Penn Center For East Asian Studies Newsletter

1. University of Pennsylvania East Asia Events
   
2. Regional East Asia Events
   
3. Employment and Internship Opportunities
   
4. Fellowship and Award Opportunities
   
5. East Asia Study Opportunities and Queries
   
6. Conferences and Workshops

Featured Event

A Harmonious Information Society? Social Stratification, ICT & Media in China

A one-day symposium to be held on January 25, 2008 generously supported and hosted by the Center for Global Communication Studies at the Annenberg School for Communication, University of Pennsylvania. 
Economic development and ‘informatization' in China have gone hand in hand. While the growth of the economy over the years has been and still is at an incredible rate, the adoption rate of information technology, such as that of mobile phones and the internet, has been just as, if not even more impressive. However, with recent discussions about the construction of a ‘harmonious society' appearing on the political agenda, the focus has started to shift from economic growth to the problem of achieving more overall societal balance. This shift in official discourse acknowledges the need to address social problems, including the tensions between state and market forces, a growing gap between the rich and the poor and widening disparities between the urban and rural population. While there has been research on social stratification in China, little attention so far has been paid to the role information technologies and the media play in this process.
First, what are the social consequences of an increasing informatization of the Chinese society? Who are the main users of new technologies and what are they using them for? And what happens to those who are left out, who do not have the access, or the education to develop the skills and literacy necessary to work with digital media? A deeper underlying question perhaps is, where did these technologies come from and why were they so generously supported? What roles do economic and political considerations play in shaping the diffusion of technology that can be adopted for either repressive or emancipatory purposes?
Second, what is the role of the media in addressing social inequality? In the light of an increasing stratified society, how do the media, both the traditional and the new media, represent competing voices and interests and how do they communicate these disagreements to the public? How do members of the public make sense or fail to make sense of these media representations?

On Friday January 25, 2008, we will bring together an impressive group of scholars for a one-day symposium to address these contentious questions. Our panels include renowned scholars coming from a wide range of disciplines, such as, communication, political science, anthropology, sociology, cultural studies and China studies. Participation among all those attending will be enthusiastically encouraged.
For more information about the symposium, please contact Lokman Tsui <ltsui@asc.upenn.edu>

*The Global Interdependence Center Presents:

The Development of China's Higher Value Added Industries: China's Suzhou Industrial Park

"The Opportunity for Higher Value Added Industries in China"
In partnership with Drexel University's LeBow College of Business and Sino-Consulting Inc.

Learn more about China's evolving industrial structure and the shift from manufacturing to service and high tech sectors.  Representatives from Suzhou Industrial Park will disucss their success moving up the value chain and the benefits of working with successful industrial parks in China.

January 9th, 2008
6:00pm-8:00pm
Matheson Hall Auditorium
32nd and Market Streets
Philadelphia, PA

__________

Princeton University Buddhist Studies Workshop 2007-2008

Imaginary Geographies: Buddhism and the Japanese World Map

Monday, February 4, 2008, 4:30 pm, 1879 Hall, Room 137

Max Moerman ( Barnard College)

Art History, Buddhist Studies, Tibet: New Perspectives from the Tibet Site Seminar

March 7-9, 2008, Friday-Sunday, McCormick 101

Friday, 4:30 pm: Keynote address by Deborah Klimburg-Salter (University of Vienna).

Saturday and Sunday: Papers by graduate-student participants in the 2007 Tibet Site Seminar, with responses from Janet Gyatso (Harvard Divinity School), Marylin Rhie (Smith College), and Gene E. Smith (Tibetan Buddhist Resource Center).

Co-sponsored by the Tang Center for East Asian Art and the Center for the Study of Religion.

The conference is free but registration is required: http://www.princeton.edu/TibetSem/program-conference.htm .

Bringing Together Intuition and Law:

Linguistic Relevance and Moral Creativity in Theravada Buddhist Ethics

Tuesday, March 25, 2008, 4:30 pm, 1879 Hall, Room 137

Charles Hallisey ( Harvard University)

War Magic in Tibetan Buddhism

Thursday, April 17, 2008, 4:30 pm, 1879 Hall, Room 137

Bryan Cuevas, ( Florida State University and the Institute for Advanced Study)

Questions? Please send e-mail to bbermel@princeton.edu.

The Buddhist Studies Workshop is generously supported by the Provost, the Center for the Study of Religion, and the Department of Religion.

