Spring 2018 Asian Studies Newsletter UNIVERSITY OF PUGET SOUND

Happy Year of the Dog!

新年快樂!

On Wednesday February 23, 2018, the Chinese Program ushered in a snowy Lunar New Year. The celebration was attended by guests from Tacoma Community College, The University of Washington, Tacoma, the campus community, and neighbors. Attendees celebrated the Chinese New Year with activities including opera mask-painting, fan-painting, and a beautiful performance by the Hwa Sheng Chinese Opera

Club. Participants enjoyed Chinese cuisine provided by Tacoma Szechuan. This series of Chinese cultural events was organized by Instructor Lotus Perry and Teaching Assistant Jing

Yu. Many wonderful student volunteers helped transform the second floor Atrium of Wyatt Hall into a

celebratory and informative cultural space for the 2018 Chinese New Year event. Asian Studies

appreciated the co-sponsorship of the Confucius Institute of Washington, which helped make the events of

our Lunar New Year celebration possible.

Beijing Opera Master Michael Hsia as

the God of Fortune gave a riveting

performance to usher in the new year.

Some lucky recipients received red

envelopes with gold (candy) to

welcome a prosperous new year.

The French Program’s Francoise Belot’s

children enjoyed all of the festivities,

including having their faces painted in

the Beijing Opera style by Master Hsia.

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Vietnamese Lunar New Year 2018—Tết

University of Puget Sound hosted a Vietnamese Lunar New Year event, collaborating with Harvest Pierce

County, the Vietnamese American Community Association, and the Vietnamese Seniors of Olympia. The

hard work and planning of each group produced a successful event that drew in one-hundred and thirty

attendees to enjoy the festivities.

In this spring time cultural celebration, performers danced pieces symbolizing rain, flowers, and fruit to

welcome the new season. The Pierce County Conservation District passed out Li Xi (lucky money

envelopes), as well as lucky seed envelopes as part of a Southeast Asian seed exchange.

The event included a traditional lion dance, a classical Vietnamese musical theater duo, a Polynesian

dance, with a memory dance performed by Vietnamese senior women who utilized the language of

Polynesian dance to visually tell the rich story of their childhoods in Vietnam.

Golden Bamboo, a Vietnamese senior women’s

choir, sings in the new year with traditional

Vietnamese songs

A Vietnamese traditional musical theater duo

tells the story of the Battle of Ngọc Hồi-Đống Đa

Lions scare off bad spirits and bring luck

into the new year. Their favorite food is

money, and feeding them money brings

extra luck!

The celebration included a Kaimiola

Polynesian Dance performance

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A Year in Kyoto as a Miki Scholar Noe Yoshioka `16 gave a talk on February 19th regarding

her experience as a Miki Scholar in Kyoto. Noe shared

the wonderful benefits of receiving the University of

Puget Sound Miki Scholarship. Thanks to the generosity

of the Miki Memorial Endowment Fund, Noe was able to

live in Kyoto for a full year, experiencing intensive

Japanese language study at the Kyoto Institute of

Culture and Language (KICL) with tuition and other fees

fully covered. Noe studied hard while in Kyoto and was

able to score well in a rigorous Japanese Language test.

*The University of Puget Sound Miki Scholarship is generously funded by the Miki Memorial Endowment Fund. The scholarship

awards the Puget Sound Miki Scholar with sufficient funds to cover tuition and fees for twelve months of intensive Japanese

language study at the Kyoto Institute of Culture and Language (KICL), plus a monthly stipend.

On The Road with The Pac Rim Program

The 2017 –2018 Pac Rim group started off their travel and studies in late August in St. Petersburg, Russia

and from there journeyed on the Trans-Siberian Rail Road to Ulan Bator, Mongolia. Their studies also

took them to Korea, Japan, China, Taiwan, and they completed fall semester in Hong Kong. Just in the

first months, the Pac Rim group flew in planes, rode trains, and boarded buses from city to city.

This spring Pac Rim experienced Thailand and learned of the

cultural significance of the elephant. They also participated

in an opportunity to plant and harvest rice.

Pac Rim is currently traveling and studying throughout India.

Pac Rim participants woke up extra early to

witness the architectural beauty of the Taj Mahal

at sunrise.

Pac Rim participating in the Hindu Holi Festival of

Colors in Delhi India in March.

