Theatre Nohgaku Noh Costuming Workshop

Posted on December 14, 2011 by Paula

Theatre Nohgaku announces its first Noh Costuming Workshop, to be held June 12-20, 2012 in Kyoto and Fukuyama, Japan. This unprecedented opportunity will include comprehensive lectures in English on costuming in noh; an invitation to watch a noh rehearsal; attendance at live performances; visits to a professional noh costume maker and a costume museum; and the rare opportunity to view, practice and participate in the tightly choreographed process of dressing and being dressed in noh costumes, as well as the care and handling of noh costumes guided by professional noh actors.

Conducting lectures will be well-known author, scholar and practitioner of noh, Monica Bethe. Professional actors of the Oshima Noh family based in Fukuyama including both Teruhisa and Kinue Oshima, will demonstrate the use and donning of garments, and will lead participants in hands-on demonstrations. Also assisting will be members of Theatre Nohgaku, including longtime practitioner and Theatre Nohgaku founding Artistic Director, Richard Emmert.

Quick Facts:

Theatre Nohgaku Noh Costuming Workshop

Location: Kyoto and Fukuyama, Japan
Dates: June 12-20, 2012
Limit: 15 participants only!

For prices, e-announcements, logistical information and questions on how to register, contact Tom O’Connor, managing director, Theatre Nohgaku: toconnor@theatrenohgaku.org, or see the announcement on the Theatre Nohgaku website: www.theatrenohgaku.org.

Richard Emmert
Professor, Asian Theatre and Music,Musashino University

www.musashino-u.ac.jp

Artistic Director, Theatre Nohgaku

www.theatrenohgaku.org

Director, Noh Training Project

www.nohtrainingproject.org

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Harvard Summer School in Kyoto at Doshisha University June 4-July 27,2012

Posted on December 13, 2011 by Paula

Dear prospective participants,

I am writing to invite you to take part in Harvard Summer School’s 8-week program at Doshisha University in Kyoto, Japan.  Students enroll in 2 courses:  Professor Mikael Adolphson’s “Japan: Tradition and Transformation,”  explores the nation’s tumultous move to modernity. Professor James Robson’s course, “Introduction to the Study of East Asian Religions,” covers the development and history of Buddhism, Daoism, Confucianism, Shinto, and various forms of popular religion in a cross-cultural setting.  Students reside with local families where they have the best chance to experience the Japanese way of life.  In addition, a myriad of field trips coincide seamlessly with coursework, linking the classroom with the surrounding city.  Noncredit Japanese language instruction with Doshisha staff is provided for students with no previous exposure to the Japanese language.

For detailed information on the program and application instructions please visit: http://www.summer.harvard.edu/abroad/japan/

At a glance —
* Students must be at least 18 years old, have completed at least 1 year of college or be a first-year student, and be in good academic standing to apply
* Application deadline: February 3, 2012
* Dates: June 4 – July 27, 2012
* Cost: $7,750, and includes the following:
– Tuition
– Room and some meals
– All scheduled excursions and extracurricular activities
In addition to the program fee, students are responsible for:
– A health insurance fee ($195; waived if students have US insurance that provides coverage outside the United States)
– Transportation to and from Kyoto
– The cost of passports and visas (if the latter is needed)
– Any immunizations

WEB: http://www.fas.harvard.edu/~rijs

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Announcement: Kyushu University graduate programs in Japanese Studies

Posted on December 13, 2011 by Paula

Masters and Doctoral programs in Japanese Studies
Kyushu University

Graduate School of Social and Cultural Studies
Fukuoka, Japan

In 2011 the Graduate School of Social and Cultural Studies, Kyushu University, created the International Master’s and Doctoral Programs in Social and Natural Sciences. Lectures and guidance for these programs, part of Japan’s Global 30 Program, will be taught entirely in English.
We are an interdisciplinary graduate school with Japanese Studies as one of our discipline areas.  Students specializing in Japanese Studies also would, of course, be trained in using Japanese language sources.  This is an excellent opportunity to do advanced graduate work in Japan, in close proximity to Japanese resources and scholars, but without having to have university-level Japanese language ability. We admit students twice a year, for semesters starting in April and October.

Details about the program are available here.

Applications for the program are available here.

