Conference on Contemporary India to be held at the Center for Public Scholarship at The New School in May--all students are welcome to attend

INDIA'S WORLD

24th conference in the Social Research conference series

Tuesday and Wednesday, May 10-11, 2011
John Tishman Auditorium, 66 West 12th Street, NYC
Review the complete agenda, speaker bios, and more: www.newschool.edu/cps/indias-world/program/

Join us as speakers discuss key issues of contemporary Indian life to connect the dots between government, economy, policy, and culture in India and in India's world today. The mission of the conference is to engage both experts and the public in discussions that will deepen our understandings of the ways in which the country and people of India are influenced by the world and the world, by India.

Keynote
Amitav Ghosh, author of The Glass Palace, The Hungry Tide, and Sea of Poppies, among others. May 10, 6 P.M.

Featuring
The Internal and Global Dimensions of India's IT Revolution, Ajit Balakrishnan (Rediff.com)
India's Gray Educational Markets, Aromar Revi (Indian Institute of Human Settlements and TARU)
The Tensions Between Research, Graduate Training, and Undergraduate Teaching in the Natural and Physical Sciences, Sabyasachi Bhattacharya (Tata Institute)
Crisis in the Classics,Sheldon Pollock (Columbia University)
Different Kinds of Waiting: The Verdict of Surgery in Contemporary India, Lawrence Cohen (UC Berkeley)
Surveillance, Terrorism and Cinema of the Contemporary, Ranjani Mazumdar (Jawaharlal Nehru University)
Puritanism, Censorship and Self Censorship in Colonial and Post Colonial Hinduism, Wendy Doniger (University of Chicago Divinity School)
Elections as Communitas, Mukulika Banerjee (London School of Economics)
Mobile Dalit in Incredible India: The Limits of Liberalism, Gopal Gurue (Jawaharlal Nehru University)
The Crisis in Kashmir With Regard to Partition, Sovereignty, and National Security in India, Suvir Kaul (University of Pennsylvania)

*Open to the public

*Free for students

*$15 for non-students

*RSVP now to cps@newschool.edu

International Education in Asian Affairs Opportunities

A multitude of International Education in Asia opportunities are being offered by the GWU Elliott School of International Affairs.

Current Issues in China’s International Relations, via University of Hong Kong at Peking University

The University of Hong Kong invites Elliott School students to participate in its summer course, held at Peking University in Beijing. The course will consist of seminar-type sessions with speakers on China's foreign policy thinking, Sino-U.S relations, China and Asian Pacific security, Sino-Japanese relations, China and North Korean Nuclear Crisis, China and WTO, China’s political system, and its foreign economic relations. The lecture and follow-up discussion will be in English. In the afternoon of the two weeks, Beijing will make arrangement for the group to visit some academic institutions, such as Institute of American Studies under the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, Tsinghua University, Zhong Guan Cun High-Tech Park, National History Museum, and China Institute of Contemporary International Relations. No Chinese language skills are required for participation. The entire course is taught in Beijing.

Dates: 16-27 May, 2011 (Mon to Fri) in Beijing

Costs: GW tuition and fees for 3 credits are payable to GW at the regular summer sessions rate. In addition, an estimated RMB 5,000 is payable upon arriving Beijing (for special lectures, busing from/to Airport, sightseeing tour, and transportation for afternoon activities). For accommodations, the costs are an additional RMB 340 per night.

Credits: Elliott School students can earn 3 transfer credits for IAFF 328 Special Topics in Asian Studies: Current Issues in China’s International Relations. Students should consult their program directors to determine how this course fits into Plans of Study.

Application and more information: Application materials are due to Caroline Donovan White, cdonovan@gwu.edu, by March 9, 2010. Please contact Caroline for application details.

