Job Opening: Japanese studies, human-computer interaction and robotics

Posted on August 9, 2017 by Paula

Institution:  Freie Universität Berlin, History and Cultural Studies
Location:  Germany
Position:  Research Assistant: PhD or Postdoctoral Scholarship in Japanese Studies (human-computer interaction)

The Department of History and Cultural Studies at Freie Universität Berlin in conjunction with the European Research Council invites applications for a three-year PhD or postdoctoral scholarship in Japanese studies in the areas of human-computer interaction and robotics (65%-position limited to 3 years, pay scale grouping 13 TV-L FU). The candidate will join a European Research Council-funded project titled, “Emotional Machines: The Technological Transformation of Intimacy in Japan”, which explores the impacts of emerging affect-sensing technologies on social relationships as well as on cultural and scientific knowledge of the emotions in the affective sciences. As the project is interdisciplinary in nature, the Department welcomes applicants from across the humanities and social sciences (particularly from literary studies, cultural anthropology, or science and technology studies) as well as those from the technical sciences. An ideal candidate will have some familiarity with the Japanese language and culture as well as basic knowledge in or a willingness to learn programming and coding specific to affective computing and emotion modeling. The candidate will work toward a dissertation (PhD) or independent research project (postdoc) in Japanese studies in the Department of History and Cultural Studies, and design an interdisciplinary course of study under the supervision of Prof. Dr. Elena Giannoulis. The academic program is funded for three years and comes with a monthly salary with the German pay scale grouping E13. Opportunities exist to extend to a fourth year of study under the same financial conditions. The student’s work should be original but overlap with the project aims as described below.

Projects Website: http://www.geschkult.fu-berlin.de/e/oas/japanologie/forschung/emtech.html

Seminar of East Asian Studies/Japanology: http://www.geschkult.fu-berlin.de/e/oas/japanologie/

Job description

  • Work with fellow team members toward project goals (50-60% of focus)
  • Develop an original and independent research project within the project areas and complete a doctoral thesis (PhD) or independent research (postdoc)
  • Present at academic conferences
  • Publish in peer-reviewed academic journals, both as a single author and as part of the research team
  • Work on technical aspects of the project, including the design of websites, applications for social robots, and the coding and programming of affect and emotion-modeling software

Benefits

  • Pay scale grouping E13
  • Use of project equipment, including affect-sensing wearable technologies, emotion-modeling software, and robots
  • Travel support for fieldwork and domestic and international conferences (2-3 per year).

Requirements

  • MA in Japanese studies or related fields (literary studies, cultural anthropology, science and technology studies), or the technical sciences

Desirable

  • Ability to communicate and write proficiently in English
  • Intermediate Japanese ability
  • Basic knowledge in or a willingness to learn programming and coding specific to affective computing and emotion modelling

Application Procedure

The following documents should be submitted either via  regular mail or as a single PDF to elena.giannoulis@fu-berlin.de

  1. Cover letter (1-2 pages)
  2. CV (including contact information for three professional references)
  3. Original research proposal in the area of human-computer or human-robot interaction (3 pages)
  4. One journal or chapter-length writing sample

*Two letters of recommendation will be requested from short-listed candidates
**Name the application file “EMTECHapp” plus your last name in capital letters: “EMTECHappNAME”

Project Schedule and Deadlines

The deadline for applications is August 31, 2017. Commencement is April 2018, with some flexibility based on the candidate’s status.

All application quoting the reference code “Japanologie/ERC/Giannoulis” should be addressed to:

Freie Universität Berlin
Fachbereich Geschichts- und Kulturwissenschaften
Ostasien und Vorderer Orient
Frau Prof. Dr. Elena Giannoulis
Hittorfstr. 18
14195 Berlin (Dahlem)

Contact:

Freie Universität Berlin
Fachbereich Geschichts- und Kulturwissenschaften
Ostasien und Vorderer Orient
Frau Prof. Dr. Elena Giannoulis
Hittorfstr. 18
14195 Berlin (Dahlem)Email: elena.giannoulis@fu-berlin.de

Website: http://www.fu-berlin.de/en/service/stellen/acad/index.html

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Resources: Translation and Interpretation

Posted on August 9, 2017 by Paula

Photo by Issei.F

In the past, we’ve featured a number of articles on breaking into the field of translation or interpretation, and an important part of any career course in these areas is being aware of organizations and events relevant to that work.