Faculty teaching Japanese Studies who can serve as advisers include:
Faculty teaching Japanese Studies who can serve as your adviser include:

Matthew AUGUSTINE (Columbia University), who specializes in the international history of Northeast Asia with a focus on modern Japan. His current research is on the history of U.S. military occupations in Japan and Korea.

Andrea GERMER (Ruhr-Universität Bochum), who specializes in 20th century gender studies and visual propaganda.

Andrew HALL (University of Pittsburgh), who specializes in 20th century Japanese colonial policy, particularly language and education policies in Manchuria and Korea.

Koji MIZOGUCHI (University of Cambridge), who specializes in Japanese archaeology and training students in archaeological field work.

Hitoshi NAKANO (Kyushu University), who specializes in the state and society of Japan in the medieval and early modern periods, particularly the Toyotomi Hideyoshi regime and the invasions of Korea.

For the further information, please contact to Graduate School of Social and Cultural Studies (hbddaiga@jimu.kyushu-u.ac.jp), or one of the faculty advisers .

The preliminary application deadline for the upcoming April semester is December 16, 2011

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Job Opening: Assistant Director of FSB International Programs, Miami University (OH)

Posted on December 12, 2011 by LM

Via HigherEdJobs.com.

Institution: Miami University
Location: Oxford, OH
Category: Admin – International Programs and Services
Application Due: Open Until Filled
Type: Full Time

Farmer School of Business: Assistant Director of International Programs to provided support for all aspects of the Farmer School of Business (FSB) International Programs, with special emphasis on the FSB Asian programs ; promote and manage exchange programs with partner universities in China, Japan, Korea and elsewhere; advise FSB students on all international curricular issues; serve as a point of contact with exchange partner schools; orient and advise international students participating in the School’s exchange programs; assist the Director of the China Business Program and the Director of the Higgin Kim Asian Business program with recruitment, management and projects.

Requirements
Bachelor’s degree from an accredited university; extensive knowledge of East Asian culture; strong interpersonal, public relations, and Web page management skills.

Preferred Qualifications
Master’s degree in related field; previous international program administration and operations experience; fluency in one or more East Asian Languages; academic advisor experience.

Send letter of application, vitae and contact information for three references electronically to Kim Suellau, Director of International Programs, Farmer School of Business, at www.fsb.muohio.edu/employment/international.

Screening of applications begins December 15, 2011 and will continue until the position is filled.
Application Information
Contact: Kim Suellau
Farmer School of Business
Miami University
Online App. Form: http://www.fsb.muohio.edu/employment/international

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Call for writers!

Posted on December 12, 2011 by Paula

Here at What can I do with a B.A. in Japanese Studies?(Shinpai Deshou) we aim to provide people with as much information on using Japanese in academic and professional fields as possible, although we know that our limited number of writers means we end up leaning more heavily towards the academic side. Lately that means we haven’t been able to give you guys non-academic advice or review general Japanese language learning materials as much as we’d like. So! How would you like to write for us?

We’re particularly interested in hearing from people who:

  • Work or have worked in professional settings in or related to Japan
  • Have worked at or with translation companies (we get a lot of questions about this!)
  • Have experience with Japan-related societies
  • Have experience with Japan-related NPOs in the US or abroad
  • Would like to write reviews of online resources specifically geared towards Japanese language acquisition
  • Have any other ideas about an article (or articles!) they would like to write that relates to their experiences in the Japanese field

If you think you might like to contribute to Shinpai Deshou please send us an email at shinpai.deshou@gmail.com with a brief bio and a summary of the kind of article you might like to write for us. We’re always interested in expanding our scope and providing helpful advice to our readers. Questions or comments? Let us know!

Cheers,

Shinpai Deshou Team

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Call for Participants: Japanese Media & Popular Culture Master Class, Montreal

Posted on December 12, 2011 by Paula

Call for Participants: Japanese Media & Popular Culture Master Class, Montreal

Location: Quebec, Canada
Call for Papers Date: Feb 6, 2012

JAPANESE MEDIA AND POPULAR CULTURE MASTER CLASS CALL FOR PARTICIPANTS

In conjunction with the conference Experiencing the Media Mix: Anime, Manga, Video Games [concordia.ca/pcs] and the Bibliothque et Archives nationales du Qubec Manga Year series of exhibitions [manga.banq.qc.ca/en.html], Concordia University is pleased to present a day-long Japanese Media and Popular Culture master class on Monday, February 6, 2012.

