Job Opening: Japanese Buddhism, UC Berkeley, Professor

Posted on August 3, 2011 by Paula

Institution: University of California – Berkeley, East Asian Languages and Cultures
Position: Tenured Professor, Japanese Buddhism

Japanese Buddhism: The Department of East Asian Languages and Cultures at the University of California, Berkeley, invites applications for a tenured position in Japanese Buddhism. The Department encourages interdisciplinary approaches (anthropology, history, literature, religious studies, visual culture), but all candidates should have advanced facility in the textual traditions of Buddhism in Japan. Accordingly, expertise in both modern and classical Japanese (Bungo and Kanbun) is expected; candidates should ideally have a strong grasp of at least one other language of the Asian Buddhist tradition as well (e.g. Chinese, Korean). The successful candidate is expected to contribute to the Department’s undergraduate and graduate programs in Japanese studies, as well as to the new undergraduate track in East Asian religion and thought. In addition, the candidate will be expected to contribute to teaching and advising in the Group in Buddhist Studies Ph.D. program. This appointment begins July 1, 2012.

Letter of application, CV, teaching dossier (statement and syllabi), sample publications, and at least three letters of recommendation should be sent as pdf files to: easearch@berkeley.edu, with “Japanese Buddhism search” in the subject line. Alternatively, application materials may be sent by post to:

Chair, Japanese Buddhism Search Committee
Department of East Asian Languages and Culture
3413 Dwinelle Hall #2230
University of California, Berkeley, California 94720-2230.

The application deadline is October 3, 2011; all mail submissions must be postmarked by that date.

Instructions for letter writers may be found at: http://apo.chance.berkeley.edu/evalltr.html. The University of California is an Affirmative Action, Equal Opportunity employer. The department seeks candidates who share our commitment to diversity and inclusion in higher education. UC Berkeley is committed to addressing the family needs of faculty, including dual career couples and single parents. Further information on campus resources may be found at: http://calcierge.berkeley.edu/.

Contact: easearch@berkeley.edu

Posted in announcements, job openings, jobs | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Abe Fellowship is Accepting Applications

Posted on August 2, 2011 by Paula

2011 Abe Fellowship Competition

Deadline: September 1, 2011

http://www.ssrc.org/fellowships/abe-fellowship/

The Social Science Research Council (SSRC), the Japan Foundation Center for Global Partnership (CGP), and the American Council of Learned Societies (ACLS) announce the annual Abe Fellowship competition. The Abe Fellowship is designed to encourage international multidisciplinary research on topics of pressing global concern. The Abe Fellowship Program seeks to foster the development of a new generation of researchers who are interested in policy-relevant topics of long-range importance and who are willing to become key members of a bilateral and global research network built around such topics.

The Abe Fellowship Research Agenda

Applicants are invited to submit proposals for research in the social sciences and related fields relevant to any of the following three themes:

1) Traditional and Non-Traditional Approaches to Security and Diplomacy

Topic areas include transnational terrorism, internal ethnic and religious strife, infectious diseases, food safety, climate change, and non-proliferation, as well as the role of cultural initiatives in peace building.

2) Global and Regional Economic Issues

Topic areas include regional and bilateral trade arrangements, international financial stability, globalization and the mitigation of its adverse consequences, sustainable urbanization, and environmental degradation.

3) Social and Cultural Issues

Topic areas include demographic change, immigration, the role of civil society and media as champions of the public interest, social enterprise, corporate social responsibility, and revitalization of multi-cultural urban areas.

Research projects should be policy relevant, contemporary, and comparative or transnational.

Fellowship Terms

Terms of the fellowship are flexible and are designed to meet the needs of Japanese and American researchers at different stages in their careers. The program provides Abe Fellows with a minimum of three and maximum of 12 months of full-time support over a 24 month period. Part-time residence abroad in the United States or Japan is required.

Eligibility

* This competition is open to citizens of the United States and Japan as well as to nationals of other countries who can demonstrate a serious, long-term affiliation with research communities in the United States or Japan.
* Applicants must hold a Ph.D. or the terminal degree in their field, or equivalent professional experience at the time of application. Applications from researchers in professions other than academia are encouraged.