GW Summer Abroad: International Economics, Econ 6280, Shanghai

On Campus Dates: April 30, 2011 (4:30pm)

Overseas Dates: June 5-18, 2011

The Elliott School is pleased to offer the 3^rd annual Econ 6280 “Survey of International Economics,” in Shanghai, taught by Professor Steven Suranovic, Associate Professor of Economics and International Affairs. The course covers basic theory and policy aspects of both international trade and international finance. With China as the most important emerging economy in the world today, virtually every topic covered in this course corresponds to an issue between the US and China, or between the China and the rest of the world. The course will use China’s experiences as a way of vividly highlighting the economic lessons of the course. Space is limited.

More info? Apply by March 1 at

http://studyabroad.gwu.edu/?go=internationaleconomics

GMU Summer Abroad Offerings: Philippines and China

The Center for Global Education at the George Mason University will offer the following graduate-level courses during the summer 2011 term. Although GMU is a Consortium school, Elliott School students must enroll for this Short-Term Abroad course directly with GMU (not via Consortium). Students enroll at GMU as visiting, non-degree students and make all payments to GMU directly.

For credits earned on other/non-GW programs, graduate students should complete the Elliott School Transfer Credit Approval Form

. For each course taken abroad, a student must obtain approval from a faculty member in the corresponding department for each course to be transferred into the degree program. For more details on transfer credit approvals, see

http://elliott.gwu.edu/academics/grad/studyabroad/credits.cfm.

GW students must also comply with the GW International Travel Approval Policy.

CHINA

China at the Crossroads: People in Motion

An overview and Synthesis of contemporary migration, with an emphasis on the East Asian experience, this seminar will look at three Chinese cities experiencing this global phenomenon in very distinct ways:

Dates: May 27 - June 12, 2011

Interested? See:

http://globaled.gmu.edu/programs/facultyled/summerstudy/chinaGLOA710.html

PHILIPPINES

Grassroots Peacebuilding, Environmental Issues and Culture in the Philippines

This Summer Program will offer students direct contact with world issues like poverty and environmental change by granting them unique access to Filipino life and culture.

Dates: May 18 - July 1, 2011, tentative

Interested? See: http://globaled.gmu.edu/programs/facultyled/summerstudy/philiippines.html

GW students who travel abroad for academic purposes must comply with the GW International Travel Approval Policy (ITAP) “Academic purposes” includes study abroad, internships, capstones, research projects, etc.

Prior to enrolling in a program, students must propose travel and have it approved by their program director/faculty advisor; in destinations of high risk, the travel must be approved by the GW Associate Vice President for International Programs. To begin the proposal process, navigate to

http://studyabroad.gwu.edu/?go=TravelApprovalPolicy.

4th Korea-America Student Conference

This is a chance for an awesome culture and career filled summer!

Join 50 other students from the U.S. and Korea for a month of cultural exchange, travel and fun!

Meet leaders and students that will improve your career network in this unique student-led cultural and academic exchange, which will host its 4th annual program next summer in Korea. Students will discuss their research on topics of bilateral and global interest and enjoy prominent speakers in the month-long conference.

The theme for the 4th Korea-America Student Conference held July 2 - 31, 2011, will be “Beyond Boundaries.”

2011 KASC Sites:
Pukyong National University, Busan
Jeju National University, Jeju
Chonnam National University, Gwangju
Ewha Womans University, Seoul

This year’s Roundtable topics include:
-Your Health, Your World: A New Approach toward the Future
-Mission 2012: Examining the Future of U.S.-Korea Relations

-Human Rights: Interpretation and Applications in the 21st Century

-Eco-Technology: Challenging Present Circumstances While Pioneering Future Opportunities
-Arts and Entertainment: The Emerging Bridge between Korea and the U.S.

Although many participants will be Asian Studies and East Asian Studies majors, this is not a requirement. All types of students from any field and level of study are welcome at the conference. Knowledge of the Korean language is not required.

For applications or more information, please visit: www.iscdc.org or e-mail kasc@iscdc.org .

KASC is a program of International Student Conferences, Inc., a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting peace by furthering mutual understanding, friendship, and trust through international student interchange.

The deadline is March 7, 2011.

Refugee Education Initiative - Free Online Training

Minority Rights Group is offering free online training.