The master class is an opportunity for twenty graduate students from across Canada, who are studying themes related to Japanese media and popular culture, to gather with their peers and discuss research topics, methodologies and sources with a group of leading scholars in diverse disciplines, including anthropology, game studies, history, media studies, and sociology.

One half of the master class program will feature invited speakers Ian Condry (Massachusetts Institute of Technology), Margherita Long (University of California, Riverside), Tom Looser (New York University) and Thomas Lamarre (McGill University). The second half will feature guests from the Concordia academic community: Mia Consalvo, Matthew Penney, Bart Simon and Marc Steinberg. Following short presentations by the scholars, the day will be organized into breakout sessions to enable students to engage with the experts, and each other, in small groups.

Experiencing the Media Mix conference keynote speaker Otsuka Eiji, a leading Japanese theorist of manga, anime, fan cultures and media mix practice, and also the creator of hit manga such as MPD Psycho, Leviathan, and The Kurosagi Corpse Delivery Service, will host a special one-hour Q&A section for Master Class participants.

Concordia University invites interested students at the graduate level to submit a CV, one page statement of interest, and letter of support from an advisor. The advisor’s letter must be signed on university letterhead. All documents must be sent electronically to masterclass@graduatestudies.concordia.ca.

The deadline to receive applications and letters of reference is December 21, 2011. There is no participation fee, and funding support of $250 is available for participants traveling from outside the greater Montreal area. Space is limited and applicants will be informed whether they have been selected by January 10, 2012. The classes will be conducted in English.

EVENT DESCRIPTION

Experiencing the Media Mix: Anime, Manga, Video Games

Media mix is the Japanese term for the strategy of promoting transmedia synergy: the proliferation of work across different media platforms, from films to video games, comic books to amusement rides, novels to soundtracks. But the Japanese media mix is not only the object of industrial production and marketing practice, it is also an increasingly significant part of our collective media environment. We play, read, watch, write, copy and comment across media platforms on a daily basis: we experience the media mix. As such it is a phenomenon whose study demands new methodologies, new approaches, and new ways of thinking about both the Japanese media sphere and our own media environment.

Experiencing the Media Mix: Anime, Manga, Video Games is a three-day event composed of a symposium, a keynote lecture, game-play performance, and master classes featuring local and international renowned scholars. It will provide a dynamic, interdisciplinary and international milieu to shed light on the centrality of media connectivity and the importance of experience within the phenomenon of the media mix, and the forms of anime, manga and video games so central to it.

Lorena Marzitelli
School of Graduate Studies
Concordia University

Email: lorena@alcor.concordia.ca
Visit the website at http://concordia.ca/pcs

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Japan Webpage Contest for UK Schools (2011-2012)

Posted on December 12, 2011 by Laura

Make a website to share with the world what your students are doing to explore and learn about Japan and you could win up to ￡1,000 for your school! The Japan Foundation of London has extended the deadline for their Japan Webpage Contest for UK schools until January 12, 2012. All primary and secondary schools with projects or classes involving Japanese language or culture are welcome to enter. For more information and a look at previous winning websites, please visit the official contest website.

——-

News Release from Japan Foundation London courtesy of Click Japan News:

Enter the Japan Webpage Contest for Schools in the U.K. and win up to ￡1,000 worth of prizes for your school! The deadline has been extended until the 12th of January
2012, so you have more time to apply.

The Japan Foundation knows that many schools are teaching Japanese or are engaged in other projects about Japan, and we want to hear more about such activities. This contest is open to any UK primary or secondary school that is teaching Japanese or involved in projects related to Japan. Your school does not need to be teaching Japanese to enter the contest.

To enter, all you need to do is make a simple webpage about the work that your school is doing with Japanese or Japan. This could be a blog, a wiki, or a page that’s part of your school’s website.

Contest website: http://www.japanwebpagecontest.org.uk/index.php

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Call for Papers: NAJS Conference on the Study of Contemporary Japanese Society

Posted on December 10, 2011 by Paula

22-23 March 2012, Gothenburg, Sweden.