Contact Details

For further information and to apply, go to:

http://www.ssrc.org/fellowships/abe-fellowship/
Contact SSRC staff at abe@ssrc.org

Posted in announcements, funding, graduate school | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Job Opening: Postdoc Research Modern Japan politics & science fiction

Posted on August 2, 2011 by Paula

Institution:   Leiden University, The Netherlands, Modern East Asia Research Centre
Position:   2-year Post Doctoral Research position

Call for Applications Postdoctoral research position (38hrs/week  2 years maximum)

Within the research project Beyond Utopia: New Politics, the Politics of Knowledge, and the Science Fictional Field of Japan

The Modern East Asia Research Centre (MEARC) at the Leiden Institute for Area Studies at Leiden University, the Netherlands, invites applications for one 2-year postdoc position within the VICI research project Beyond Utopia: New Politics, the Politics of Knowledge, and the Science Fictional Field of Japan. The position carries a one-year probationary period, successful completion of which will make the post 2 years in total. The principle researcher is Prof. dr. Chris Goto-Jones, Professor of Comparative Philosophy & Political Thought, Leiden University.

Successful candidates will begin their position no later than January 2012.

Project description

Recognizing that, since the end of the Cold War, political theorists around the world have embarked upon a deliberate quest for difference and innovation in their discipline, triggered by the apparently world historic victory of liberal capitalism, this project aims to uncover a series of sites of difference and innovation. In particular, it locates itself in two kinds of distancing: geo-cultural (ie. in the non-European space of Japan) and medial (ie. in innovative expressive media). Utilizing the techno-media of anime, manga and video games, and focusing on the radical potentials of the genre of speculative science fiction, this project aims to analyze and model a series of political visions as potential alternatives to liberal capitalism, hence contributing to the field of political thought.

Furthermore, acknowledging that these widely popular techno-medial products utilize different grammars of expression from conventional, text-based media, this project seeks to formulate a research methodology for scholars to employ for critical interventions into these fields. Accepting that the dimensions of the public sphere change with time and technological developments, and hypothesizing that the public sphere in many contemporary societies is now informed by this techno-politics, at stake is the ability of scholars to remain in touch with (and persuasive in) political realities: new forms of literacy are required if scholars seek to remain involved in the new public sphere. This project attempts to outline those forms of literacy, as implied by the rapidly globalizing force of Japanese anime, manga and video games.

Postdoc subproject

The postdoc will be tasked with selecting a particular mechanism, idea, or narrative theme from the science fictional field and tracking it across different technologies and media in order to investigate the ways in which particular media influence political meanings. The projects focus is on the function and translation of political rhetoric between techno-medial expressions of comparable units.

Tasks:

  • one monograph
  • one conference paper (final conference)
  • contribution to a teaching programme in an appropriate field teamwork with the other researchers on this project (PhD candidates and the principal researcher)

Requirements

Candidates should hold a PhD degree.

Preference will be given to candidates with:

  • a PhD in Political Science/Thought or Philosophy;
  • a PhD in Media Studies, with demonstrable expertise in Political Thought or Philosophy;
  • a PhD in Japanese Studies and a demonstrable specialization in Political Thought or Philosophy;
  • outstanding research qualities manifested in a high-quality dissertation and articles published in peer reviewed journal
  • Excellent command of English

In general, knowledge of Japanese is preferred but not essential; where a project requires use of sources in the vernacular, Japanese will be essential.

Offer

MEARC offers one fulltime (38hrs/week) Postdoc position for a period of 1 year in the first instance, extendable to 2 years on the basis of performance. The salary will be according to education and experience, and will range between Euro 3.195 and Euro 3.315 gross per month in the first year based on fulltime employment (in accordance with current salary scales as set out in the collective labour agreement for Dutch Universities). Candidates from outside the Netherlands may be eligible for a substantial tax break.

How to apply

Applications should be emailed in PDF format to the following email address: info@mearc.eu.

The deadline for applications is 1 September 2011.

Only applications emailed on or before this date will be accepted.

In order to apply, the applicant must submit the following:

1. a curriculum vitae;
2. a letter of motivation;
3. a research proposal of up 2500 words,;
4. a maximum of three sample publications (thesis, refereed journal articles, edited volume chapters, monograph);
5. list of courses taught;
6. name and contact details of three referees.

For further inquiries, please contact Ms Esther TRUIJEN, info@mearc.eu

Contact: Ms Esther TRUIJEN
Manager Modern East Asia Research Centre
Leiden institute for Area Studies
Leiden University

email only: info@mearc.eu
Website: www.mearc.eu

Posted in announcements, job openings, jobs | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Peter, a commenter, followed up on our Fun Link Friday on Tokyo’s weirdly themed restaurants with this link mapping strange restaurants around the world: http://restoran.us/trivia/unusual.htm 

Awesome stuff! Thanks Peter!