If you are interested in minority rights issues in Asia, are looking to increase your advocacy skills and learn more about minority rights, have been working working or volunteering for an organization working on minority rights for two year, or are working on minority rights in one of the following countries: Bangladesh, Burma, Cambodia, India, Indonesia, Nepal, Malaysia, Pakistan, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Thailand, or Vietnam, then you can qualify for Minority Rights Group free online training for minority rights advocacy.

The online course runs for 12 weeks, and you are expected to spend about 3 hours a week on the course. An online tutor will be available to help you with the learning process.

Participants may get more opportunities to attend regional trainings, study visits and may even be able to attend the UN Forum on Minority Issues in Geneva, 2011.

A recommendation letter from your organization is required.
The online course is free.

The deadline for applications is March 5th, 2011.

For more information and application forms, visit:

http://www.refugeeeducation.com/minority-rights-group-offers-free-online-training/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+refugeeeducationinitiative+%28Refugee+Education+Initiative%29

The Chinese Delegation Night, February 13, 2011

Photos are provided by Mr. Colin Kao (a visiting scholar from Taiwan)

The Organization of Asian Studies and Global China Connection co-hosted the Chinese Delegation Night last Sunday. It was really an exciting and valuable experience for us to greet the Chinese students from the Tsinghua University in Beijing. We not only had professors and scholars to join the event, there were also students from GWU and people from other organizations attending the event. I met a guy from the Henry Stimson Center, his name was Yanchuan Liu; we had really impressive discussions about the Cross-Strait relations and domestic political, economic, and social environments in Taiwan. Since he is from Mainland China, and I am from Taiwan, our conversation could reach to more profound and comprehensive issues. I remember he asked me some quite interesting questions such as how did young people (like me) in Taiwan think about the KMT or the DPP, and what was my political position toward each of them? As a matter of fact, both of these two questions were sometimes sensitive regarding the Cross-Strait relations; for many people, these could be a taboo in the conversation. However, it turned out to be a pleasure atmosphere because we shared and exchanged our ideas and information, and I believed that both of us were enjoying the process of sharing and interacting. Furthermore, I also met a visiting scholar, whose name was Colin Kao, from my home country, that is, Taiwan. It was always hilarious and nostalgic when you meet people from your country when you are abroad. And of course, our conversations centered around the triangle relations of China, the United States, and Taiwan, as well as the comparison of life experiences between the United States and Taiwan. The event provided a great opportunity for people from United States or other countries to promote mutual understanding and build friendships, and indeed all participants made friends and had a wonderful time in the event. I heard people’s conversations ranged from politics, economy, society, culture, life experiences and so forth. I could see the smile on every participant’s face as well.I really appreciate everyone that contributed to the event’s success, although I was exhausted at the end of the event due to my uncomfortable high heels, it didn’t impact much on my enjoyment of the event!

Reminder for deadlines!!

This is a quick reminder that the deadlines:

Applications for 2011 Grants and Fellowships for George Washington University Students are due by Friday, February 18th.

For Sejong Korean Language Scholarship and Korean Language and Culture Prize applications is on February 20. The announcement and application forms can be obtained at http://www.gwu.edu/~eall/scholarships.html.

Japan Travel Program for Future U.S. Leaders is due on the February 22.

Publication Opportunity on Korea

Publication Opportunity on Korea

In 2011, KEI will be publishing a special edition of its annual Joint U.S.-Korea Academic Studies volume and is looking to highlight emerging perspectives on issues pertaining to the Korean peninsula and U.S. policy towards Northeast Asia.

If you are a current graduate student/PhD candidate who wants to contribute to the U.S.-Korea policy discussion, get published, and earn a free trip to Washington D.C. to present your paper, then this is the opportunity for you.



What Kind of Papers are We Looking For?
KEI is looking to publish papers ranging from 4,000 to 6,000 words on timely topics related to Northeast Asia and specifically, the Korean peninsula. Topics MUST be directly relevant to current and future policy. Exemplary submissions have included:


For more information on the Joint Studies volumes, click here.