Regardless of language, being a part of the community, aware of necessary qualifications and ethical guidelines, sharing resources, etc. are important ways to participate in and learn from the field. Here we list a variety of resources in translation and interpretation, including organizations, conferences, certifications, and more.

In alphabetical order:

Tofugu has also put out a really good guide to the fundamentals of the translation industry, starting from various skill levels, which can be found here.

More resources to add? Leave them in a comment or send them to us at shinpai.deshou@gmail.com!

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Call for Papers: Ecologies of Knowledge and Practice: Japanese Studies and the Environmental Humanities

Posted on August 8, 2017 by Paula

A Day-and-a-Half Workshop and Roundtable for UK Postgraduates and Early Career Researchers in the Humanities

St Antony’s College, University of Oxford, 27th and 28th October 2017 

Scholars from outside the UK are welcome to apply if they are able to fund their own transportation.

How does research on Japan inform ecological practice that is pertinent beyond the framework of Area Studies, and vice versa? If we were to place nature at the core of our studies of human activities, what new kinds of interdisciplinarity and knowledge would be possible, and how would we reorganize our academic disciplines? This workshop invites individual papers from UK-based Postgraduates and Early Career Researchers within the Humanities for an inter-disciplinary discussion with guidance from established scholars and practitioners.

In today’s world of planetary-scale environmental crises, intellectuals are increasingly urged to cultivate a symbiosis between knowledge and practice and to engage with each other beyond disciplinary divides. Historically, Japan has claimed a uniquely harmonious relationship with nature. Yet this cultural rhetoric of ecology has faced challenges for its apparent discordance with the reality of environmental destruction in Japan.

The field of Japanese Studies outside Japan has also been criticized: on the one hand, for exoticizing Japan as a unique “other”, yet conversely, for forcing Japan into a hegemonic model of universal (Western) modernity. While such ideological controversies are ongoing, the study of Japan in the twenty-first century is becoming increasingly and inescapably intertwined with the rise of global environmental problems such as climate change, nuclear catastrophe, deforestation and threats to marine life. The challenges of Eco-criticism follow hot on the heels of the politics of still-prevailing Orientalism.

In the rapidly changing academic and atmospheric climates of the twenty-first century, the career paths of current graduates and early career researchers are likely to follow very different trajectories to those of our seniors. The workshop seeks to open a dialogue among this emerging generation of Japan scholars in the UK concerning how the production of knowledge of Japan may be linked to new forms of engagement with contemporary ecological concerns. The workshop aims thereby to facilitate crucial professionalization and cohort-building among postgraduates and early career researchers of Japanese Studies in the UK.

We invite proposals for papers of 20 minutes concerning the above issues within Japanese Studies in relation to the Environmental Humanities. For further information, please visit:  https://ecologiesknowledgeandpractice.wordpress.com/callforpapers/

Please send abstracts of c. 300 words, together with a brief biography of c. 150 words, to: ecologies.knowledgeandpractice@gmail.com by 31st August 2017

Supported by the Japan Foundation London, Antonian Fund, and Nissan Institute of Japanese Studies

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Call for Papers: U.S.-Japan Women’s Journal

Posted on August 8, 2017 by Paula

Established in 1988, the U.S.-Japan Women’s Journal (USJWJ) is an interdisciplinary, peer-reviewed, biannual publication available in print and online that promotes scholarly exchange on social, cultural, political, and economic issues pertaining to gender and Japan. We encourage comparative study among Japan, the United States, and other countries. We welcome contributions from all academic fields in the humanities and social sciences and proposals for special issues. Our mission is to foster the work of young researchers and to make sure the achievements of established scholars are not forgotten.
Manuscripts should be between 6,000-10,000 words (including references and notes). Submissions will be reviewed by the USJWJ editors and anonymously by outside reviewers. For more information, submission guidelines, and the USJWJ Style Guide, please see our website http://www.josai.jp/jicpas/usjwj/

Submissions are accepted anytime on a rolling basis, but manuscripts received before November 30, 2017 may be considered for publication in our Spring 2018 issue (no. 53).