Posted on August 1, 2011 by Paula | Leave a comment

Summer and year program: CET intensive study abroad in Osaka

Posted on August 1, 2011 by Paula

http://cetacademicprograms.com/programs/japanese-language-osaka-japan/

Application Deadlines:

Spring – October 1
Summer – March 1
Fall – May 1

Osaka, Japan: Is this study abroad program for you? CET offers students in Osaka intensive language instruction, housing with Japanese roommates and a Japanese-only language pledge (summer). The intensive summer language program is complemented by fall and spring semester programs which offer an array of area studies courses taught in both English and Japanese. Designed for students who hope to be challenged inside the classroom and immersed in Japanese life, the CET program in Osaka offers an innovative alternative to existing programs in Japan.

Study Abroad in Osaka, Japan: Features

  • No language prerequisite
  • Apartments with Japanese roommates
  • Serious academics, with elective courses taught at Osaka Gakuin University
  • Field placements available for advanced students
  • Academic excursions within the region
  • Activities with Japanese university students
  • Language pledge during the summer

Japan Curriculum: How the Academics Fit Together

CET Japan targets the efficient and thorough improvement of language skills. In each term, students cover at least one year of university-level Japanese. Intensive language classes highlight communicative competence and CET’s belief that simply amassing large numbers of kanji is not enough. Students need to learn how to use those kanji, and use them accurately, naturally and appropriately. To that end, the language curriculum involves a high degree of integration with the local community. Students complete projects that rely on signs, menus and websites instead of a textbook, and converse with regular Osakans instead of just language teachers.

The summer term focuses exclusively on this language training. In the fall and spring terms, this training is flanked by a Field Placement course and other courses at Osaka Gakuin University (OGU), CET’s partner. At OGU, students may take area studies courses taught in English (like Japanese Business Past and Present or Japan’s Performing Arts), area studies courses taught in Japanese called J-Bridge courses (like Issues in Contemporary Japanese Society, Culture and Language), or Japanese for Specific Purposes courses (like Japan in the Media). OGU course options vary from term to term.

Japan Fall & Spring Academic Requirements

Fall and spring semesters offer two tracks of study differentiated by prerequisites and focus of study. Track 1 students complete one full year of language study during the semester, and Track 2 students cover three semesters worth of Japanese.

Track 1 (open to all levels)

Students take a Japanese language course. This includes a Japanese in Daily Life component and a final Language Project. Scheduled in the first week of the program, the Japanese in Daily Life module aims to allow students the opportunity to refresh previously learned Japanese and to build language patterns needed to meet their immediate needs in Japan.  Real life materials such as menus, supermarket advertisements, neighborhood maps, newspapers and websites are used. The Final Language Project is an out-of-classroom project completed by each class level over the course of the term. Classes merge at the end of the semester to present their projects in a lively Open House event on the OGU campus. 180 total hours. 10 recommended credits.

Students take two OGU area studies courses. These courses may be taught in English (called JSC courses) or Japanese (called J-Bridge courses). OGU’s courses can be found here. Some OGU courses are 45 hours each for 3 recommended credits each. Some OGU courses are 22.5 hours each for 1 recommended credit each.

Track 2 (open to students with at least four terms of previous study)

Students take a Japanese language course. This includes a Japanese in Daily Life component and a final Language Project. Scheduled in the first week of the program, the Japanese in Daily Life module aims to allow students the opportunity to refresh previously learned Japanese and to build language patterns needed to meet their immediate needs in Japan. Real life materials such as menus, supermarket advertisements, neighborhood maps, newspapers and websites are used. The Final Language Project is an out-of-classroom project completed by each class level over the course of the term. Classes merge at the end of the semester to present their projects in a lively Open House event on the OGU campus. 180 total hours. 10 recommended credits.

Students take one or two OGU courses. Track 2 students take one area studies course in Japanese (called J-Bridge courses) or two Japanese for Specific Purposes courses (called JSP courses). They also have the option to direct enroll in a regular OGU course (dependent on student ability and schedule). OGU’s courses can be found here. J-Bridge: 45 hours each. 3 recommended credits each. JSP: 22.5 hours each. 1 recommended credit each. OGU:  Hours and recommended credits are dependent on course.