We would like to invite you to participate in the Ninth Annual NAJS Conference. The NAJS is an interdisciplinary platform for research on modern and contemporary Japan. The next conference will take place at the School of Global Studies, University of Gothenburg (http://www.globalstudies.gu.se/english)

The format of the NAJS conferences is intensive, collective, and centred on discussion and feedback. In case your proposal is accepted you are expected to submit your completed paper well before the start of the conference. All papers will be made available to the other participants through the NAJS website. The participants are supposed to read all papers beforehand. Accordingly there will be no presentations, apart from the keynote speeches. Two discussants will shortly comment on each paper, the rest of the time being reserved for discussion. The NAJS conferences have no particular theme for the conference, although at our next conference we especially welcome papers related to the theme of “one year after the tsunami”.

The keynote speeches at the Gothenburg conference will be given by Iwabuchi Kichi (Waseda University), Sugita Yoneyuki (Osaka University) and Taga Futoshi (Kansai University).

Registration forms and more information about the conference can be found on the NAJS website (N.B. new url):
http://www.najs.jp/?page_id=23

Please read the guidelines for participation (http://www.najs.jp/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/NAJS-2012-Guidelines.pdf) carefully before registering and sending in your abstract.

Deadline for abstracts: 18 December 2011 (Sunday)
Deadline for full papers: 12 February 2011 (Sunday)

Please submit abstracts and papers to: staffan.appelgren@gu.se

You will be notified if your abstract has been accepted before Christmas.

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Fun Link Friday: Yamada Keisuki’s Banana Art (on Tofugu)

Posted on December 9, 2011 by LM

「祖父バナナ」Image from Yamada Keisuke's Pixiv. (Linked)

Surely you’ve heard of Yoshimoto Banana, but have you heard of Yamada Banana? Today’s fun link is “Top Banana Keisuke Yamada And His Incredible Banana Art” by John on Tofugu. He writes,

To create these fruity masterpieces, the only tools Keisuke uses are bananas, toothpicks, and a spoon. He uses the spoon to prime the banana by smoothing its surface and then does the majority of the actual sculpt work with toothpicks. He also mentions that each of his sculptures is completed within 30 minutes. If he takes too long, the banana will begin to brown and the sculpture will be ruined. After finishing each creation, he takes pictures of them to upload on the Japanese art site Pixiv. And after that, he eats them.

The link includes a variety of photos, as well as a video of a morning show segment on Yamada’s art. My favorite part is when the interviewer asks how the banana tastes, and he responds, “It’s good, but I’m tired of them since I eat them every day.”

バナナを楽しんでください！

-Leah

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Funded MA program: East Asian Studies at the University of Alberta

Posted on December 8, 2011 by Paula

We would like to draw your attention to opportunities for students to pursue a funded MA degree focusing on various areas in East Asian Studies at the University of Alberta (Edmonton, Alberta, Canada):

http://www.eastasianstudies.ualberta.ca/

Our university is keen to build the graduate program in East Asian Studies, and 11 new MA students (many with full funding) entered the department this fall, part of an expansion we aim to continue. Though we currently focus on the MA level, an interdisciplinary Ph.D. in conjunction with other programs is an option, and we hope to start a Ph.D. program in the near future. The deadline to apply to our graduate program for Fall 2012 entry is 10 January 2012.

Students can focus on any of the following areas:

Chinese Linguistics/Pedagogy
Chinese Literature
Japanese Linguistics/Pedagogy
Japanese Literature
Japanese Cultural Studies
East Asian Art History
East Asian Religion
East Asian Studies

In particular, the department has research strengths in the following areas:

Chinese Linguistics/Pedagogy
Japanese Linguistics/Pedagogy
Premodern Japanese Studies
Premodern Chinese Studies
Taiwanese Literature

Some of the research projects and events hosted by the department may be found at:

http://www.eastasianstudies.ualberta.ca/

Ph.D. programs focusing on one of the above areas may be created in conjunction with other programs on campus.

Tuition costs at the University of Alberta are very reasonable compared to those at other North American universities. University and departmental funding is awarded on the basis of merit; nonetheless, over the past several years we have been successful in providing almost all of our students with some form of financial support, including teaching assistantships. In particular, we saw a large increase in the amount of funding awarded to incoming students this year, and we expect this to continue.

For further information, please visit our website:

http://www.eastasianstudies.ualberta.ca/en/GraduatePrograms.aspx

or contact:

Yoshi Ono, Graduate Coordinator
tono@ualberta.ca

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