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Japanese Film Series

If Cats Disappeared from the World

Sekai kara Neko ga Kieta nara A postman learns that he doesn't have much time left to live due to

a terminal illness. A devil then appears in front of him and offers

to extend his life if he picks something in the world that will disappear. Unbeknownst to the

man, the absence of these seemingly arbitrary items will

change both his past and newly earned future.

The Eternal Zero Eien no Zero

A young woman and her brother explore the history of their

grandfather, who died in WW2. They start contacting the men

who flew with him, asking them about who he was.

Unexpectedly, Kentaro and Keiko discover the shocking

truth that has been sealed for 60 years.

Kiseki: Sobito of that Day Kiseki: Ano Hi no Sobito

Against the protests of his strict father, Jin leaves home to pursue

his dream of becoming a musician. Meanwhile, his little

brother Hide accepts his father's wishes and aims to become a dentist. But none of them can escape the attraction of music.

This movie tells the true story of the band “GreeeeN” including

the debut of their hit song “Kiseki”.

Spring 2018

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Another Year at Hwa Nan Anita Tam `16, one of the current two Hwa Nan fellows, will be returning to Hwa Nan for another year of

teaching. During the Chinese New Year Holiday, Anita traveled to Hong Kong, Taishan (a small town in

Guangdong), and Shenzheng. These parts of China each have their own culture differing greatly from

what one may find in mainland China, allowing Anita to learn more about the lesser known lifestyles lived

in China.

Now that Anita has returned to Hwa Nan to teach another year, she is teaching three classes: Free

Conversation, English Pronunciation, and Basic English. Although these classes all contain over 35

students each, Anita says she is “managing and learning a lot in the process.”

Anita Tam’s class celebrating Halloween

with masks made in class.

Taiko Club The Taiko Club gave several performances this spring. On Thursday, February 2, the club

performed at the Tacoma Sister Cities Film Festival opening night. They then performed the next day at Drum

Intermediate School in University Place for their International Culture Night. On March 15, the Taiko Club

played at the Office of Finance conference dinner. On March 29, the club played at Franklin Elementary

School for the Franklin Celebration. The Taiko club performed during Japan Week on April 4, and will give a

performance celebrating the Tacoma Cherry Blossom Festival on April 28.

Trimble Hall in

Hwa Nan China. Top Row R-L: Irene Deng, Gordon Trimble, Sonia

Trimble, Hwa Nan Staff. Bottom row R-L: Hwa Nan

Staff, Anita Tam and two Hwa Nan staff members.

Chinese Program’s 2nd Annual Sticker Design Competition

The Chinese Program held its second annual sticker design contest. On Wednesday, March 21, a reception

was held in Wyatt 201 to announce the winners. Two creative sticker designs tied as the winner.

Congratulations to the talented winners, and thank you to the runners-up who sent in their equally amazing

artwork!

Teaching in Asia

A Puget Sound alumna, Katie McGee (‘17), has been teaching

English in China and Korea since her graduation. Immediately

after graduating from Puget Sound, Katie spent two months in

Xi’an through the CLS Chinese Program. Nearing the end of her

time in Xi’an, she lined up a job in Gwangju, South Korea,

where she is teaching English at an academy through the CIEE

(Council on International Educational Exchange) program. Her

job is enjoyable and relatively stress-free, and although she

doesn’t speak Korean,

Katie finds it easy to pick

up basic Korean in regular

day-to-day interactions.

CIEE Instructors: Bryan Schneider `16, Katie McGee`17,

and Julia Johnson of Puyallup, WA.

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Created by Evan Bao Created by Perry Hamilton

Katie began her job as the Winter Olympics commenced

in Pyeongchang, South Korea!

Japanese Program Activities and Accomplishments

In December of 2017, the Japanese Language Proficiency Test

(JLPT) was held in Seattle. This test is meant to test the level of

Japanese fluency of the participant, and is measured in 4 levels.

N4 is the first level while N1 is the most proficient (essentially

native-level fluency).

Congratulations to the 6 students passing the test!

N1: Noe Yoshioka (‘16)

N2: Nicholas Navin (‘19),

Brittney Imada (‘18)

N3: Tessa Paulson-Palmer (‘21),

Anna Watson (‘21)

N4: Ada Smith (‘17)

Three students were accepted into the JET Program this spring. The Jet Program is a program

facilitated by the Japanese government that matches eligible candidates with an elementary

or middle school in Japan. Participants will act as assistant teacher aids and help teach the

English language. Congratulations to Brittney Imada (‘18), Katherine Hall (`17), and Douglas

Parker (‘17) who will be teaching in Japan as part of the Jet Program!