Please submit manuscripts to usjwj@jiu.ac.jp

Contact Info:
Dr. Alisa Freedman, Editor-in-Chief
Dr. Miriam Murase, Managing Editor
Contact Email:
usjwj@jiu.ac.jp
URL: http://www.josai.jp/jicpas/usjwj/

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Okinawa Prefectural Government Scholarships

Posted on August 7, 2017 by Travis

(reposting from Okinawa Association of America blog🙂


Kempi students from Argentina, China, Bolivia, Peru, and U.S. participating in the Grand Sanshin Gathering during the 2016 Worldwide Uchinaanchu Festival. Photo by Maiya Gessling, provided to OAA blog.

Every year, the Okinawa Prefectural Government offers scholarships for young Okinawans (ages 18 to 35) to study in Okinawa for one year. This is a wonderful opportunity for young adults of full or partial Okinawan descent to learn about their ancestral heritage as well as develop relationships with local and international Uchinaanchu.

The program offers two options:

*Study at one of the prefecture’s universities
*Study a traditional art (e.g., sanshin, dance, textiles, lacquer, sanshin making, cuisine, etc.)

Application requirements include conversational Japanese skills (higher proficiency required for universities) and a relative or family friend who lives in Okinawa to act as a guarantor.

Applications are now available for Southern California applicants at the OAA office or via email by request: 310-532-1929, oaamensore@gmail.com. For those living elsewhere, please contact your local Okinawa kenjinkai or association for information. A partial list of such organizations can be found here.

The application deadline is September 11, but interested parties are encouraged to pick up and read through the application as soon as possible because it will be a highly extensive process.

Here’s a short segment from OTV (Okinawa Television Broadcasting Co., Ltd) that talks about the program and interviews one of the OAA’s nominated participants (Japanese language only):

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Funding: Doctoral Program in Buddhist Studies at the Ludwig-Maximilians-University

Posted on August 7, 2017 by Paula

The Doctoral Program in Buddhist Studies at the Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität in Munich, Germany invites applications for two PhD scholarships for dissertation projects related to Buddhism.

Deadline for applications: 22 October 2017
Start of scholarship: summer or autumn 2018
Duration of scholarship: 3 years
Scholarship amount: 1000 € per month + insurance + support for rent + travel lump sums + 460 € per year
Scholarship donor: German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD)

The selection process comprises two stages: Applications are sent to the Doctoral Program in Buddhist Studies in Munich. The program will select promising candidates, who then have to submit their materials to the DAAD. It is expected that the successful candidates will be chosen and informed by February 2018.

The prerequisites for application are non-German citizenship, a Master of Arts or Magister Artium degree or equivalent in a relevant field, excellent knowledge of at least one Buddhist source language, outstanding qualifications in the subject, and fluency in English. A basic knowledge of German is also desirable, though not a prerequisite, but willingness to learn German/improve German language skills will be expected. Applicants should not have lived in Germany for more than fifteen months at the time of the submission of their materials to the DAAD (in December) and the last final examination should have taken place no more than six years before this date.

For details concerning the application, please visit our homepage:

http://www.en.buddhismus-studien.uni-muenchen.de/currentissues/index.html

http://www.buddhismus-studien.uni-muenchen.de/aktuelles/stipendienausschreibung_2018/phd_s…

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Job Opening: Fundraising and Education Outreach Coordinator, Center for East Asian Studies

Posted on August 7, 2017 by Paula

Institution:   University of Kansas, Center for East Asian Studies
Location:  Kansas
Position: Fundraising and Education Outreach Coordinator

Department:  Center for East Asian Studies
Official Title:  Membership/Donor Coordinator
Working Title:   Fundraising and Education Outreach Coordinator
FTE: 1.0, full time, 40 hours week

Position Overview:

The Fundraising and Education Outreach Coordinator position assists with the education outreach component of the Title VI grant housed by the Center for East Asian Studies (CEAS) at the University of Kansas, and fundraising activities for CEAS inclusive of research funds, planned giving, events, and seeking support from foundations, charitable organizations, governments, and individuals.