Additional co-sponsors include:
The Program in East Asian Studies
The P.Y. and Kinmay W. Tang Center for East Asian Art
The Princeton University Library
The Council on the Humanities

The Clark Center for Japanese Art and Culture in Hanford , CA is seeking a qualified applicant for the position of Curator.

The Curator will oversee the general operations of the Center and serve as the primary liaison to the Board of Directors and Art Advisory Committee. Primary responsibilities will include:

• Organizing and mounting exhibitions, including targeting funding to support exhibitions

• Maintaining and expanding gallery and collections records, including seeking funding for collections maintenance projects

• Researching and publishing on the collection and representing the institution within the academic and museum community

• Supervising curatorial interns

• Supervising cultural and educational programming, including seeking funding for such programming

• Overseeing research library staff and volunteers

• Accompanying the Center's founder on at least one trip a year to Japan for purposes of promoting the Center and acquiring art

The Clark Center is a small, active museum focused on the arts and culture of Japan in a rural California setting. Established in 1995 around the collection of Willard and Elizabeth Clark, featuring Edo period paintings and Kamakura period Buddhist sculpture, the collection has expanded through major gifts and on-going acquisitions to include contemporary ceramics, modern shin-hanga prints, and a significant combination of paintings and research materials related to the literati tradition of the Edo and Meiji periods. For more information, please see our website at http://www.ccjac.org.

Applicants with a graduate degree with specialization in the area of Japanese art or a related degree and equivalent prior curatorial experience are preferred. The successful applicant will have near-native level fluency in Japanese and English with strong English writing skills. Familiarity with Microsoft Access or comparable database management systems, Japanese-language word processing and email required. Working within a highly multi-task environment, strong organizational skills and prior experience as a supervisor an asset.

Salary dependent on experience. This position receives full benefits and moving costs. For a highly qualified and interested candidate, the position of curator may be combined with directorship of the museum, at an appropriately enhanced level of salary and benefits.

Applications, accepted until the position is filled, should include a cover letter, a current curriculum vitae, and three letters of reference (including at least one professional) to be sent preferably via email to Barbara McCasland, Administrative Supervisor, at mccasland@ccjac.org. Hard-copy materials may be sent directly to: The Clark Center for Japanese Art and Culture, 15770 Tenth Avenue , Hanford , CA 93230 ; Attn: Curator Search.

University of Pennsylvania
Center for East Asian Studies
Foreign Language and Area Studies Fellowships
Academic Year 2008-09

Applications are due February 1, 2008, to the Applicant's Department

The Center for East Asian Studies will award seven FLAS Fellowships for AY 2008-09 to graduate students planning to pursue modern East Asian language study at the intermediate or higher level. The FLAS Fellowship pays tuition and general fees and provides an annual stipend of $15,000.

Applicants must be U.S. citizens or permanent residents, be admitted to or enrolled in a graduate program at Penn, and have research or career plans that require the use of an East Asian language. The languages most commonly studied are Chinese, Japanese, and Korean, but other languages of the region may be approved. Awards are made by the Executive Committee of the Center for East Asian Studies.

Successful applicants must then enroll both semesters of the Fellowship year in an intermediate or higher modern East Asian language and in full-time study in either East Asian Studies or professional studies related to East Asia .

Application should be made directly to the Graduate Chair of the Department in which the applicant is enrolled. (Incoming graduate students should indicate to the departments to which they have applied that they would like to be considered for the FLAS.) The application form, which lists the materials required for submission, is attached to the electronic version of this message, and it appears on the reverse side of the printed version. The form can be obtained at the Center for East Asian Studies, by writing to ceas@ccat.sas.upenn.edu , or on our webpage at www.ceas.sas.upenn.edu .

The competition will be conducted strictly in accordance with University policies and the selection guidelines of the U.S. Department of Education. The Center for East Asian Studies seeks to support students in as wide a variety of disciplines and professions, and from as wide a variety of backgrounds, as possible.

*The Chinese Language Education and Research Center(CLERC) of Milbrae, California
8-week chinese language program at Peking University
June 23rd-August 15th 2008
Elementary, Intermediate and Advanced Levels
Extra-curricular courses include Tai Chi, Chinese Calligraphy, and Chinese Brush Painting classes
Group entertainment and pre-determined excursions include trips to the Great Wall, Forbidden city, Temple of Heaven, Summer palace and others.

