for fellowships must be received no later than July 16, 2012. The results of the competition will be announced by the end of August, 2012, by both e-mail and letter.
For further inquiry, please contact Young-Hwan Shin (Mr.), Executive Director, at fellowships@eai.or.kr.
George Washington in China: The Image of a New Political Leader
Rudolf Wagner will discuss the Chinese appropriation of George Washington to frame the image of a public leader in a post-Imperial China. Early Chinese biographies of George Washington were indirectly discussing the features a new kind of Chinese public leader might have to embody if he was to lead China out of its demise. Here was the promise of a colony of almighty England that had won its independence under Washington’s leadership, and had set up institutions that now made it into a quickly rising power that was respected by all. Candidates for the role of China’s Washington were well aware of such expectations, and tried to adjust their performance on the political stage down to dress, mien, and gait. 
