Asian Studies Program

Archived Events

Spring 2010

Sarah Pruitt, English as a Second Language Professor, hosted a teaching workshop on April 22 for those planning to teach ESL in Asia or elsewhere.

CSB senior Sarah Vanneste presented research on her honors thesis at a Friday Forum on April 16. The thesis, entitled "High Technology Clusters in the Age of Globalization", compared and contrasted the rise and evolution of cutting edge industrial clusters in the U.S., United Kingdom, China and Brazil, and was presented at conferences at the University of California-Berkeley and in Bangkok, Thailand.

CSB/SJU Approved New Asian Studies Major

The Asia Club hosted an Asian New Year celebration, with the theme of "Making Wishes".

CSB/SJU hosted a panel on Working with Asia as part of its Career Exploration series.

CSB/SJU Groups Received Research Grants from ASIANetwork

CSB Alumna Kesang Yudron's Non-Profit Organization Marked One Year Anniversary.

On October 19 and 20, CSB welcomed a Vietnamese delegation to campus to discuss the differences between American and Vietnamese higher education.

CSB/SJU hosted Dr. William Farrell to speak about relations between Japan and the US since 1850.

Fourteen students from Bunkyo Gakuin University visited CSB/SJU from March 7 to March 26, 2010. They participated in ESL and various other classes, a weekend of home stay, and trips to the Minneapolis Institute of Arts and the Science Museum.

The CSB/SJU Under-Told Stories Project sponsored a May term trip to India for students to study examples of social entrepreneurship that have improved the lives of millions of people in poverty.

CSB/SJU Communications professor Shane Miller lead a May term trip to Japan, titled Considering Culture through the Cinema Monsters of Japan.

Fall 2009

A number of scholarships have been awarded to students studying in Asia during the 2009-2010 school year. Five students have been selected for the Father Neal Lawrence, OSB Scholarship, awarded to students studying abroad in Japan: Virginia Ollie, Jordan Grabow, Eric Grussing, Emily Nieves, and Mark O'Brien. The Gilman Scholarship, for study in Asia, has been awarded to Virginia Ollie and Shee Xiong, who are going to Japan; and to Michael Lee, Feng Vue, and Nick Palmquist, who will be studying in China. The following eleven students have been selected for the JASSO Scholarship for study in Japan: Pheng Her, Virginia Ollie, Kao Nou Thao, Mai Yia Thao, Zoua Yang, Tim Deda, William Tice, Eric Grussing, Mark O'Brien, Emily Nieves, and Shee Xiong. Congratulations to all scholarship recipients!
Dr. Sushmita Hodges, a world history instructor at Saint Paul Academy who also teaches summer courses on South Asia at Hamline University, will offer a course on "Gandhi, Nationalism and Islamic Movements in India" (History 305) for Fall 2009. She is filling in for Dr. Brendan LaRocque, who will be pursuing a Mellon Fellowship at Carleton College. The course will be offered Monday evenings from 6:00 to 9:00 PM at SJU. Welcome, Dr. Hodges!
Min Kim Park, a multimedia installation artist from South Korea, will join the faculty of the art department for the 2009-2010 academic year. Welcome, Ms. Park!
Professor Manju Parikh, Political Science, received a Fulbright award to conduct two months of research in Pakistan. Congratulations, Dr. Parikh!
Professor Brendan LaRocque, History, received a Mellon fellowship and will be spending the 2009-2010 school year at Carleton College in Northfield, MN. Students interested in South Asian history courses are invited to register for Dr. Sushmita Hodges' HIST 305 course, "Gandhi, Nationalism and Islamic Movements in India." For more information, please contact Norma Koetter in the History Department.

Summer 2009

Prof. Gar Kellom will lead a group of 10 students to India and Nepal for one month this summer. Many of the students, who are graduating seniors, will stay on to do semester or year-long internships in Jaipur and Kathmandu. This internship program was pioneered by Prof. Kellom and SJU alumnus John Van Rooy, who stayed for one year at Neerja Modi School in Rajasthan.
Three students have been selected for the Mr. and Mrs. J.C. Wang and S. Telan Hu, OSB Scholarship in Asian Studies. The selection committee and the Asian Studies Program offer congratulations to Kathryn Hauff (CSB '12), Hannah Nelson (CSB '11) and Pa Nhia Lee (CSB '11). Kathryn, Hannah and Pa Nhia each embody in their academic achievement, study of Chinese lanaguge and active community service the spirit of S. Telan's years of committment to learning and service at CSB/SJU. Congratulations and best wishes to all three as they embark on travels to China this summer and fall!
ESL camps for Japanese students began on July 8, 2009 at SJU. Please join the Asian Studies Program in welcoming these students to Minnesota and our campuses. ようこそ！ If you are interested in hosting a Japanese student or two for a weekend home stay, please contact Rachel Sherman Johnson, Coordinator of Asian Studies.
Professor Brendan LaRocque, History, received a Mellon fellowship and will be spending the 2009-2010 school year at Carleton College in Northfield, MN. Students interested in South Asian history courses are invited to register for Dr. Sushmita Hodges' HIST 305 course, "Gandhi, Nationalism and Islamic Movements in India." For more information, please contact Norma Koetter in the History Department.