Job Description:

Job Description/Duties

Fundraising (75%)

  • Conduct research to identify the goals, net worth, history of foundations, charitable organizations, or other data related to potential donors, investors, or general donor markets.
  • Develop fundraising programs and strategies.
  • Direct or supervise fundraising staff, including volunteer staff members.
  • Recruit sponsors, participants, or volunteers for fundraising events.
  • Compile or develop materials to submit to granting or other funding organizations.
  • Secure speakers for charitable events, community meetings, or conferences to increase awareness of charitable, nonprofit, or political causes.
  • Write reports or prepare presentations to communicate fundraising program data.
  • Coordinate transportation or delivery of materials, supplies, or donations for fundraising events.
  • Write speeches, press releases, or other promotional materials to increase awareness of the causes, missions, or goals of organizations seeking funds.
  • Direct or coordinate web-based fundraising activities, such as online auctions or donation Web sites.
  • Solicit cash or in-kind donations or sponsorships from individual, business, or government donors.
  • Plan and direct special events for fundraising, such as silent auctions, dances, golf events, or walks
  • Contact corporate representatives, government officials, or community leaders to increase awareness of organizational causes, activities, or needs
  • Attend community events, meetings, or conferences to promote organizational goals or solicit donations or sponsorships.
  • Identify and build relationships with potential donors.
  • Monitor budgets, expense reports, or other financial data related to fundraising.

Education Outreach (25%)

  • Implement Title VI education outreach activities.
    • Develop content and materials for special outreach programs such as workshops, meetings and conferences
    • Ascertain that each outreach activity is managed within the budget
    • Assist with the evaluation of workshops, meetings, and conferences
  •  Establish and maintain effective relationships with representatives of community and social and civic organizations.
  • Engage community members in outreach programs to increase their knowledge.

Required Qualifications:

  1. Bachelor’s degree in public relations, liberal arts, communications, business, public policy, or relevant field.
  2. Minimum of one year experience in public relations, or organizing fundraising or event planning.
  3. Demonstrated ability and knowledge of East Asia inclusive of history, economic development, and/or politics.

Preferred Qualifications:

  1. Previous experience in grant writing, budget, and financial reporting
  2. Previous experience with problem-solving, including flexibility in response to unexpected situations
  3. Preferred Skills:
  • Excellent written and oral skills
  • Excellent interpersonal skills
  • Detail-oriented

Additional Candidate Instructions:

Evaluation of the position requirements will be made through:  1) a Cover Letter that addresses how you meet the required qualifications, 2) CV/resume, and 3) the names and contact information for three (3) professional references.

Complete the online application at: https://employment.ku.edu/staff/9251BR and include the required documents. Incomplete applications will not be considered.

Review of applications will begin on August 18, 2017 and continue until a pool of qualified applicants is obtained.

———————-

The University of Kansas prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, ethnicity, religion, sex, national origin, age, ancestry, disability, status as a veteran, sexual orientation, marital status, parental status, retaliation, gender identity, gender expression and genetic information in the University’s programs and activities. The following person has been designated to handle inquiries regarding the non-discrimination policies and is the University’s Title IX Coordinator: the Executive Director of the Office of Institutional Opportunity and Access, IOA@ku.edu, 1246 W. Campus Road, Room 153A, Lawrence, KS, 66045, (785)864-6414, 711 TTY.

Contact: So-Min Cheong; Director, KU Center for East Asian Studies; somin@ku.edu

 

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Job Opening: Faculty, Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies

Posted on August 6, 2017 by Paula

Institution:  Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies, College of Security Studies
Location:  Hawaii
Position:  Non-Tenure Track Faculty

~~
The Daniel K. Inouye Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies, is a Department of Defense academic institution providing a forum where current and future military and civilian leaders from 45 Asia-Pacific nations gather to foster improved multinational and interagency security cooperation and coordination in the Asia-Pacific region through focused executive education, leader development, regional outreach engagement, professional exchanges at conferences, and policy-relevant research. The Daniel K. Inouye Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies is located in Honolulu, Hawaii.