* Korea Goes Global: South Korea’s New Leadership Role in the G20
* Digital populism in South Korea
* Russia and the Six Party Talks
* Green Energy Politics in Northeast Asia
* Buying into North Korea: Prospects for Economic Engagement
* Potential Legal Aftershocks of the KORUS FTA
* China-ROK Trade Disputes and their Implications on Security


Papers must be written exclusively for KEI, i.e., not have been published previously in any form.






The Catch?
All papers need to be submitted by a faculty member—i.e. your professor—who recommends your paper for publication. Any faculty submitting papers should know that the submission of a paper signifies their endorsement of it to be timely, policy-relevant, and worthy of publication. Papers received directly from students will not be considered.

Submission Guidelines
When submitting your paper for consideration, please make sure your professor includes:

* Your Full Name, Contact Information, and University Affiliation
* His/Her Full Name, Title, and Contact Information
* Your paper in Microsoft Word format

Papers should be submitted to publication@keia.org by May 13, 2011.

Selected papers will go through a rigorous editing process before publication in the summer/fall 2011. Authors will be flown to DC to present their papers at a policy roundtable event that KEI will host in Washington D.C. in conjunction with the publication.

All questions regarding this Joint U.S.-Korea Academic Studies Special Edition Volume should be directed to publication@keia.org.

China Education Initiaitve (CEI): A Post-graduate Program Supporting Teaching Fellows in China

Deadline: March 10, 2011.

THE CHINA EDUCATION INITIATIVE:
http://www.chinaeducationinitiative.org/

Established in 2008 under the auspices of the Ford Foundation, Princeton University, and Tsinghua University, CEI is an innovative non-profit organization that seeks to eliminate educational inequity in China by enlisting the US and China's most promising future leaders in the effort. CEI has now also partnered with Teach for America’s international “Teach For All” Program.

At the core of CEI’s mission is the “teaching fellow” program, which recruits recent American and Chinese college graduates to serve two-year, fully paid teaching terms in China; in the past many placements have been located in the southern province of Yunnan. American and Chinese fellows live and work together as they teach core subject areas to students in desperate need of qualified teachers.

• Provides exceptional and enthusiastic teachers to schools in need. CEI recruits, trains, and supports outstanding graduates from premiere Chinese and US universities, assigning them as Teaching Fellows to two-year posts in understaffed, low-income schools;
• Works at the forefront of China-US relations as the first and only program to pair Chinese and American university graduates in a long-term service initiative;
• Promotes cross-cultural collaboration by partnering US and Chinese Teaching Fellows in four-person teams (2 US and 2 Chinese Fellows), and connecting their economically disadvantaged and often socially isolated students to a world outside – yet intimately linked to – their own communities;
• Fosters an internationally connected cohort of young leaders who understand firsthand the challenges facing students in low-income Chinese communities, and who share the insight and conviction to advance the cause of educational equity.

Eligibility: Graduating Seniors and Recent Graduates
The basic prerequisites for placement are a bachelor’s degree & English fluency. Chinese language ability, while not a prerequisite, is a strong asset. CEI applicants are generally college seniors or recent graduates, but all those (including international candidates) who meet the prerequisites are welcome to apply.

Selection Criteria:
CEI evaluates applicants through a highly competitive three-stage selection process. Selection is based on a number of important criteria, including:

• Demonstrated leadership potential & past achievement,
• Strong critical thinking skills & an intellectual commitment to non-profit / education work,
• Proven organizational skills,
• Flexibility & resilience when faced with the rigors and challenges of living in indigent communities,
• Respect for the frustrations and rewards of cross-cultural living and learning,
• Self-starter initiative & the ability to influence and motivate others, and
• Prior commitment to China, through significant service, academic initiatives or demonstrable genuine curiosity and interest.

