Japan ICU Foundation Fundraising Dinner for Tohoku

Via JETWit.com

On Friday, September 14, the Japan ICU Foundation (JICUF) will hold a special Fundraising Dinner in Washington, DC to support ICU’s ongoing programs for earthquake relief in Japan.

The Tohoku Earthquake moved us all in its devastation and impact on 3.11 and the world rallied together to show its support for the immediate relief efforts. Rebuilding takes time and long term commitment though…

The Japan ICU Foundation invites you to join us for a special dinner with the new ICU president, Junko Hibiya, to raise funds for ICU’s ongoing earthquake relief efforts. Click here to read more information about the projects we are supporting. If you aren’t in the area or can’t make it in person, you can still show your support by sharing this invitation or donating!

Friday, September 14, 2012
Reception 6 pm, Dinner 6:30 pm

Old Ambassador’s Residence, Embassy of Japan
2516 Massachusetts Ave, NW
Washington DC

Cost: $100 per person (discounts for students & young professionals)
Dinner & Drinks included
Business Attire

Please RSVP by Friday, September 7
212.870.3386 / information[AT]jicuf[DOT]org

To purchase a ticket online, please click here and put “DC Fundraiser” in the designation field. Or you can send a check to the Japan ICU Foundation’s office in New York.

Special guests will include the new ICU President Dr. Junko Hibiya, Dean of International Affairs Dr. Shaun Malarney and Mr. Kakutaro Kitashiro, the Chair of ICU’s Board of Trustees.

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Job Opening: Assistant Director of Admissions/International, Monroe College

Institution: Monroe College
Location: New Rochelle, NY
Posted: 08/23/2012
Application Due: Open Until Filled
Education: BA required, MA preferred

SUMMARY

Monroe College seeks outcomes-focused Assistant Directors to plan, coordinate, and supervise international enrollment initiatives directed at audiences in Asia, Latin America, Europe and the Middle East. The Assistant Director’s responsibilities will include, but are not limited to:

  • Developing and maintaining relationships with new students and influential publics. This includes initiating and nurturing long-term strategic relationships with students, parents, financial sponsors, quasi-governmental, educational and corporate entities; and, support of the institution’s enrollment goals through periodic international travel
  • Planning and executing promotional tactics that appeal to qualified-diverse nationals, while ensuring the accuracy and timeliness of communication
  • Identifying and managing articulation agreements with educational institutions, governmental authorities and corporations
  • Designing and conducting technical presentations which highlight specific aspects of the varied Monroe degree programs, support services and extracurricular activities
  • Interviewing and guiding prospective students and families so as to facilitate and ensure the timely completion of the admissions and I20 process

REQUIREMENTS

  • Bachelor’s degree required. A Master’s degree preferred.
  • A minimum of 3 years related full-time work experience
  • Ideal candidate must be creative, analytical and capable of making evaluative judgments to solve problems; proficient in project management
  • International and domestic travel required

For full information and to apply, see post on HigherEdJobs.com.

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Funding: Now Available, 2013-14 Applications for David L. Boren Scholars and Fellows

The applications for the 2013-2014 David L. Boren Scholarships and Fellowships are now available at www.borenawards.org. Boren Awards provide unique funding opportunities for U.S. undergraduate and graduate students to study in Africa, Asia, Central & Eastern Europe, Eurasia, Latin America, and the Middle East, where they can add important international and language components to their educations.

Boren Scholars and Fellows represent a variety of academic backgrounds, but all are interested in studying less commonly taught languages, including but not limited to Arabic, Chinese, Korean, Portuguese, Russian, and Swahili. As part of the African Languages Initiative, Boren Award applicants have the opportunity to further their study of Akan/Twi, Hausa, Portuguese, Swahili, Wolof, Yoruba, or Zulu. For a complete list of languages, visit our website. [Note: Boren Scholars and Fellows can study anywhere in Asia, including China, India, Japan, Korea, and Vietnam.]

Undergraduate students can receive up to $20,000 for an academic year’s study abroad and graduate students up to $30,000 for language study and international research. In exchange for funding, recipients commit to working in the federal government for a minimum of one year.

National Application Deadlines
Boren Fellowship: January 31, 2013
Boren Scholarship: February 13, 2013*
*Many institutions have an earlier on-campus deadline. Visit our website for information about your campus deadline and Boren campus representative.

For more information about the Boren Awards, to register for one of our upcoming webinars, and to access the on-line application, please visit http://www.borenawards.org. You can also contact the Boren Awards staff at boren@iie.org or 1-800-618-NSEP with questions.

The Boren Awards are initiatives of the National Security Education Program (NSEP) and are administered by the Institute of International Education.

Boren Scholarships and Fellowships
Institute of International Education
1400 K Street, NW, 7th Floor
Washington, DC 20005-2403
tel: 1-800-618-NSEP
fax: 202-326-7672
online: http://www.borenawards.org

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Call For Papers: MECHADEMIA 9: ORIGINS

For volume 9 of the Mechademia series, the editors seek submissions linked to the broad theme of “origins.”

