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

Wednesday, January 28, 7:00PM, Carriage House , Causes and Consequences of Homelessness around the World
Join the University of Pennsylvania 's African Studies Center , Middle East Center , South East Asia Center , the Center for East Asia Studies, the United Nations Association of Greater Philadelphia and the Women's Campaign International for an engaging panel on homelessness throughout our world. Contact: Anastasia Shown 215-898-6449 shown@sas.upenn.edu www.africa.upenn.edu

Wednesday, January 28, 7:00PM, Carriage House , Causes and Consequences of Homelessness around the World
Join the University of Pennsylvania 's African Studies Center , Middle East Center , South East Asia Center , the Center for East Asia Studies, the United Nations Association of Greater Philadelphia and the Women's Campaign International for an engaging panel on homelessness throughout our world. Contact: Anastasia Shown 215-898-6449 shown@sas.upenn.edu www.africa.upenn.edu

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Thursday, January 29, 4:30PM, Location TBA, The Cultural Politics of Artistic Expression: China and Europe

Martin Powers, University of Michigan

Humanities Colloquium

PLEASE NOTE: This event was previously advertised for Feb 5, but has since been changed due to scheduling conflicts.

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Wednesday, February 4, 4:30PM, Location TBA , The Sex Education of a Sinologist

Susan Mann, Professor of History, University of California , Davis

This illustrated lecture presents findings from the author's forthcoming book on gender and sexuality in Chinese history, ranging from philosophical discussions of human nature in early Chinese texts to the conventions shaping textbooks in contemporary universities.

CEAS Distinguished Lecturer

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Thursday, February 5, 7:00PM, Cohen Hall 402 , Pop Icons of Japan Film Series

Screening of Godzilla

Sponsored by the Friends of the Japanese House and Garden and the Center for East Asian Studies

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Thursday, February 12, 7:00PM, Cohen Hall 402 , Pop Icons of Japan Film Series

Screening of Happiness of the Katakuris

Sponsored by the Friends of the Japanese House and Garden and the Center for East Asian Studies

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Wednesday, February 18, 4:30PM, Huntsman Hall 245 , Elite Politics and Monetary Swings in China : Then and Now

Victor Shih, Assistant Professor of Political Science, Northwestern University

Co-Sponsored by the Center for East Asian Studies, The Joseph H. Lauder Institute of Management & International Studies, and the Penn-Lauder CIBER

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Thursday, February 19, 5:00PM, Stiteler B26 , Kano Sansetsu and The Song of Everlasting Sorrow

Matthew McKelway, Atsumi Associate Professor of Japanese Art, Columbia University

The Chôgonka emaki (Scrolls of the Song of Everlasting Sorrow), a set of two handscrolls by Kano Sansetsu (1590-1651) in the Chester Beatty Library in Dublin, survives as the most complete visual depiction of the Tang Dynasty poet Bai Juyi's ballad about the tragic romance of Emperor Minghuang and Yang Guifei. A work produced late in Sansetsu's career, the Chôgonka scrolls build upon a long tradition in Japanese art of depictions of Bai Juyi's poem, and yet depart from that tradition in important ways. The lecture will provide an overview of Japanese paintings of the "Song of Everlasting Sorrow" and will seek to elucidate the circumstances in which Sansetsu produced his work and the motivations behind his unusual depiction.

Humanities Colloquium

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Thursday, February 19, 7:00PM, Cohen Hall 402 , Pop Icons of Japan Film Series

Screening of Ultra Man 2006

Sponsored by the Friends of the Japanese House and Garden and the Center for East Asian Studies

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Thursday, February 26, 7:00PM, Cohen Hall 402 , Pop Icons of Japan Film Series

Screening of Kamikaze Girls

Sponsored by the Friends of the Japanese House and Garden and the Center for East Asian Studies

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Wednesday, March 18, 7:00PM , Houston Hall – Hall of Flags

Please join us for a performance by Isaburo Hanayagi, followed by a detailed explanation of kabuki makeup and costume as he transforms our male volunteer into a beautiful kabuki character.

Isaburoh Hanayagi is currently a Professor of Performing Arts at Tamagawa University in Tokyo , Japan .