The Center invites applications for:

FACULTY MEMBER

The College of Security Studies is searching for a world class educator to teach, facilitate, and conduct research. Responsibilities include:

–  Teaching elective courses and lecturing on selected regional security topics within executive education courses;
–  Facilitating seminars and planning and conducting workshops locally and throughout the Asia-Pacific region;
–  Performing various administrative and staff duties to support Daniel K. Inouye Asia-Pacific Center
academic functions.

Particular expertise is sought in the following areas:

• Regional expertise in North East Asia.  In-depth knowledge of Korea and/or Japan is particularly sought.

Required minimum qualifications include:

•      Masters Degree in Security Studies, Political Science, International Relations,
Economics, Anthropology, History, or a related discipline with
practitioner experience in the region. A Ph.D. is highly desirable.

•  Proven ability in teaching and seminar facilitation.

The following is “preferred” for ALL Faculty positions:

• Expertise in security, defense, and/or political-economic issues in one or more countries in the Asia-Pacific region.

• Living or working experience in the Asia-Pacific region.

• Ability to converse in an Asian language.

Salary and rank are commensurate with qualifications.  Salary range is $87,122 – $136,893 (includes HI Locality pay but excludes cost of living allowance (COLA), currently 11.32% but subject to change).  These are limited-term, excepted-service positions, for up to three years (with the possibility of renewal).  Relocation expenses may be authorized.

APPLICATION PROCEDURES

1.  Interested candidates should submit the following items:

a.  LETTER OF INTEREST.  Provide a brief description of your vocational goals, personal interests and expected areas of study in the coming year, and explain your interest in future career considerations with the Department of Defense.

b.  CURRICULUM VITAE.  Should reflect the following: educational background, work experience, publications and salary history.

c.  TWO ORIGINAL LETTERS OF REFERENCE.

2.  Submit all required documents to physical address:

Chief, Human Resources Department
Daniel K. Inouye Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies
2058 Maluhia Road
Honolulu, Hawaii 96815-1949

or email to:

at hrapplications@dkiapcss.net

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

1.  Application deadline:  Open until filled.  Cut off:  31 August 2017.

2.  Applications will be considered against current Faculty requirements.  Application packages will be retained for one year.

3.  Application materials become the property of the U.S. Department of the Defense and will not be returned.

4.  Individuals selected for interviews will be asked to provide bona fide transcripts from the academic institutions granting their advanced degree(s) and two samples of their own publications.

5.  The Department of the Defense is an Equal Opportunity Employer.  All qualified candidates will receive consideration without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, marital status, political affiliation, sexual orientation, or any other non-merit factor.  U.S. Citizenship is not required however applicants must be eligible for an H1B or other work visa.

6.  The Department of the Defense provides reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities.  Applicants with disabilities who believe they require reasonable accommodation should contact the Center’s Human Resources Department at hrapplications@dkiapcss.net to ensure that the Department of the Defense can consider such a request.  The decision to grant an accommodation will be made on a case-by-case basis.

7.  Learn more about the Daniel K. Inouye Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies by visiting:  www.apcss.org.

Contact:

Chief, Human Resources Department
Daniel K. Inouye Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies
2058 Maluhia Road
Honolulu, Hawaii 96815-1949or email to:at hrapplications@dkiapcss.net

http://www.apcss.org

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Book Announcement: Japan’s Occupation of Java in the Second World War: A Transnational History

Posted on August 6, 2017 by Paula

Japan’s Occupation of Java in the Second World War: A Transnational History

Ethan Mark

SOAS Studies in Modern and Contemporary Japan

Japan’s Occupation of Java in the Second World War draws upon written and oral Japanese, Indonesian, Dutch and English-language sources from both wartime and the postwar period to narrate the Japanese occupation of Java as a transnational intersection between two complex Asian societies. It places this narrative in a larger wartime context of domestic, regional, and global crisis that was not only military, but also social, cultural, and economic: a crisis of imperial and liberal capitalist modernity itself.

