Frederick Schodt to present on Yoshitaka Kiyama, the development of comics in Japan on November 4

The University Libraries Area Studies Department, with support from the Area Studies Centers, will present a lecture by Frederik L. Schodt, author, on Wednesday, November 4 from 6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. online (registration required). Mr. Schodt will present "The Four Immigrants Manga: How a Japanese Fine Artist Leapt Across Cultures with a Comic Book, in 1931."

Abstract: Frederik L. Schodt, an award-winning author of numerous non-fiction books on the convergence of Japanese and American cultures, will present a heavily illustrated talk examining the development of comics in Japan and Yoshitaka Kiyama's life and his pioneering work.

Hyoun Hwa Kang to present on characteristics of Korean culture embedded in the language on November 5

The Institute for Korean Studies will present a lecture by Hyoun Hwa Kang, Yonsei University, on Thursday, November 5 from 2:30 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. online (registration required). Professor Kang will present "한국어와 문화 읽기 (Korean Culture Embedded in the Language)."

Abstract: 다른 언어와 다른 문화를 배운다는 것은 언어, 가치관, 관습 등이 상이한 사람들이 학습이라는 과정을 통해 서로 접촉하며 의미를 공유하고 이해하는 과정이다. 언어는 사람들 간에 생각과 지식을 주고받는 의사소통의 대표적인 수단으로, 그 말을 사용하는 사람의 생각이나 관습이 담겨 있고, 그 집단에서 이루어진 문화의 총체가 녹아들어 있다. 본 강의는 한국어에 담긴 한국 문화의 특성을 살펴보고, 이를 바탕으로 다른 나라와 구별되는 한국의 문화적 행동 양식을 짚어본다. 사람들은 타문화를 접하고 타문화 사람들과의 상호작용을 통해, ‘서로 다름’의 차이에서 비롯되는 문화를 인지하고 공감대를 형성하면서 문화적 갈등을 극복하게 된다. 이러한 과정을 통해 성숙한 세계 시민으로 성장하는 것이며, 이것이 타문화 학습의 이유일 것이다.

Learning a foreign language and culture is a process of sharing and understanding cultural references of the people with different values and customs. Language is a representative means of communication for exchanging knowledge and ideas; it is a comprehensive cultural entity containing and reflecting its speakers’ thoughts and practices. This lecture examines the characteristics of Korean culture embedded in the Korean language and further elaborates on distinct Korean cultural norms and behaviors suggested in vocabulary and phrases such as idiomatic expressions and newly coined words. Cultural clashes and conflicts are mediated and resolved by acknowledging “cultural differences” and by building empathy through reciprocal learning and exchanges, which is an essential step to become a mature global citizen.

This lecture will be delivered in Korean.

Pil Ho Kim to present on South Korean hip hop duo XXX on November 9

The Institute for Korean Studies will present a lecture by Pil Ho Kim, The Ohio State University, on Monday, November 9 from 4:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. online (registration required). Professor Kim will present "Industrial Hip Hop against Hip Hop Industry: The Critical Noise of XXX."

Abstract: Since its humble beginning about three decades ago, South Korea’s national hip hop scene (gukhip) has grown to a formidable industry that runs the gamut from cutting-edge underground artists to mainstream K-pop idol rappers. In recent years the cable TV audition program Show Me the Money (SMTM) has become the gukhip industry’s ultimate gatekeeper as many aspiring hip hop artists increasingly depend their careers on making it on the show. In this presentation, my co-author Wonseok Lee and I focus on XXX, an underground hip hop duo who bucks this commercial trend of gukhip in both sound and message. Their noise-filled beats and shifting grooves echo the avant-garde aesthetics and confrontational attitudes of industrial music, and their words are harshly critical of the money-driven gukhip culture as represented by SMTM. We provide a musicological analysis of XXX’s own version of industrial hip hop and examine what makes their "outsider" status sustainable vis-à-vis the gukhip industry.

2020 CHINA Town Hall to feature Wei He, Ray Dalio on November 10

The Institute for Chinese Studies, in partnership with the National Committee on U.S.-China Relations (NCUSCR), will present our local speaker for the 2020 CHINA Town Hall, Wei He, Infinity Institute, on Tuesday, November 10 from 5:00 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. online (registration required). Dr. He will present "Navigating Emerging U.S. Sanctions on China."

Abstract: Amid escalating US-China conflicts, U.S. and China imposed a series of sanctions against each other. Communities that have been involved in US-China trade, business or scientific collaborations are under scrutiny. This talk will illustrate the emerging US sanctions landscape and the strategies the affected communities could adopt.

1. The impact of emerging US sanctions on China in US-China Trade and Investment

2. A deep dive on Hong Kong related sanctions

3. Strategies and Risk management for business and scientific communities engaging in cross-continental trade and/or partnership in navigating the new sanction landscape.

Dr. He's lecture will be followed by the CHINA Town Hall Keynote event featuring Ray Dalio, investor, philanthropist, and author, on Tuesday, November 10 from 7:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. For more information on this, and other events through the CHINA Town Hall series, visit the NCUSCR website.

"Comparative Epidemics" course to be offered with International Studies in Spring 2021

The East Asian Studies Center is pleased to partner with the Undergraduate International Studies Program to offer a new course in Spring 2021, "Comparative Epidemics" (International Studies 4195, class number: 35054).

To be taught by Dr. Amy Welling Gregg, the course explores epidemics in the 19th-century, 20th-century, and the 21st-century in East Asia, Africa, and the United States. It examines the historic and modern approaches to epidemics and the various ways in which Public Health systems dealt with the crises.

The readings are compiled from various disciplines to broaden students' understanding from a historical, socio-political, and economic standpoint. Furthermore, the course focuses on how the "social" impacts the medical, economic, and government response to epidemics.

The course is 100% online, however, there is a required weekly class discussion held via Zoom on Thursdays from 2:20 p.m. to 3:40 p.m.