Deadline: March 10, 2011

For more information, see http://www.chinaeducationinitiative.org/>

Hosting Tang Jun from Tsinhua University

Going out to a bar, partying, or just watching a movie was not on my agenda this past Saturday night. I had agreed to host a student from China for two nights, and he was arriving on a train from New York at 11:30pm. A group of student delegates from Tsinghua University in Beijing had come to the U.S. to take an educational tour of cities on the East Coast. They were scheduled to visit and talk to security advisors, think tanks, and economists during their visit to the Sates. One of the things on their to-do list was to participate in an event at the Elliott School co-hosted by both the Organization of Asian Studies (OAS) and the Global China Connection (GCC). It was a busy weekend for the Chinese delegates.

While the group of us host students waited for the group of Chinese student delegates, I thought about what my assigned student would be like. Someone had shown me a picture of him with his information beside it listing all of his accomplishments and accolades. The paper informed me that Tang Jun is the former vice president of the Tsinghua Student Union. Attending Tsinghua University is a big accomplishment, but being an officer in the Tsinghua Student Union means that one is being primed for a high position in the Chinese government. To give an idea of scale, China's current president, Hu Jintao, was once president of the Tsinghua Student Union. Given this information, I naturally started to think that Tang Jun was either going to be a nerdy Chinese student or a spoiled brat.

The group finally arrived and both GWU students and Tsinghua students engaged in the obligatory act of awkward introductions. Students from Tsinghua stood on one side of the room and introduced themselves one by one, and then the GWU students reciprocated the protocol. My friend Chris explained it as being like a middle school dance with the girls on one side and the guys on the other, each too shy to break from the group and get close. I could not tell how the rest of the weekend was going to turn out.

Tang Jun turned out to be neither a nerd or spoiled brat. He was an extremely polite guy and genuinely nice. This was his first time in the United States and he was fascinated by the cultural differences between here and his home. Some of the differences that grabbed his attention the most were numbered streets, dormitories, and the lack of walls around the perimeter of universities. He was also amazed by the stories he had heard of drunken escapades at night clubs and wanted to know if they were true. I told him that night clubs were indeed chaotic, but people left them to pass out in the street only once in a while and not all the time despite what he had heard. The American college experience did amaze him, though, and he was determined to come back to the US for grad school.

Although Tang Jun was in the U.S. for about only a week and in DC for only two days, he swore that his English speaking skills had improved immensely. I did not doubt him. After spending a total of only several hours with him, I felt my Chinese speaking level go up about half a point. We really helped each other out.

While saying our goodbyes, Tang Jun insisted that I contact him if I am ever in China. I insisted that he contact me when he returns to the U.S. We said we would treat each other to dinner and show each other the cities we live in the way locals would see it. After the two days, I ultimately made a friend.

Devin Foil

4th Year Asian Studies Major

GWU Elliott School of International Affairs

Paid & Unpaid Summer Internship Opportunities from Keio Academy of New York

As in previous 3 years Keio Academy of New York (a private boarding high school located in Purchase, NY http://www.keio.edu/english/ ) is proud to announce summer internship opportunities for both undergraduate and graduate students from Japan and the US.

Category 1: Unpaid internship [maximum of ten undergraduate or graduate students]

Category 2: Paid internship [maximum of five highly motivated and qualified graduate students, the compensation amount depends on the number of classes taught]

Category 3: Unpaid Internship from Japan [maximum of two undergraduate or graduate students who can travel with the summer program participants from Japan.]

Period of Internship:

[Categories 1 & 2] July 22 (Fri.), 2011 - August 8(Sun), 2011 (These dates include an orientation session prior to the program)

[Category 3] July 24, 2011 (departing Narita Airport) - August 8, 2011 (dismissal at Narita Airport. Plus orientation session on July 10, 2011 in Tokyo)

Status of Internship: [All categories] full-time & residential (Interns are required to live in on-campus student housing.)

Keio will provide:

[Categories 1 & 2] On-campus housing with free cafeteria privileges, domestic transportation reimbursement of up to $300.00 for round trip travel to/from Keio campus.

[Category 2] Stipends of up to $400.00 for classroom instruction, preparation, and grading homework.