Students take a field placement course. This qualitative methods course focuses heavily on principles of ethnographic inquiry and research. Students learn basic approaches to qualitative research, such as conducting interviews, document analysis, participant-observation and taking and organizing field notes for ethnographic purposes.

As part of the field placement course and as the principal venue for data collection, each student carries out a field placement assignment within a Japanese social organization. As participant-observers, students spend 8 to 12 hours per week at the field placement site over the course of the semester. Placements are based on language proficiency, student background and research interests. Organizations include a wide array of local businesses and non-profit organizations, schools, religious and political institutions, museums, media, etc.

Each student is responsible for developing a partially bilingual portfolio of the experience/research that includes field notes, transcriptions of interviews, document analysis, etc. Central to the student portfolio is a preliminary qualitative research proposal on a key topic or phenomenon emerging from the student’s field placement experiences.

View all course options and download syllabi.

Japan Summer Academic Requirements

The summer semester focuses on language only. The pace of instruction is intensive so that students achieve one year of university-level Japanese instruction within 8 weeks. As such, students should expect a demanding but highly productive summer semester.

Students take a Japanese Language course. This includes a final Language Project, which is an out-of-classroom project completed by each class level over the course of the term. Classes merge at the end of the semester to present their projects in a lively Open House event on the OGU campus. 160 total hours. 9 recommended credits.

View all course options and download syllabi.

Prerequisites

There are no language prerequisites for the summer. During the spring and fall, Track 1 is open to all students. Track 2 is open to students with at least four semesters of previous Japanese language study.

Posted in announcements, graduate school, language schools, living abroad, study abroad, summer program, undergraduate | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Book announcement: A Room Where the Star-Spangled Banner Cannot Be Heard:  A Novel in Three Parts

Posted on July 31, 2011 by Paula

A translation of Levy Hideo’s A Room Where the Star-Spangled Banner Cannot Be Heard (Seijoki no kikoenai heya, 1992) has recently been published by Columbia University Press.  As the first work of fiction written in Japanese by a white American author, this novel will be of interest to scholars and students of Japanese literature and culture, minorities in Japan, U.S.-Japan relations, and transnational or diasporic identities.

**********

A Room Where the Star-Spangled Banner Cannot Be Heard:  A Novel in Three Parts

By Levy Hideo

Translated, with an introduction, by Christopher D. Scott
Columbia University Press, 2011
ISBN: 978-0-231-15744-5

Description:

Set against the political and social upheavals of the 1960s, A Room Where the Star-Spangled Banner Cannot Be Heard tells the story of Ben Isaac, a blond-haired, blue-eyed American youth living with his father at the American consulate in Yokohama.  Chafing against his father’s strict authority and the trappings of an America culture that has grown increasingly remote, Ben flees home to live with Ando, his Japanese friend.  Refusing to speak English with Ben, Ando shows the young American the way to Shinjuku, the epicenter of Japan’s countercultural movement and the closest Ben has ever felt to home.

From the vantage point of a privileged and alienated “outsider” (gaijin), Levy’s narrative, which echoes events in his own life, beautifully captures a heady, eventful moment in Japanese history.  It also richly renders the universal struggle to grasp the full contours of one’s identity.  Wandering the streets of Shinjuku, Ben can barely decipher the signs around him or make sense of the sounds reaching his ears. Eventually, the symbols and sensations take root, and he becomes one with Japanese language and culture.  Through his explorations, Ben breaks free from English and the constraints of being a gaijin.  Levy’s coming-of-age novel is an eloquent elegy to a lost time.

Reviews:

“Have we failed to catch the calm but earnest tone that echoes like music through Levy Hideo’s prose?  With his unique literary voice, this writer clearly represents a new kind of novelist for Japanese literature.  As a superior symbol of mutual understanding between two languages and two nations, this accomplishment surely rivals the work of Masao Miyoshi.” Oe Kenzaburo, author of The Changeling

“A Room Where the Star-Spangled Banner Cannot Be Heard opens up a new frontier in contemporary Japanese exophonic literature for readers in the West.  It demystifies the linkage, dear to the Japanese, of a nation to its language.  Levy Hideo’s moving exploration of the multilingual, transcultural experiences of the young Ben tells the timeless tale of a boy coming of age in the context of a globalizing world, in which boundaries of language, nationality, and home are blurred.”