Trained as a kabuki performer in the Hanayagi School , Isaburoh made his stage debut at age three under the tutelage of his father, Yoshigosaburoh Hanayagi. The Hanayagi School is the largest school of kabuki dance in Japan , with over 200,000 members. Isaburoh is known as a unique dancer and choreographer among them, and in addition to teaching kabuki dance classes, he also instructs in subjects such as Creative Japanese Folkloric Dances and Comparative Study of Western and Eastern Dances. Isaburoh's personal repertoire of kabuki dance includes more than 150 pieces.

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Saturday, March 21, 2009 9:00am - 3:00pm

Konnichiwa Japan !

Penn Museum , Classroom 2

Spend a day exploring Japanese culture, history and society. Discussions with University of Pennsylvania scholars, demonstrations of traditional arts, and a private tour of the museum's Japanese collection will give new insight and exposure to pre-modern and contemporary Japan . A Japanese lunch is included to help participants fully internalize the experience. Designed as a workshop for teachers but open to all inquiring minds, “Konnichiwa Japan !” will be a memorable visit to the Far East, right here in Philadelphia . Fee- $30 lunch included

Cosponsored by the Japan America Society of Greater Philadelphia , Center for East Asian Studies at the University of Pennsylvania and Camden County College

Receive professional development credits for Pennsylvania and New Jersey .

For more information please contact - Prema Deshmukh 215-898-4065 or deshmukh@sas.upenn.edu

Penn Museum , 3260 South Street , Philadelphia , PA 19104

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Wednesday, March 25, 12:00PM, Location TBA , The Varieties of Health Care in Eleventh-century China

Nathan Sivin, Professor Emeritus of Chinese Culture and of the History of Science

Previous work on Chinese medical history has studied only the classical tradition. The great majority of Chinese before modern time “rural, illiterate, and poor” had no access to its elite practitioners. Most depended on local healers, or on masters of the popular religion, or of Buddhist or Daoist movements, whose therapies were mainly ritual.

Sivin's current research will describe spectrum from self-therapy and family therapy through popular healing to classical medicine, and study their interactions.

Humanities Colloquium

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Tuesday, March 31, 6:00PM, Penn Museum , Rainey Auditorium

Kabuki, the classical Japanese dance-drama, is the topic of this presentation, offered by world-renowned Kabuki performer, and Professor of Performing Arts at Tamagawa University in Tokyo , Japan , Isaburoh Hanayagi.   Professor Ayako Kano, Associate Professor, Department of East Asian languages and Civilizations, will interview and interpret Professor Hanayagi's work and discuss the history of Kabuki and its place in current Japanese society and the world. Following the discussion, Isaburoh Hanayagi transforms a Japan America Society of Greater Philadelphia volunteer with the elaborate makeup of a Kabuki dancer—a fascinating process! Co-sponsored by International Classroom program of Penn Museum 's Education Department, the Center for East Asian Studies of the University of Pennsylvania , the Japan America Society of Greater Philadelphia, and Camden County College .  $5 general admission; free to Penn Museum members.  Registration recommended: 215/573-4203, or nriley@sas.upenn.edu .

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Tuesday, April 7, 4:30PM, Location TBA , Title TBA

Eugene Park, University of Pennsylvania

Korean Studies Colloquium

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Thursday, April 9, 4:30PM, Location TBA, Trafficking with the (Organs) Traffickers: Global Justice and the Traffic in Humans for Transplant 

