January 22, 2019 The Update is a bi-weekly roundup of news in the Department of Asian Studies for our Students, Faculty and Staff |
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Dr. Edward Slingerland Publishes New Book Mind and Body in Early China In his book, Dr. Edward Slingerland argues that Orientalist accounts of China as a radical, holistic other are fatally flawed and that the humanities need to move beyond social constructivist views of culture, and embrace instead a view of human cognition and culture that integrates the sciences and the humanities. |
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The 2019 summer course schedule is now available! Look out for our awesome courses. |
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See the full list Asian Studies courses offered this summer. |
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| OPPORTUNITIES |
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Make Community Connections! Reading Week 2019 Projects for Asian Studies! Looking for a break from the books this Reading Break? A 3-day project with an elementary school or non-profit organization can enable you to work in group settings, learn more about community issues, apply your academics in the real world, build lasting connections, and make a difference. Projects are from February 19th – 22nd, and are filled on a first-come first-served basis, so apply early! The deadline to apply is January 27, 2019. Alumni UBC's The Break Escape 2019 Contest Tired of the cold? Plan your getaway with The Break Escape. You could win a $2,000 travel package from Merit Travel, Contiki, and alumni UBC, your future alumni association. Open to all current UBC students. The deadline for the contest is January 31, 2019. NATSA Undergraduate Paper Competition The North American Taiwan Studies Association (NATSA) invites submission for its first Undergraduate Research Paper competition. The winner will receive a $250 cash award and be invited to present at NATSA’s annual conference in Seattle on May 16-18, 2019. The paper should be based upon substantial and original research about Taiwan. The deadline to apply is January 31, 2019. MA in South Asia Studies at University of Washington The Master of Arts program in South Asian Studies at Henry M. Jackson School of International Studies offers students a framework within which to carry out the interdisciplinary study of the peoples and nations of the South Asian subcontinent. The deadline to apply is January 31, 2019. UBC School of Public Policy and Global Affairs hiring Canada Research Chair in Global Policy The School of Public Policy and Global Affairs (SPPGA) invites applications for the position of Canada Research Chair (Tier 2) in Global Policy. This CRC in Global Policy is expected to be a full-time, tenure-stream appointment, made at the rank of Assistant or Associate Professor. The deadline to apply is February 1, 2019. Hamako Ito Chaplin Memorial Award for Excellence in Japanese Language Teaching In accordance with the wishes of the Chaplin family, each year a prize of $1000 will be awarded to either a current graduate student or a full-time instructor of Japanese for excellence in Japanese language teaching at the college level. The deadline to apply is February 1, 2019. Call for proposals: Program for Undergraduate Research Experience A call for proposals for innovative pilot projects is is open to faculty, staff and students from both the Vancouver and Okanagan campuses. Funds may be requested for one year (up to $50,000) or two-year projects (up to $100,000). All principal applicants must submit a non-competitive Notice of Intent to apply by February 4, 2019, with full proposals due on March 4, 2019. The 2019 Annual British Columbia Japanese Speech Contest The Annual British Columbia Japanese Speech Contest is open to British Columbia and Yukon residents who speak Japanese as a foreign or second language. The 2019 contest will be held on Saturday, March 2, 2019 at the University of British Columbia. The deadline to apply is Monday, February 4th, 2019 at 5pm. Graduate School of Asia-pacific Studies (GSAPS), Waseda University scholarship program. This program, sponsored by the Japanese government, awards a full scholarship including a round trip air fee, tuition, entrance fee, and monthly stipend for 2 years of MA program, and 3 years for PhD in Japan. The deadline to apply for September 2019 admission is February 6, 2019. Korea-Thailand Field Studies: Business and Historical Culture This is an interdisciplinary program with three courses involving business, history and culture. By visiting various top ranking universities, including Yonsei, Seoul National, and Korea University in Seoul; and Panyapiwat Institute of Management in Bangkok, students get a glimpse of university life through lectures on campus.The deadline to apply is February 28, 2019. Global Affairs Canada and the Chinese Ministry of Education are offering short-term scholarships to Canadians wishing to study abroad in China. Scholarships are awarded for studies, research, language studies or a combination of studies and language studies at participating Chinese institutions. The deadline to apply is March 1, 2019. Explore China for Free with Gotoco Interested in traveling abroad this summer? Join Gotoco in China to gain a TEFL certificate and useful work experience in teaching, education and activity leadership. No prior experience in China, Chinese or teaching is required—just a passion for education and travel. Positions will be filled by late Spring 2019. |