Faye Yuan Kleeman, University of Colorado, Boulder

About the Author:

Levy Hideo (Ian Hideo Levy, 1950-) is known as the first white American novelist to write in Japanese.  Born to a Jewish American father and a Polish immigrant mother, he became an assistant professor of Japanese literature at Princeton University at twenty-eight.  In 1981, he published an English translation of the first five volumes of Japan’s first imperial poetry anthology, Man’yoshu (Collection of Ten Thousand Leaves), for which he won a National Book Award for Translation.  Now based in Tokyo, he travels frequently to the United States and China in connection with his writing.

About the Translator:

Christopher D. Scott was born in the United States but attended high school in Japan.  He received his B.A. from Princeton University and his Ph.D. from Stanford University.  He is an assistant professor of Japanese and Japanese literature at Macalester College.

For more information, see the publisher’s website:

http://cup.columbia.edu/book/978-0-231-15744-5/a-room-where-the-starspangled-banner-cannot-be-heard

Posted in announcements, culture | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Happy birthday, Shinpai Deshou!

Posted on July 30, 2011 by Paula

Photo by Teresa Thompson

Today’s our one year anniversary here at What can I do with a B.A. in Japanese Studies! Unfortunately we don’t have anything fun planned for it, but we hope that this past year of content has been a great help to all you faithful readers. Thanks so much for your support! Here’s to another great year! 🙂

Posted in announcements, greetings | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Unfortunately I’m in the midst of an out-of-state move for my PhD program, so no Fun Link Friday today, as my internet will be disconnected and life in chaos! But feel free to check out all our great previous FLFs!

https://shinpaideshou.wordpress.com/fun-link-friday/ 

Posted on July 29, 2011 by Paula | Leave a comment

Job Opening: Japanese Lit./Film/Cultural Studies

Posted on July 28, 2011 by Paula

Institution:   Princeton University, East Asian Studies
Location:   New Jersey, United States
Position:   Japanese Literature/Film/Cultural Studies Assistant Professor, Associate Professor, Full Professor

The Department of East Asian Studies invites applications for an assistant, associate, or full professor (open rank) in Japanese literature, film or cultural studies with a focus on modern Japan. The successful candidate should have a strong commitment to excellence in teaching and research. Senior scholars should submit a letter of interest along with a vita, but no publications or other writings at this time. Junior candidates should submit a vita, cover letter, writing sample, and names and contact information of three referees. Referees may mail their letters to: Chair, Japanese Literature/Film/Cultural Studies Search Committee, East Asian Studies Department, Princeton University, 211 Jones Hall, Princeton, NJ 08544.

A Ph.D. must be in hand or expected by September 1, 2012. The review of applications will begin on October 15. Applications will be considered until the position is filled. Please apply online and upload your documents to http://jobs.princeton.edu

Essential Qualifications: The successful candidate should have a strong commitment to excellence in teaching and research.

A Ph.D. must be in hand or expected by September 1, 2012.

Contact: eascoord@princeton.edu
Website: http://jobs.princeton.edu

Posted in announcements, job openings, jobs | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Job Opening: World History (with East Asia possible)

Posted on July 28, 2011 by Paula

Institution:   Centre College
Location:   Kentucky, United States
Position:   Assistant Professor of World History

Centre College invites applications for a tenure track assistant professor in World History with specialization in either East Asia or Latin America, to begin in the fall of 2012. The successful candidate will be able to teach upper division courses in the areas of his or her expertise as well as world history surveys.

Centre College is a highly selective liberal arts college of 1,250 students, listed by U.S. News in the top fifty liberal arts colleges in the nation. Classes are small and academic standards are high. The College is located in Danville, Kentucky, a small town of 18,000 recognized for its high quality of life. It is within easy driving distance of Lexington, Louisville, and Cincinnati. Centre College is committed to hiring a diverse faculty of teachers/scholars. For information concerning the college, visit our web site at www.centre.edu .

Contact: To apply, please submit by post (no email applications): letter of application, materials demonstrating teaching effectiveness, three letters of recommendation, CV, and transcripts to: Dean Stephanie Fabritius, Centre College, 600 W. Walnut St., Danville, KY 40422.  The letter of application must include a statement addressing the candidate’s experience and goals as a teacher/scholar in the liberal arts model. Review of applications will begin October 10, 2011. Centre College is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

Website: www.centre.edu

Posted in announcements, job openings, jobs | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments