EASC to hold teacher workshop on origami on Jan. 31

The East Asian Studies Center will hold a National Consortium for Teaching About Asia workshop on Tuesday, January 31 from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. online (registration required). Ann Marie Davis, The Ohio State University, Angie Stokes, Wayne Trace Junior/Senior High School, and Tammy Taylor, Twin Valley School District, will present "Folding it into the Curriculum: Origami and STEAM in the K-12 Classroom."

Abstract: Through hands-on activities, films, lectures, and discussions, learn how origami illuminates new and exciting directions in the classroom from social-emotional learning to cross-curricular teaching. Come learn about the modern applications of paper-folding, a journey that takes us around the globe and to the stars and back! In this workshop, we will explore the “art of the fold” by investigating the multi-disciplinary aspects of origami in the classroom. While folding math and science into the curriculum, we will also consider the history of origami and paper-making in East Asia, paper-folding in Japan, and functional origami in modern scientific design. While supplies last, origami sets will be sent to workshop participants.

Jennifer Lin to present film screening, book discussion on Feb. 10

The Institute for Chinese Studies, Asian American Studies, and Mershon Center for International Security Studies will present a film screening and book discussion with Jennifer Lin on Friday, February 10 from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. at 180 Hagerty Hall. Ms. Lin will present "Beethoven in Beijing: Exploring Cultural Diplomacy and the Philadelphia Orchestra’s China Legacy."

Abstract: Fifty years ago, President Nixon pulled back the bamboo curtain separating the United States and China—and the Philadelphia Orchestra stepped across the threshold. After Western music was targeted for elimination during the Cultural Revolution, a historic visit by the Philadelphia Orchestra in 1973 touched hearts and rekindled a love for the music despite years of silence. Narrated by American and Chinese musicians and historians, Beethoven in Beijing explores the impact of the Philadelphia Orchestra’s historic tour on China both then and now. Spanning a half-century of cultural history, the documentary highlights recent collaborations between the orchestra and Chinese musicians, including composer Tan Dun and pianist Lang Lang.

Jennifer Lin, who produced and co-directed the film, will also discuss her companion book, Beethoven in Beijing: Stories from the Philadelphia Orchestra’s Historic Journey to China (Temple University Press, 2022). The oral history examines how the 1973 tour by the Philadelphia Orchestra stands to this day as one of the most effective examples of cultural diplomacy.

Erin Collins to present on Phnom Penh on Feb. 10

The Asian Futures Initiative will present a lecture featuring Erin Collins, Dartmouth College, on Friday, February 10 from 3:30 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. at 198A Hagerty Hall. Prof. Collins will present "Anarchism | Anachronism: Toward a Critical Chronopolitics of Dispossession in Phnom Penh."

Abstract: In this presentation, Erin will critique Cambodian state representations of Phnom Penh’s urban poor communities as anarchistic, arguing that they are rather anachronistic—out of sync with the ruling party’s politics of time. She draws on archival research to analyze a recurrent feature of state land reforms over the past forty years, whereby the ruling party declares a break with the past and then invites the urban population to apply anew for recognition of their property claims—consolidating regime authority in the process. Next, drawing on oral historical interviews and analysis of resonant images from films and the built environment, Collins demonstrates how urban poor communities resist and even counter this mode of temporal closure, claiming a space in the city based on crowded, collective, and heterotemporal histories of dispossession.