[Category 3] On-campus housing with free cafeteria privileges, round-trip transportation between Narita and Keio campus on a designated travel package (as a chaperone) and travel insurance.

Internship Description:

Qualifications

[All categories]

・Excellent command of English language

・A good team worker in a multi-cultural setting

・Ability to work effectively in a fast-paced program environment

・[For Non-native speakers of Japanese] At least two years of college-level Japanese language or cultural studies strongly preferred

・An undergraduate or a graduate student in Education, International Studies, Intercultural Communication, or related major preferred

・Experience in working with youth and/or experience in living/studying/working in another country in a cross-cultural environment preferred

・Prior high school or college dorm experience is a plus

・Media arts or digital technology related experience helpful

[Category 2]

・Ability to teach junior and senior American and/or Japanese high school students in an informal setting in the subject and topic of your choosing , but related to the overall theme of the summer program.

Examples:

US History or any other area of social studies related to US-Japan relations

Arts & Music

Literature

Pop-culture

Animation

・The language of instruction many be in English or Japanese [Please specify in the cover letter]

・Future aspiration in teaching or participation in JET Program preferred

[Category 3]

・Must have Japanese citizenship with valid Japanese passport

・Prior experience in international travel is preferred

Ryuta Ohtani

Administrative Director of Summer Program

Keio Academy of New York

Tel: (914) 701-3454

Fax: (914) 701-3457

E-mail: keiosummer@keio.edu

Call for Papers for the Project on East Asian Perspectives on Politics

Call for Papers
Location: South Korea
Date: 2011-03-01

Funding available for Graduate Students in Comparative Political Theory and Asian Political Thought.

The Project on East Asian Perspectives on Politics: Advancing Research in Comparative Political Theory announces conference travel scholarship for graduate students working in comparative political theory and Asian political thought. The broad purpose of this project is to advance the field of comparative political theory through a series of six workshops each focused on a dimension of politics in the East Asian context. The first workshop took place at Fudan University on May 1-2, 2010. The second workshop, East Asian Perspectives on Legal Order,took place at the National University of Singapore on August 26-27, 2010. The third workshop, Governance and Political Leadership in East Asia, will be held at Seoul National University on June 3-4, 2011. The conference will be conducted in English. A workshop dedicated to graduate students working on comparative political theory and Asian political thought will be held on June 5, 2011. Because our principal funding source is the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, Canadian citizens and doctoral students at> Canadian universities are preferred. However, all eligible candidates are welcome to apply. Successful candidates will present a paper at the June 5 workshop, and should be attending the larger conference, too. Papers will be circulated in advance and must be completed no later than May 5, 2011. Funding is available for up to 4 researchers and will cover the full costs of economy class airfare, reasonable ground transportation costs, and 4 nights hotel accommodation.

To apply, send a paper title and abstract of no more than 300 words, together with a current curriculum vitae to http://us.mc596.mail.yahoo.com/mc/compose?to=kimyoungmin@snu.ac.kr no later than March 1, 2011. Successful candidates will be notified by email by March 20, 2011. Further information about the project is available at:

Youngmin Kim,
Dept. of Political Science,Seoul National University
Email: http://www.blogger.com/mc/compose?to=brynmawrkim@gmail.com

Fellowship: Japan Travel Program for U.S. Future Leaders

The Japan Foundation Center for Global Partnership (CGP), in collaboration with the Association of Professional Schools of International Affairs (APSIA), is offering an opportunity to participate in the Japan Travel Program for Future U.S. Leaders.

The goal of the program is to foster a new generation of future leaders in the United States who are interested in achieving a greater understanding of Japan and its roles in global affairs, and in engaging in dialogue and interchange with their counterparts in Japan. The Program will invite approximately twelve (12) second-year graduate students - no more than two from each U.S.-based APSIA school with full membership - to Japan as a group for a period of approximately ten (10) days in August, 2011. The group will consist of students who currently are or previously have been engaged in Japan studies as well as those who successfully demonstrate a serious interest in Japan but may not have previous exposure to the country.