| ON & OFF-CAMPUS EVENTS |
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APF Canada and Schwarzman Scholars Young Professionals Networking Event January 24 | 5:45pm | 9th Floor (Suite 900) 675 West Hastings Street Arts Career Conversations - Flash Mentoring Edition January 24 | 6pm | Wong Trainor Welcome Centre, Robert H. Lee Alumni Centre South Korean Millennials' Military Service and Neoliberal Calculations January 25 | 3:30pm | Multipurpose Room, Liu Institute for Global Issues 6476 NW Marine Drive Signs of the Times: Kunming’s Streetside Political Posters January 29 | 3pm | Room 120, C.K. Choi, 1855 West Mall January 31 | 5pm | Room 120, C.K. Choi, 1855 West Mall Mother Tongue, Motherland: Language in the Work of Theresa Hak Kyung Cha February 7 | 4pm | MOA Room 213, 6393 NW Marine Drive The Phil Lind Initiative Presents: Elizabeth Kolbert February 12 | 6pm | Frederic Wood Theatre, 6354 Crescent Rd Feburary 28 | 4pm | MOA Room 213, 6393 NW Marine Drive ‘The Ladder of Art lies Flat’: Yolngu Art and Discourse on Abstraction March 14 | 4pm | MOA Room 213, 6393 NW Marine Drive |
| Alumni Spotlight – Ciaran Dudley |
The Alumni Spotlight is an interview series where we interview Asia Studies alumni about their career paths, how they became interested in Asian Studies and for any advice that would be useful to our students. This interview features Ciaran Dudley, BA ’11. Mr. Dudley currently works in Vancouver as an Information and Culture Officer at the Consulate General of Japan. |
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Tell us a little about yourself, your background and how you became interested in Asian Studies? Hello, fellow Asian Studies studiers. My name is Ciaran Dudley, I am a 2011 UBC Asian Studies BA graduate, currently working as an ‘Information & Cultural Officer’ at the Consulate General of Japan in Vancouver. I became interested in Asian Studies when I discovered that one could pursue a legitimate academic career studying Japan—a country and culture which I had been curious about since high school. It is hard to pinpoint exactly what sparked my interest, but suffice it to say that Japan as a whole offered a certain ‘allure’ to my undergraduate eyes. This might sound somewhat orientalist today, but that was my thought process at the time. Japan appeared almost magical to me. How did you get your first “adult” job after graduating? Was it a simple transition? Upon graduating, I immediately applied to the JET Programme to become a Coordinator for International Relations (CIR) with the Government of Japan. Luckily, I was one of the two CIRs accepted that year and was sent to work as a translator, interpreter, and presenter at City Hall in Kumamoto, a mid-sized city on the southern island of Kyushu, Japan. The transition from student life to the professional workday calendar was predictably jarring, but my sheer excitement about living and working in Japan absorbed much of the shock of my otherwise abrupt foray into the arena of adulthood. Of course, in hindsight the transition looks like it was simple and clean, but in the heat of the moment it felt very complicated and messy. Are there opportunities for recent graduates in your industry? What does a typical entry-level position entail? Government offices are always on the lookout for ‘foreigners’ who are well-versed in Japan. And now with the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics fast approaching, I would definitely keep my eyes open for employment and/or internship opportunities in the near future. I do not think that I could describe a ‘typical entry-level position’ in this industry, but it would most likely require someone with a more or less conscientious yet flexible character who can adapt to changing circumstances and is at least moderately familiar with the basics of the Japanese language and culture. Has learning an Asian language helped you in your personal or professional life? What tips do you have for students who are keen to play the ‘language card’ in their career development? Learning an Asian language hasn’t only helped me in my personal and professional life, it has single-handedly sustained me through these experiences. My ability to speak, read, and write Japanese (in however mediocre a manner) has unlocked countless opportunities that would have otherwise been off-limits. The philosopher Wittgenstein said that ‘the limits of our language are the limits of our world,’ and I take this to mean that if we learn another language, we actually come to ‘limit the limitation’ of our world itself, and thereby expand the world for ourselves. Learning Japanese has allowed me to overstep the particularities of English and its correspondingly particular worldview. I can now appreciate things from another, more Japanese point of view and hopefully this means that I can see the world more fully, or what is the same thing, less partially, and thereby make myself useful to more and different kinds of people. What advice would you give to yourself as an undergrad or recent graduate? Don’t be afraid of failure, especially at the beginning. Sooner or later, you’ll be such an expert at failing that you’ll start to fail at failing itself. |
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