Japan’s occupation of Java is here revealed in a radically new and nuanced light, as an ambiguous encounter revolutionary in the degree of mutual interests both practical and psychological that drew the two sides together, fascinating and tragic in its evolution, and profound in the legacies left behind. Mark structures his study around the diverse group of propagandists, interpreters, advisors, teachers and students – mostly members of the nation-building subelites or middle classes – who were most captivated by the wartime vision of a ‘Greater Asia.’ The book is thus not only the first transnational study of Japan’s wartime occupation of Java, but the first study to focus on the Second World War experience in truly transnational terms ‘on the ground’ anywhere in Asia.

The volume offers both nuance and sweep in bringing together two profoundly distinct national histories, relating the hitherto unknown story of a diverse, transnational cast of characters from before the occupation through to its end. Breaking new ground interpretatively, thematically and narratively, Mark’s monumental study is of vital significance for students and scholars of modern Asian history.

 

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Call for Papers: “Endless Discovery: Re-evaluating Japan’s Travel and Tourism”

Posted on August 3, 2017 by Travis

“Endless Discovery: Re-evaluating Japan’s Travel and Tourism”

16th Annual International Conference on Japanese Studies
by Ateneo de Manila University, Japanese Studies Program

DATES: 2-3 February, 2018
VENUE: Ateneo de Manila University, Manila

Abstract Submission Deadline: 30 October 2017

(reposting from conference official website; h/t Prof. Karl Ian Cheng Chua)

OVERVIEW:
In 2015, Japan welcomed a record of close to 20 million tourists. This is partially due to the success of national government’s policies through the campaigns launched by the Japan National Tourism Organization via its international offices. International visitors were not only attracted to visit Japan through these national government campaigns. On the one hand, “contents tourism” or film-induced/media-induced tourism has become in vogue as well. Early on, the target market for “contents tourism” was a domestic market, who consume domestic media, which in turn evolved to domestic tourism via the visitation of the “sites of the contents.” With the globalization of Japanese media, even foreign visitors now engage in this domestic “contents tourism.” Furthermore, the sites have expanded to encourage domestic (Japanese) consumers to travel abroad when the sites are purportedly set in foreign countries. Local governments in Japan have also ventured into their own domestic tourism strategies, with local governments aggressively encouraging foreign movie companies to use their cities as filming sites. There are other local governments which have launched their own domestic campaigns which have also attracted the attention of international visitors. Finally, a recent trend in Japan is directed services, particularly to Muslim tourists with special needs like halal food and prayer rooms.

On the other hand, the Philippines was able to attract a total of 5.4 million visitors in the same year. This is partially due to the successes of the Department of Tourism with its campaigns such as “It’s More Fun in the Philippines.” However, we still lag behind in our domestic tourism campaigns, with the capacities to attract foreign visitors.

Hence, the two-day conference gathers experts in the field of tourism in Japan in the hopes that their research can enrich our own tourism industries, as well as students in the tourism and hospitality degrees. At the same time, it invites scholars conducting tourism research on the Philippines to enable networking and exchange of information to enrich and discuss new perspectives towards tourism research

The conference organizers welcome paper submissions that are aligned with this year’s conference theme. It hopes to generate discussion that aims to enhance knowledge on tourism, and the use of various disciplines in the tourism research. The conference particularly encourages critical studies in the following areas:

• Contents Tourism
• Eco-tourism
• Sustainability in Tourism
• Tourism and the Classroom

Other related topics are also welcome. Please submit the abstracts to this link on or before 30 October 2017. All submissions will be refereed.

ABSTRACT SUBMISSION FORM

The conference will consist of sessions with 20 min. for each paper
(+ sufficient Q&A time)

Abstracts and bios should be in English. Please include a title, your name, affiliation, contact details (mailing address, email) and a brief description of your paper (maximum of 500 words).

Please direct any inquiries (jspadmu@gmail.com)

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