Nancy Scheper-Hughes, Chancellor's Professor, Anthropology, UC Berkeley  

What journalists benignly call ‘transplant tourism' involves more than consenting individuals engaged in intimate bodily exchanges and backdoor transplants that are privately arranged. Each illicit transplant involves an extensive and highly organized criminal network of well-placed intermediaries with access to  willing transplant surgeons, excellent public and private hospitals, laboratories, offshore bank accounts, police protection and even the tacit approval or  blessing of government and/or health  officials. Nonetheless, this is a dangerous game and the high risk players in the global ‘transplant mafia', who think they are invincible and above the law, can suddenly find themselves shoved up against a wall  and handcuffs slapped on their wrists. Surgeons have been pulled out of operating rooms, and transplant  patients carried out  on stretchers and taken to nearby public hospitals. In Durban , South Africa , the final trigger in a police sting of a private clinic at St. Augustine 's Hospital was the madcap escape down a back door of  the  clinic  of a trafficked kidney donor for an  Israeli transplant tourist. Most of the foreign  kidney sellers were Brazilians  (from the slums of Recife )  and  Moldovans ( from collapsed agricultural  villages) who were recruited and trafficked to South Africa by transplant brokers. My paper, based on fieldwork in Recife , Durban , and Jerusalem , explores the following  questions: What kind of moral worlds do  kidney hunters and  organs traffickers  and their clients inhabit? How do they justify their actions?   These intimate exchanges of  life-giving body parts concern more than medical necessity and individual life-saving. In the case under study they entail complicated histories of  debt  peonage on the one hand ( Brazil ) , and of genocide, race hatred,  and mass death ( Israel )  on the other. Gaddy Tauber,  the Brazilian- based Israeli  broker and bag man  for   this particular  organs trafficking scheme far more was  at stake then  large sums of money.   \Greed, yes, but  also revenge, restitution and even  reparation for the Holocaust played   a role in  these unconventional transnational transplant proceedings.  Redemption, resurrection, and reparations on the one hand, organ stealing, blood libels, and seething  resentment on the other  make the global traffic in humans for  organs a unique,  unstable and  particularly  dangerous proposition, a political tragedy in the making  of truly  epic and Shakespearean dimensions.

Global Distinguished Lecturer – Sponsored by the Center for East Asian Studies, South Asia Center , Middle East Center and African Studies Center

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Thursday, April 16, 4:30PM, Location TBA , Title TBA

Robert Buswell, Professor; Director of the Center for Buddhist Studies , UCLA

Philip Jaisohn Distinguished Lecturer

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Monday, May 11, Time TBA, Location TBA , Title TBA

Toru Funayama, Institute for Research in Humanities, Kyoto University

Humanities Colloquium

Columbia University Buddhist Studies Seminar
Spring Seminar Schedule

*Paul Copp*
University of Chicago
"Amulets of the Wish-Fulfilling Spell and Their Traditions"
*Thursday, February 19, 2009*
6-7:30pm
Rm. 101, 80 Claremont Avenue
(Department of Religion)

*John McRae*
Komazawa University
Title TBA
*Thursday, March 5th, 2009*
6-7:30pm
Rm. 101, 80 Claremont Avenue
(Department of Religion)

*Jongmyung Kim*
Visiting Associate Professor of Korean Buddhism, UCLA
"Buddhist Ritual and Thought in Medieval Korea (918-1392)" (tentative title)
*Thursday, April 16th, 2009*
6-7:30pm
Rm. 101, 80 Claremont Avenue
(Department of Religion)

*Frederick M. Smith*
University of Iowa
Title TBA
*Thursday, April 30th, 2009*
6-7:30pm
Rm. 101, 80 Claremont Avenue
(Department of Religion)

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JAPANESE PRINT EXHIBIT OPENS AT BERMAN MUSEUM AT URSINUS

Impressions of an Age: Ukiyo-e Prints from the Berman Collection , opens in the Philip and Muriel Berman Museum of Art at Ursinus College on January 20 in the Upper Gallery. The exhibit runs until April 17.

            Matthew Mizenko, associate professor of Japanese and East Asian Studies at Ursinus, and Frank L. Chance, associate director, Center of East Asian Studies, University of Pennsylvania, are curators of this vibrant exhibit which evokes an important era in the history of Japan.

            The woodblock print (ukiyo-e) was a prominent art form during Japan's Edo Period (1603-1868), which brought peace, stability and prosperity to the country. The growth of an educated and wealthy merchant class set the context for the development of a popular, mass-produced art form that reflected the lives, leisure, aesthetics, fantasies, fads, and aspirations of this urbanized populace. The brilliantly colored ukiyo-e prints include many depicting scenes from the Kabuki theater, including stylized dramas, images of popular actors in scenes they made famous, and stories of tragedy, romance and revenge from both China and Japan. Some prints recorded and publicized the activities of the licensed pleasure quarters, which served as a relief from the moral injunctions of the government. The exhibition also includes images of travel and famous sights.   Taken together, the prints present a picture of the "floating world" (ukiyo) of lightness, play, beauty and dreams.  Among the artists represented are Moronobu, Masanobu, Hiroshige, Hokusai, Kunisada and Kuniyoshi.

The 27 images in this exhibition are drawn from a collection of 43 prints donated to the museum's permanent collection by Nancy M. Berman & Alan Bloch. These prints complement the substantial holdings of the Berman Museum in twentieth-century Japanese prints to create a comprehensive collection of Japanese graphic art that serves as a valuable resource for both the community and Ursinus College. Concurrently with the exhibition, Professor Mizenko will be offering a course in Japanese visual culture in which students will study the museum's prints as artistic, cultural and social artifacts.

The Opening Reception and Gallery Talk by Matthew Mizenko and Frank Chance will be on Sunday January 25, 2009  from 2:00 – 4:00 p.m.

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*Please note that this posting has changed:

Director, Korean Language Summer Institute 2009

University of Pennsylvania

The College of Liberal and Professional Studies and the Center for East Asian Studies at the University of Pennsylvania invite applications for Director of the Korean Language Institute for Summer 2009. The eight-week intensive summer language program for 25 students is offered in partnership with Kyung Hee University at their Suwon campus in South Korea . In its third of a four-year program, the Summer Institute is part of the Critical Languages Scholarship (CLS) Program sponsored by the United States Department of State, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.

The director supports and advances the Summer Institute's mandate to provide a specialized program of intensive Korean language study paired with educational and cultural enrichment activities. The director is responsible for curricular and programming decisions and collaborates with partner institutions to confirm program budgets, coordinate logistical arrangements, and provide student support during the program.

Qualifications: Ph.D. in any area of Korean Studies; fluency in Korean language and previous residency in Korea required. Experience in development and implementation of language training program and providing study abroad support to college students preferred. The position requires a full-time commitment in Suwon , South Korea during the program from June 17 – August 14, 2009 as well as availability for pre-program planning and post-program wrap-up.

To apply, submit resume, cover letter, and three letters of references to wandak@sas.upenn.edu .

Application review begins immediately and will continue until position is filled.

The University of Pennsylvania is an equal opportunity affirmative action employer.

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Wilson center awards JApan scholarship

WASHINGTON -- The Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars today announced the appointment of Associate Professor Isao Miyaoka as the Wilson Center 's new Japan Scholar. Professor Miyaoka will spend two months in residence at the Wilson Center , beginning in February 2009, carrying out a research project on the U.S.-Japan alliance and its evolution from an expedient alliance to a robust security community.

The Japan Scholar competition is a major aspect of the Wilson Center 's new Japan initiative. The competition is open to men and women who are Japanese citizens or are currently legal residents of Japan . Two scholars will be appointed each year. Applications are accepted from individuals in academia, business, journalism, government, law, and related professions. Candidates must be pursuing research on key public policy issues facing Japan , including U.S.-Japanese relations and East Asian political, security, and economic issues. For additional information on this scholarship opportunity, go to http://www.wilsoncenter.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=news.item&news_id=470468 .

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The United States-Japan Foundation seeks applicants for the 2009 Elgin Heinz
Outstanding Teacher Award.  Applications are due by February 2, 2009.

Elgin Heinz Outstanding Teacher Award - 2009

The Elgin Heinz Outstanding Teacher Award was approved by the Foundation's
Board of Trustees in September 2001 and recognizes exceptional teachers who
further mutual understanding between Americans and Japanese. The award is
presented annually to two pre-college teachers in two categories, humanities
and Japanese language, and consists of a certificate of recognition, a
$2,500 monetary award, and $5,000 in project funds. It is named in honor of
Elgin Heinz for his commitment to educating students about Asia as well as
for the inspiration he has provided to the field of pre-college education.

Eligibility Requirements

The award is open to current full-time K-12 classroom teachers of any
relevant subject in the United States. There are two award categories, one
in the humanities and one in Japanese language.

Previous award recipients often have over 10 years of teaching experience
and have been engaged in teaching their students about Japan for a
substantial period of time.  Candidates must demonstrate sustained
commitment to improving mutual understanding between Americans and Japanese,
and must have made a significant contribution to enhancing students'
knowledge of Japan.
Applicants for the Japanese language category must have excellent command of
the Japanese language and may be contacted by members of the selection
committee to verify this.

Nomination Procedures

Applicants for the Elgin Heinz Outstanding Teacher Award need not be
nominated to apply. However, the Foundation is always seeking to encourage
the nation's top educators to consider applying for the award. Therefore, we
welcome nominations of individuals qualified to apply for the Award.

Letters of Nomination should briefly highlight the qualifications of the
candidate and must include his/her name, contact information, and indicate
the school at which the candidate currently teaches.

The Foundation will accept Letters of Nomination at any time and will inform
candidates that they have been nominated for the Award. Those nominated must
submit a full application as indicated below.

Nominators should keep in mind the deadline for applications is in early
February. Therefore, it is recommended that nominations be submitted by
early December in order to provide potential candidates the time needed to
compile their applications.

Letters of Nomination should be sent to:

Mr. David Janes, Program Officer and Assistant to the President The United
States-Japan Foundation
145 E. 32nd Street
New York, NY 10016

or via e-mail at djanes@us-jf.org

Application Procedures

Applicants must electronically submit (to djanes@us-jf.org) the following
documents by February 2, 2009 to be considered:
1. Cover Sheet that includes the following information:

A) Full name and home address

B) School name and address

C) E-mail and telephone contact information

D) The award category for which you are applying: Japanese Language or
Humanities

E) The subjects and grades you currently teach

F) A list of Japan-related programs in which you have participated

G) Names and contact information for those submitting letters of reference
2. A narrative (not to exceed three (3) pages typed, double spaced)
describing your efforts to further mutual understanding between Americans
and Japanese through your classroom teaching. Applicants should also
highlight leadership positions held and detail how they have impacted other
educators locally and/or nationally.

3. A two-page project proposal describing how you would use the award's
$5,000 project funds to enhance understanding of Japan at your school or in
your school district (project funds are typically awarded to the awardees'
school and, since these funds are awarded as a grant, the Foundation
reserves the right to amend this portion of the application). For example,
such funds could be used to purchase curriculum material on Japan, for field
trips to Japan-related organizations, to bring in guest speakers on Japan,
for Japanese software, etc.

4. Three letters of support from individuals or organizations familiar with
you and your teaching on Japan. A letter from a student explaining how your
efforts affected his/her perceptions and understanding of Japan is
permissible as a letter of support. One letter must come from the school's
principal or vice principal and must express support for your project
proposal in addition to supporting your candidacy for the award. (These
letters do not need to be submitted electronically.)

5. A professional resume

The application, with the exception of letters of reference, should be
submitted as one document in a standard format via e-mail to
djanes@us-jf.org with the subject line: Elgin Heinz Application. Letters of
reference can be sent electronically directly from the writer or may be sent
to the Foundation's office in New York.

Deadline for 2009

Complete applications must be received by the Foundation on or prior to
February 2, 2009 to be considered for the 2009 award.

Review and Selection

A national selection committee will review complete applications received by
or on February 2, 2009. The selection committee consists of leaders in the
field of education about Japan. The award winners will be announced in May.

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WHARTON PHD CANDIDATE GRANT OPPORTUNITY

up to $2500

Fund to Encourage an International Focus in Wharton Ph.D. Dissertation Topics

Application due: January 31, 2009

The Penn Lauder CIBER , a U.S. Department of Education Center for International Business Education and Research, offers grants to partially underwrite travel or materials acquisition for Ph.D. students at Wharton.

The aim of this grant program is to enable Ph.D. students to access expertise that may strengthen their global perspective s . Funding may be used for travel to conferences; travel to collect primary data for cross-cultural, comparative research; or travel to study or conduct research at overseas institutions – particularly at Wharton's partner institutions abroad. Funds may also be directed towards the purchase of related books and materials.

Grants will be awarded for amounts up to $2,500. Awardees will be notified by

February 28, 2009.

Applicants should submit a brief (1-3 pp.) proposal summarizing their research and outlining how the grant would contribute towards fostering an international focus in their dissertations.

A cover page that includes the applicant's name, department, year in the Ph.D. program, thesis advisor, mailing address, and the amount being requested should be attached. A budget of estimated expenses must also be included , and the budget should indicate any other proposed or expected financial support.

Grant funds must be spent and accounted for no later than August 31, 2009 . Payment of grant funds will be upon submission of an accounting of the expenditures and appropriate receipts. Please note that all receipts for meals must be itemized showing what was ordered. No alcohol may be charged to the grant. Students may request a t ravel a dvance. A brief (1-2 pp.) report explaining how the grant funds enabled you to add an international dimension or perspective to your dissertation is also required at the end of the grant period. If a publication results from research supported in part by this grant, a copy should be provided.

Please send completed application or any questions to the CIBER Program Coordinator at khoma@wharton.upenn.edu

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Faculty, graduate students, and language professionals are invited to
apply for the 2009 BLRT Research Grants.

One award will be made in each of the following categories:
• $5,000 Grant to tenured faculty or tenure track
• $2,500 Grant to a Ph.D. candidate
• $2,500 Grant for research on business language pedagogy
Each submission should include:
• Cover Sheet (found on website)
• Project description
• Timeline
• Budget
• Curriculum Vitae
Note: Graduate students may provide an abstract of their proposal, but must also
provide a letter from department Chair or Language Coordinator indicating support
2009 BLRT Research Grant
For more information and application
instructions go to:
blrt.business.ku.edu
Providing incentives for language faculty to teach and do research
in a business context.

No-cost 2009 Teaching East Asian Literature in the High School workshop (July 12-18, 2009) The East Asian Studies Center (EASC) at Indiana University will hold the 2009 Teaching East Asian Literature in the High School workshop in Bloomington, IN, July 12-18, 2009. This one-week workshop provides an intensive introduction to the literature and history of China, Japan, and Korea and gives teachers the opportunity to discuss classroom applications and resources. Those who successfully complete the workshop will receive a $300 resource-buying grant for their school. Generously funded by the Freeman Foundation, the Teaching East Asian Literature in the High School workshop is a no-cost professional development program for high school teachers of English and world literature.

Participation includes:

• Set of Chinese, Japanese, and Korean literary works covered in workshop (mailed to participants prior to workshop)
• Free housing and one meal per day provided
• Certificate of completion
• Option to purchase three graduate credits from Indiana University at in-state rate
• $300 resource grant for purchasing East Asian literature for classroom use, provided upon completion of all requirements

Details and the application form are available online at http://www.iub.edu/~easc/outreach/educators/literature/index.shtml . The application deadline is March 6, 2009 or until the seminar fills. Applications are accepted on a first come, first served basis, so we encourage teachers to apply as soon as possible. If the applicant is accepted into the workshop, there is a $60 nonrefundable registration fee. Please feel free to contact Katie Venit at kvenit@indiana.edu , or call 812-856-6850 if you have any questions.

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Interest in Burma

A local chapter of US Campaign for Burma was started in the fall of 2007 in the city of Philadelphia and surrounding suburbs. The organization seeks to connect individuals and/or organizations that care about Burma in Philadelphia as well promote awareness of Nobel Peace Prize recipient Aung San Suu Kyi and the democracy movement she has personally sacrificed for in her county. Aung San Suu Kyi remains under house arrest in her childhood home in Rangoon. A small planning committee is eager to reach out to Penn students. If you are interested in learning about Burma or want more information on the local chapter, please contact Susan Zingale-Baird, szbaird@msn.com

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Research paper opportunity for student: Penn professor needs to work with accomplished Thai speaker who will translate a small cache of letters and undertake other research in Thai for an academic article.

Contact Arthur Waldron if interested: awaldron2@mac.com

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Dear Colleagues,
We are pleased to bring to your attention an excellent opportunity for American high school students to receive support to study less commonly taught languages.  NSLI-Y is an exciting, new merit-based US Government overseas language program for American high school students that will fund approximately 550 students to study and master languages not traditionally taught in U.S. high schools but which are critical for our country's future.  The program is funded by the Department of State's Educational and Cultural Affairs Youth Programs Division and is being implemented by a consortium of organizations led by the American Councils for International Education.  The program has already sent 350 American high schools students to summer language programs in China, Egypt, Jordan and Morocco during the summers of 2006, 2007 and 2008.
In 2009/2010, NSLI-Y is expanding the language offerings as well as the length of time for the programs.  There will be programs in Arabic, Farsi, Hindi, Korean, Mandarin Chinese, Russian and Turkish.  There will be summer programs in each of the seven languages.  There will also be semester and academic year programs for Arabic, Korean, Mandarin Chinese, Russian and Turkish.  For more information and to apply online, visit www.NSLIforYouth.org.  The application deadline is February 2, 2009.  
Lastly, I would like to direct your attention to two other websites.   http://exchanges.state.gov/youth/programs/nsli.html provides more information about the NSLI-Y program.  If you'd like to join the conversation about exchanges in general and become a part of the growing network of individuals interested in NSLI-Y, visit http://connect.state.gov/ and register for the NSLI-Y group.
We would be most appreciative of your spreading the word directly to American high school students between the ages of 15 and 18 and to appropriate staff at the high school level or school district level in order to publicize this invaluable opportunity.  Please do not hesitate to be in touch with me or with the Program Manager at American Councils Loren Kupferschmid at lkupferschmid@americancouncils.org for further assistance.

Best regards,

Lisa Bess Wishman wishmanlb@state.gov
Program Officer National Strategic Language Initiative for Youth (NSLI-Y) Youth Programs Division Educational & Cultural Affairs (ECA) Bureau U.S. Department of State Tel:  202-453-8173 Fax:  202-453-8169 http://exchanges.state.gov/youth/index.html http://connect.state.gov

The Oscar Lee Symposium of Undergraduate East Asian Studies

Present your research on East Asia!

The Oscar Lee Symposium is a half-day conference featuring panels of undergraduate researchers of East and Southeast Asia from all academic disciplines. This year's conference will take place on Friday, April 24, 2009. If you have written (or are in the process of writing) a research paper or thesis regarding a topic related to East or Southeast Asia, please consider submitting your work to the Symposium! It is a great opportunity to have your work acknowledged and discussed by your peers and professors.

The guidelines for submission are as follows:

1. Abstract of 300 words or less
2. Seminar or thesis papers of at least 12 pages in length (double-spaced)
3. Send materials to submissions@eastasiasymposium.org by Sunday, January 25, 2009

Selected participants will be responsible for their own transportation to and from Columbia University (in the City of New York). Guests staying overnight will be housed in the dormitories of the Symposium's Organizational Committee and Review Board members.

Please visit www.eastasiasymposium.org for more information, or email chair@eastasiasymposium.org .

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University of Toronto, Ninth Annual East Asia Conference 2009
Social Constructions: Exploring Intellectual Spaces in East Asia

March 14, 2009

The interdisciplinary conference welcomes research from graduate
students in all fields of East Asian Studies, including but not limited to
history, sociology, anthropology, economy, art, literature and
philosophy. We invite papers that seek to explore intellectual spaces
while critically engaging with real effects of social constructions in
East Asia and beyond.

Topics may include (though are not limited to) such issues as ontological subjectivity and epistemological objectivity of social constructions, the impact of social constructions on the everyday, significance of everyday practices in sustaining or contesting the existence of social constructions, the role of institutions in establishing social constructions, relation between individual identities and social reality as well as the challenges we encounter when tracing social constructions in an East Asian context and
intellectual spaces that are allowed or disallowed by social constructions.
We invite all those interested in presenting papers to submit an abstract (300 words maximum) and brief biographical information by December 21st. We encourage submissions from both individuals and panels of three (panelists should send individual abstracts and a panel abstract). Please indicate whether you would like your completed paper to be considered for publication in the East Asian Forum journal published by graduate students of the East Asian Studies department at the University of Toronto.

Selected participants should send completed papers to the committee by February 4th.

Please email your submissions and questions to the conference committee at
eas.conference.2009@gmail.com.
Schedule and additional information will be posted at: http://www.chass.utoronto.ca/easgsc/Main.html

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