Additional info: www.nanhai.com
clerc@nanhai.com

__________

The Columbia East Asia Review is seeking submissions of original research in East Asia from students of undergraduate institutions worldwide. Research
articles in any academic discipline are eligible for submission. Accepted
articles will be published in the Spring 2008 Review. The author of the
article deemed best by the Editorial Board will be awarded a $200 prize upon publication.

*The submission deadline is Saturday, January 27, 2008.*

The Columbia East Asia Review (CEAR) is an annual, online, peer-review
academic journal dedicated to furthering knowledge of East Asia through the
promotion of research and interdisciplinary dialogue. CEAR has three primary

goals: First, to publish superior undergraduate research of East Asia;
Second, to educate undergraduate contributors and CEAR members about the
academic publication process; and third, to foster interest and idea
exchange in the field of East Asian Studies. CEAR is sponsored by the
Weatherhead East Asian Institute and the Columbia University Department of
East Asian Languages and Culture.
More information regarding submissions can be found online at
www.eastasiareview.org

__________

World Affairs Council- An Opportunity to learn about China, Japan, Korea, and more!


China and international trade issues, Cool, Creative Japan in the 21 st century, “rapprochement”  with North Korea – these are all issues that will impact our students today – and into the future.  The underpinnings for these topics can be found in the East Asia Seminar Series for Teachers, a professional development program offered by the World Affairs Council of Philadelphia in cooperation with the National Consortium for Teaching About Asia. 

Participants have access to the latest scholarship on these and many other issues, receive a wealth of materials for themselves and for their schools, have special programs designed exclusively for them at the Philadelphia Museum of Art and the University of Pennsylvania Museum and have opportunities to be part of study tours to locations in East Asia.  Personal and professional stipends of up to $500 are included in this highly regarded program.  This year, as part of the materials we are offering through the East Asia Seminar, each participant will receive a copy of Spirited Away from one of the most acclaimed filmmakers in the history of animated cinema.

For more information visit: www.wacphila.org

*Age of Comparison?
NYU Graduate Student Conference
Hosted by the departments of Comparative Literature,
East Asian Studies, and Middle Eastern and Islamic
Studies
March 27-29, 2008

Call for Papers

The common ground of literary and area studies lies in
our joint focus on questions of comparison. At the
root of our academic activity is the characterization
of similarity and difference, be it cultural,
political, linguistic or aesthetic. Issues of
comparability are visible in shared anxieties
regarding the origins and directions of our
disciplines. In our overlapping pursuit of
self-definition we depend on each other for
collaboration and provocation.

In analyzing texts and cultures, our approaches can be
seen as complementary or discordant. What is lost when
Area Studies leaves literary and theoretical work to
Comparative Literature? Conversely, is the political
urgency and historical rigor of Area Studies lost in
Comparative Literature? With our conference we aim to
foster productive dialogue among disciplines by
together exploring problems of comparison and
comparability, both philosophical and methodological.
In theory and practice, we are all led to compare, to
define ourselves in terms of the Other (or to strive
against such definition). What motivates and
conditions this desire? How does it play out in our
work?

To these ends, papers should address the following or
related questions and themes:

* How has comparison figured in texts at different
times and in different places?
* Does comparative thinking threaten an understanding
of the particular?
* How has translation helped us to think comparison?
* Comparison and universal genre: do cross-cultural
deep literary structures exist?
* Comparison as a political activity
* Comparison and nationality: between communication
and conflict
* Gender as a comparative issue
* Is there a way to think comparatively without a
conception of the “normal”?
* Area Studies: Do we compare?
* What does it mean when literary scholars borrow
tools from the natural and social sciences?
* What role does comparison play in postcolonial
literature? In “minor” literature?
* How do critical judgments play into comparative
thinking?
* How do models of cosmopolitanism and creolization
affect the practice and theory of comparison?

Papers should be 20 minutes long. Please send
abstracts (300 words) with full name, paper title, and
institution to NYU.comparison@gmail.com by January
10th, 2008.

http://www.ageofcomparison.net

Center for East Asian Studies
University of Pennsylvania
642 Williams Hall
255 S. 36th Street
Philadelphia, PA 19104-6305
Tel: 215-573-4203; Fax: 215-573-2561
E-mail: ceas@ccat.sas.upenn.edu