Features of the Program:
The itinerary for the Program will be structured so that each participating student can acquire first hand knowledge of Japan and how it is trying to fulfill its shared global responsibilities. The itinerary may include but is not limited to the following elements:

• Meeting experts in the fields of politics, economics, and civil society
• Visiting relevant institutions including government ministries, think tanks, policy institutes, businesses, and non-profit organizations
• One day in Tokyo for individual, self-organized research activities
• Cultural excursions

Eligibility:

All students invited to Japan through this program must fulfill each of the following requirements:

1) Possess United States citizenship or permanent residency, 2) Be a full-time student at an APSIA full member school and pursuing a Masters degree during the application process and time of the travel, 3) Demonstrate a serious interest in acquiring additional knowledge about Japan and its role in and impact on the international arena, 4) Have the willingness and ability to plan and schedule the self-organized research day with CGP support, and 5) Once selected as an invitee, agree to provide a substantial written report upon the conclusion of the travel and work with other participants to edit the final report.
The selection process includes nomination by a student’s respective APSIA school and a final selection process carried out by CGP in conjunction with APSIA.





Students may apply through the website http://www.elliottschoolcc.com/.


Students seeking further information may contact the Director of the Graduate Student Career Development Student Center at the Elliott School, Angella Griffin at agriffin@gwu.edu.


Applications need to physically be in New York by February 28th, 2011, so it is best to hand applications into Angella Griffin by Feburary 22, 2011.

Music of Japan Festival 2011: "Classical Music: Japanese Spirit and Song"

Time: Wednesday, February 16th @ 7:30 pm
Price: Free. Tickets required.
Location: Meyer Auditorium, Freer Gallery of Art, Jefferson and 12th Street SW, near the Smithsonian Castle
Metro Access: Smithsonian Station (Blue/Orange)
Featuring artists: Keiko Aoyama, mezzo soprano; Elizabeth Brown: shakuhachi and flute; Kohei Nishikawa, nohkan, shinobue, and flute; Yoshio Tsukada, piano

Music From Japan, now in its 36th season, joins the Smithsonian's Freer Gallery of Art to present an evening of Japanese song and music for flutes at the Freer's Meyer Auditorium on Wednesday, February 16. The concert showcases the talents of leading exponents of both traditional and contemporary music, including Washington premieres of two Music From Japan commissions. "Classical Music: Japanese Spirit and Song" explores flute music from the East and the West, as well as celebrating Japan's enduring song-setting tradition.

The evening program features Kohei Nishikawa and Elizabeth Brown performing new and traditional music for Western classical flute and three kinds of Japanese flute: the nohkan, shinobue, and shakuhachi. The program presents works from the traditional to the contemporary, includingthe DC premiere of a new Music From Japan commission from Elizabeth Brown herself. A recent Guggenheim Fellow, Brown worked closely with Nishikawa to create the new work, an antiphonal duet for nohkan and shakuhachi entitled fragments for the moon (2010).

This year's festival also marks the first time Music From Japan has programmed a vocalist as featured artist. Mezzo-soprano Keiko Aoyama performs settings of traditional folk songs, of songs with traditional Japanese sonorities, and settings of poems by Hakushu Kitahara (1885-1942), including two by Kosaku Yamada, a student of Max Bruch. Aoyama is joined by Kohei Nishikawa on nohkan in the DC premiere performance of Norio Fukushi's Night of the Full Moon (2011), which is based on the oldest surviving tale in the Japanese language, Taketori Monogatari(Tale of the Bamboo Cutter).

Up to 4 tickets per person can be reserved (service fee $2.75 per ticket and $1.25 per order) beginning Feb 7. Contact Ticketmaster: (202) 397-7328, (410) 547-7328, or (703) 573-7328, or at www.ticketmaster.com.

Two tickets per person are also distributed (no service fee) at auditorium beginning one hour before show-time; first-come, first-served.