Spring 2009

Asian New Year Celebration: To learn more about the celebration, which was organized and hosted by Asia Club, check out the Asian Studies Program blog.
The Asian Studies Program conducted its annual visit to the Asian exhibits at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts in January 2009.
Professor Madhu Mitra directed a program to India entitled "India: Cricket, Computers and Holy Cows" last December. For more information about the trip and CSB/SJU's developing programs in India, please see the Spring 2009 Newsletter.
A panel entitled “Toward Experiential Asian Studies for the Globalized 21^st Century” was held at the Global Studies Conference in the Gorecki Center on February 7, 2009.
The CSB/SJU campuses welcomed the dance performers "The Little Angels of Korea" to the Benedicta Arts Center on February 6, 2009.
Paul Marsnik presented on his 5-week trip to China and Vietnam in "A Few Insights from Asia," Tuesday, March 17, at 4:30 PM in Simons 360 at SJU.
Gender and Women's Studies presented Dr. Modhumitra Roy, who gave a lecture entitled "Foreign kid, Indian make: Outsourcing Reproductive Labor and Questions for Feminist Analysis" on Monday, March 16, at 7:30 PM in Alumnae Hall (HCC) at CSB.
Molly Maxbauer, CSB '09, presented her senior thesis, "Beyond the Blue Skies: China's Environmental Movement" on April 3, 2009.
The CSB/SJU Aikido Club hosted an Aikido seminar on April 4-5, 2009.
The Annual Asian Studies Residency was held April 14-15, 2009. In keeping with the South Asia theme of the 2008-09 school year, the topic was "Intercultural Theater and Globalization: South Asia, America, and Beyond." A public lecture on this topic by Dipankar Mukherjee and Meena Natarajan of Pangea World Theater was held Tuesday, April 14, 2009 at 7:30 PM in Gorecki 204A.
On April 16, Ravi Shankar and Tina Chang, editors of "Language for a New Century: New Norton Anthology of Poetry from the Middle East, Asia and Beyond" presented at CSB.
"The Asia I Expected, The Asia I Encountered" panel discussion was held on Tuesday, April 21 in Gorecki 120 at CSB.
Prof. Sarah Pruett hosted an ESL Teaching Workshop for students who will teach in Asia starting in the Fall of 2009 on Thursday, April 23, at 4:30 in Quad 254 at SJU.
President Akiko Shimada and Ms. Noriko Kataoka of Bunkyo Gakuin University, Tokyo, Japan, visited the CSB/SJU campuses in April.
The Spring 2009 Asian Studies newsletter is now available. Dr. Yuko Shibata of Cornell University recently accepted a position as a professor of Japanese language in the Modern and Classical Languages Department at CSB/SJU. In addition to language courses, Prof. Shibata will also teach a literature class, MCLT 319, "Radical Fantasies: Contemporary Japanese Women Writers." Please join the Asian Studies Program in extending a warm welcome to Shibata-sensei!
The Asian Studies program is pleased to announce the members of the 2009-2010 Teaching in Asia Program. These CSB/SJU graduates will teach at our partner institutions throughout Asia.

Fall 2008

Professor Richard Bohr, Director of Asian Studies, gave a presentation entitled “The Challenge of China’s Soft Power: America’s Response to the Growing Sino-African Axis” at the “China, U.S. and Africa : The New Race for Africa?” campus symposium held on November 18, 2008. Watch the podcast of the event, which was co-sponsored by Asian Studies, Peace Studies, and the African Le arning Community.
Career Panel: Working In Asia: Co-sponsored by Career Services.
The Many Faces of Asia: An Asian Identity Cultural Panel: Asian and Asian-American students gathered to share their perspectives on race, culture, and identity in America and on the CSB/SJU campuses.