The search for origins is as controversial as it is persistent. Many critics staunchly reject efforts to locate singular origins or answers in relation to meaning or interpretation, while others struggle to recover an original historical or cultural context for their texts. Some writing on anime and manga has tried to see Japanese popular culture as the reflection of a putatively traditional culture in which it originates, while academic criticism has frequently regarded these media as opportunities to uncover the recent or constructed quality of Japanese tradition, or to radically reconceive what contemporary Japan is or could be. And like film and newer media, anime has attracted the attention of scholars from a wide range of disciplines who have applied their own perspectives and methodologies to it, even as other critics argue that anime requires a radically different and radically original new approach.

With volume 9 we seek to shed some new light on these debates with articles that address the concept of origin in a sophisticated, original way. We are interested in submissions covering a wide range of different texts, approaches, and disciplines, particularly those underrepresented in Japanese popular culture criticism now. Possible topics include (but are definitely not limited to) the following:

Popular culture texts whose stories turn on the theme of origins or denial of origins: character origin tales; stories of birth, rebirth, and creation; metaphysics; history and prehistory; nationalism or cosmopolitanism; homecoming or diaspora.

The origins of manga or anime: the question of their premodern antecedents; auteurism and canonicity; national origins of manga and anime, and their non-Japanese versions.

Adaptations, and reproductions of “original” works: parody, pastiche, and doujinshi; remediation; uniqueness vs. mass production; anime or film adaptations of manga, or manga adaptions of prose; franchises and media mixes in which a single story crosses multiple media and products.

Work that treats the notion of origin from the perspective of visual composition: visual hierarchies, reading order, page layout, flipping, flattening, etc.

Submissions should address the notion of origins explicitly, but as the list above suggests, contributors can come at this theme from many different directions. In order to represent a wide range of approaches and methodologies in this volume, we encourage scholars from various disciplines to relate their own ongoing work to this broad theme.

Essays may be up to 5,000 words in length, with shorter pieces also welcome, and we will consider submissions in creative, non-traditional formats as well.

Email manuscripts in MS Word format to submissions@mechademia.org by January 4, 2013.

A slightly longer version of this call, details about formatting submissions, and further information about Mechademia are all available on our web site at http://mechademia.org

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Job opening: Asia Programs Director at UNC Chapel Hill

UNC Chapel Hill is looking for an Asia Programs Director to start in December 2012.

This position establishes, manages, and promotes all study abroad programs in Asia. It requires close collaboration within the Study Abroad Office with those responsible for advising, finance and operations, and outside the Study Abroad Office with academic units that sponsor and support each study abroad program. The successful management of programs entails ensuring that each is financially viable and articulates closely with the on-campus academic curriculum, and regular and effective communication with foreign partner universities, institutions and service providers.

The position is also responsible for: putting in place administrative and logistical arrangements for proprietary UNC-CH study abroad programs in Asia, overseeing the Phillips Ambassadors Scholarship Program and supervising the Phillips Events and Communications Coordinator, managing the donor-funded SE Asia Summer Program and the office’s sole joint degree program (with the National University of Singapore) Program management also requires availability to deal with emergencies on a 24/7 basis.

Educational Requirements:

Master’s degree with an emphasis in Asian Studies, International Studies or other related field. Preference may be given to candidates with a PhD in a relevant field.

Qualifications and Experience:

A working knowledge of at least one Asian language together with travel, study and or work experience in Asia is required. Applicants must also have at least three years of administrative program experience in a study abroad office within a university or college with a preferred focus area in East Asia. Demonstrated cultural competency in Asia, excellent communication skills, experience of cross-cultural issues abroad, and a willingness to travel are also required.

For more information, special instructions, and to apply online, visit http://unc.peopleadmin.com/postings/7694

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Fun Link Friday: Japan Fireworks

In this week’s seasonal fun link, we take a look at Japanese fireworks, hanabi. While watching a show from afar have you ever wanted to learn more about how fireworks are made in Japan?

Check out Japan-Fireworks.com, a vast visual guide to everything about hanabi technology. It answers many questions such as “How are Japanese hanabi different?” The English version of the site hasn’t been fully renewed since 2006, but the original Japanese page run by Onozato Kiminari (aka “the hanabi guy”), a professional photographer, is still going strong. His gallery of photos is amazing, so do not miss it after you’ve learned about the three different types of hanabi.

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Job Opening: Japanese Language and Japanese Studies (own discipline), Senior Lecturer or Lecturer

Institution: Australian National University, School of Culture, History and Language, College of Asia and the Pacific
Location:   Australia
Position:   Lecturer/Sr Lecturer

Closing date: 9/30/12

The School of Culture History and Language (CHL) is one of four Schools within ANU College of Asia and the Pacific. Unique in the world, the School is focused on deep, cutting-edge research and teaching about the people, languages and land of Asia.

Japan Centre within CHL is seeking a suitably qualified person to teach Japanese language courses to both undergraduate and postgraduate students from beginners to advanced levels, as well as teach discipline courses in his/her own area of expertise.