Opportunity Announcement: Work at a Dupont Circle Bed and Breakfast in exchange for housing

Work in exchange for Basement Room

We are looking for an assistant innkeeper who will work 15 hours per week in exchange for housing. Perfect for hospitality student or intern. Duties include but are not limited to: Front Desk check-ins, reservations, checkouts, breakfast preparation, light housekeeping/laundry and yard work. Candidate must know how to type and use the computer. The basement room is furnished, includes Wi-Fi and all utilities. No smoking or pets.

Please e-mail a cover letter and resume to info@taftbridgeinn.com. No phone calls please.

Call for Papers for the UCLA China Undisciplined Conference.

The UCLA China Studies Graduate Students, in conjunction with the UCLA Center for Chinese Studies, present the fourth annual China Undisciplined Conference

Saturday, April 30, 2011
University of California, Los Angeles

The interdisciplinary China Studies colloquium at UCLA is pleased to announce its fourth annual China Undisciplined conference. The colloquium invites graduate students to submit paper proposals discussing current research in the field. Applicants are encouraged to submit abstracts of papers dealing with topics involving the crossing of disciplinary, temporal, national, cultural, social, and linguistic barriers in the imagination of China. We welcome creative, new approaches to the field of China studies. Papers that initiate interdisciplinary dialogues will be given particular consideration.

Abstracts should be no more than 250 words, and should be submitted electronically, along with the personal information listed below and a current CV. The deadline for submissions is March 15, 2011.

Please email your abstract as an attachment to: http://us.mc596.mail.yahoo.com/mc/compose?to=uclacscconference@gmail.com http://us.mc596.mail.yahoo.com/mc/compose?to=uclacscconference@gmail.com> . In your email, please also include your name, institutional affiliation, department, title of paper, and contact information.

Visiting Scholar Roundtable with Gao Fei

China, the United States, and Russia's Triangle Relationship in the Post-Cold War Era

Tuesday, February 8, 2011
3:00 - 4:00 PM
The Chung-wen Shih Conference Room
1957 E Street, NW, Suite 503

Dr. Gao Fei: Fulbright Scholar and Associate Professor, China Foreign Affairs University

This afternoon the Sigur Center hosted its second Visiting Scholar Roundtable of the semester. The roundtables are designed as a way for our visiting scholars to present their research in an informal and relaxed environment, while receiving valuable input from students and faculty interested in Asian Affairs. The Series will continue on March 22 with Yufang Fan and April 5 with Masaki Hirata.

Gao Fei outlined three major changes in the triangle relationship between China, the US, and Russia since the Cold War: 1) The countries' relationships are unbalanced and asymmetrical, 2) The triangle relationship no longer has strategic global implications, but is still important in certain “problem areas,” 3) The relationships have become “Non-confrontational” and “Non – alliance.” These changes highlight the fact that the triangle relationship between China, the US, and Russia is no-longer a central framework for international relations but still provides a good method for analyzing the relationships between these three countries.

Gao Fei defined several layers of the triangle relationship, emphasizing that each layer sheds light on a different aspect of the triangle relationship. For example, he argues that economic relations are largely bi-lateral. This is clear in the cases of US – China trade, and the Russia-China Oil Pipeline. In terms of military, Gao Fei believes that the US and Russia are still stronger than China. China’s military expenditure is 10 times what it was 20 years ago, but the country’s GDP has grown at almost the same rate, so the percentage of military spending has actually remained static. Finally, in terms of politics, Gao Fei views the US as the only current super power. He believes that Russia is still recovering and China is still rising, therefore the US often has more responsibility in the political sphere.

Sino-Russia relations have gradually become friendlier with the passing of several agreements since 1992. Sino-US relations are largely interdependent, causing both sides to expect long term stable relations even though they still lack mutual trust. Gao Fei described President Hu’s visit to the US and President Obama’s visit to Moscow as “resetting” relations – the leaders have addressed their problems and agreed to continue working. With confidence, Gao Fei expressed his belief that there are no problems within the China, US, Russia triangle that cannot be overcome.