Applicants should have a PhD in a relevant discipline, including but not restricted to anthropology, classical literature, law, pre-modern history or religious studies and a demonstrated ability to teach Japanese language courses. The candidate is expected to have a near native fluency in both Japanese and English.

ANU is an equal opportunity employer and, as part of our drive to reach gender balance in our program, we are particularly keen to encourage applications from highly qualified female applicants.

Contact: Further enquiries: Dr Carol Hayes
T: +61 2 6125 3983
E: carol.hayes@anu.edu.au

Website: http://jobs.anu.edu.au/PositionDetail.aspx?p=2880

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Event: Double Performance of Noh play Sumidagawa and Benjamin Britten’s Curlew River

If theater is your thing and you’re anywhere near England at the moment, you may be interested in the following double-bill performance of the Noh play Sumidagawa and Benjamin Britten’s Curlew River in London and Orford (September 7 & 9 – event details here).

The background on both Sumidagawa and Britten’s connection with Japanese theater are really interesting, so check out the website for detailed information on both plays!

http://sumidagawa-curlewriver.com/

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Job Opening: Assistant for Intergovernmental Affairs, Consulate General of Japan in San Francisco

Institution: Consulate General of Japan in San Francisco
Location: San Francisco, CA
Deadline: Sept. 5, 2012
Education: Bachelor’s degree

Established in 1870, the Consulate General of Japan in San Francisco is Japan’s chief diplomatic mission covering Northern California and Nevada. The Consulate works in various areas including intergovernmental relations, economic affairs, education, cultural exchange and providing consular services.

The Consulate seeks a staff member to assist the Intergovernmental Affairs Section. This section is responsible for the following activities within the states of California and Nevada.

  • Conducting political and governmental research to identify emerging developments in Japan-U.S. relations
  • Assisting consular staff with learning about comparative governmental processes and developing connections with their domestic government counterparts
  • Implementing creative projects to advance Japan-U.S. relations, including sister city relations and intergovernmental exchanges
  • Drafting speeches and informational materials

Applicant Qualifications:

  • Demonstrated interest in American government and international relations with a Bachelor’s degree or higher
  • Excellent written and oral communication skills with a proven ability to conduct governmental research
  • High professional skills and the ability to work cooperatively with consular staff and federal, state and local government officials
  • Strong organizational skills and proficiency in Word, Excel, Outlook and PowerPoint

Applicants should submit a cover letter explaining how their skills and interests would help advance Japan-U.S. relations, a resume with references and a writing or research sample. Application postmark deadline is September 5, 2012 with a preferred employment date starting in early October. This is a full-time position.

Please mail these materials to:

Kei Hagiwara
Vice Consul for Intergovernmental Affairs
Consulate General of Japan
50 Fremont Street, Suite 2300
San Francisco, CA 94105

Original posting on Consulate General website.

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Volunteer Opportunity: Habitat for Humanity, Miyagi, September 2012

Apply to Volunteer in Tohoku (Miyagi, September 2012)

Location: Ishinomaki city and Higashimatsushima city, etc Miyagi prefecture
Deadline: recruitment will be closed seven days before the program day or if and when the target is met.

Dates:
A. Sep 1st (Sat) – Sep 3rd (Mon)
B. Sep 4th(Tue) – Sep 6th(Thu)
C. Sep 8th (Sat) – Sep 10th (Mon)
D. Sep 15th (Sat) – Sep 17th (Mon, Bank Holiday)
E. Sep 22nd(Sat, Bank Holiday) – Sep 24th(Mon)
F. Sep 25th(Tue) – Sep 27th (Thu)
G. Sep 28th(Fri) – Sep 30th (Sun)

Activities:
Cleaning and rehabilitating private houses, public community buildings, supporting communication events, posting, etc.
*Activities might be changed depending on the weather.

Meeting and dismissal:

Meet at Habitat Japan Tagajo Office between 18:00 – 22:00 the on the first day.Dismissal on the last work day on 18:00.

  • From Sendai Station to Tagajo office:

Please take Senseki Line to Tagajo station(approx. 22 min), then walk to Habitat Japan office(approx. 10min).
*Above schedule may be changed due to your arrival dates. You will be informed in advance in such case.
*Parking space is not available at Habitat Japan Tagajo Office. Please take public transportation. In case you need to come by your own car, please park your car at around Tagajo Station, or in Sendai city.

Participation Fee:
3,000 yen per person (except Izushima Project)

※ Habitat Japan will arrange volunteer health insurance, onsite transport, accommodation, work day dinner.
* Please make payment upon your arrival.
*Activities that you will join will be informed on the work day, depending on weather, local needs and schedule from the 1st day.

Accommodation:
Habitat Japan Tagajo Office or public lodge.
(In Tagajo office we have one shared shower/bath room and not necesarry available when you wish to take it. And Some public lodges does not have shower room)

Volunteers needed:
6 person per day
*Volunteers will be selected on a first-come, first-served basis.
* Recruitment will be closed seven days before the program day or if and when the target is met.

For full details and to apply, see Habitat for Humanities’ website.

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