The Japan House is a delicious place to be. The Japan House recently made yudofu, or hot tofu. The dish

consists of tofu in a lightly flavored broth. Below, students shape and mold ichigo daifuku, or strawberry

daifuku, a type of Japanese sweets using mochi and red bean paste.

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Dean Burton `21

Rylee Gustafson `20

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In the News

Lotus Perry, Instructor of the Chinese Language, was interviewed

by the website Live Science for an article called “Chinese New

Year: Customs and Traditions”. Perry shared her knowledge of the

Chinese calendar, explaining how a sexagesimal system works—

this is the 60-year cycle of the lunar calendar.

Sunil Kukreja, Professor of Sociology and Anthropology and

Associate Academic Dean, wrote two separate articles for Asia

Sentinel. One article, called “Islamist Extremism Increases in

Bangladesh,” discusses the rising unrest in India caused by

“bigotry towards Hindus in Bangladesh” and even violence

towards other minorities. This in-depth discussion of an

important topic has gained over 2700 views since its publishing.

The second article, titled “As US College Enrollments Dip, Schools Look Overseas,” takes up an increasingly

common issue burdening colleges, especially ones of the small, private variety, as domestic student

enrollments decrease. Due to this drop in students applying to college, more and more colleges are relying on

Asian students to fill in the gap. This article received over 1200 views on Asia Sentinel.

Stuart Smithers, Professor of Religion, wrote an article

titled “13 Barakhamba Road” for the non-profit

magazine ARCADE. This article touches upon

Smithers’ experiences living in India, and it also

connects these memories with the global problem of

technological unemployment. From a mailman

delivering letters three times a day to a house full of

servants (cooks, gardeners, and sweepers galore) the

stark differences between the labor culture of India

and the United States become clear through Smithers’

descriptions.

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Course Offerings for Asian Studies Fall 2018

Course Name Days Times Professor

ALC 205 A Great Books of China and Japan MF 12-120 Wilson (Neighbors)

ARAB 101 A Modern Elementary Arabic MTWTH 3-340 & 330-420

Kiali

ARAB 201 A Modern Intermediate Arabic MTWTH 2-250 Kiali

ARTH 278 A Survey of Asian Art MWF 9-950 Hong

ARTH 369 A Twentieth Century Chinese Art MWF 11-1150 Hong

CHIN 101 A First Year Chinese MWF 9-950 Perry

CHIN101 B First Year Chinese MWF 2-250 Perry

CHIN 101 DD First Year Chinese T 1230-120 Perry

CHIN 101CC First Year Chinese T 11-1150 Perry

CHIN 201 CC Second Year Chinese TBA TBA Perry

CHIN 201A Second Year Chinese MWF 10-1050 Perry

CHIN 216 A Chinese Corner: Conversation W 6-650 TBA

CHIN 250 A Culture and Communication TTH 330-450 Li

CHIN 309 A Phoenix Claw's and Lion's Head; Food and Chinese Culture

WF 2-320 Li

ENGL 356 A Bollywood Film MW 330-450 Joshi

ENGL 356 AA Bollywood Film M 530-830 Joshi

JAPN 101 A First Year Japanese MTWTH 10-1050 TBA

JAPN 101 B First Year Japanese MTWF 1-150 Ludden

JAPN 201 A Second Year Japanese MTTHF 11-1150 Tyson

JAPN 301 A Third Year Japanese MF 11-1150 Ludden

JAPN 360 A Japanese Through Film and Fiction MWF 10-1050 Ludden

PG 378 A Chinese Political Economy MWF 11-1150 Fields

REL 208 A Yoga, Psychedelics, and the Ascetic Imperative TTH 2-320 Smithers

SOAN 304 A Gender and Sexuality in Japan MF 12-120 TBA

SSI1 129 A Mao's China MWF 10-1050 Wilson (Neighbors)

SSI1 129 B Mao's China MWF 11-1150 Wilson (Neighbors)

SSI2 157 A Chinese Painting in the West MF 1230-150 Hong

THAI 101 A Elementary Thai TTH 930-1050 Imig

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Asian Studies Program

University of Puget Sound

1500 North Warner St. #1054

Tacoma, WA 98416-1054

Phone: 253-879-2995

To:

Good luck on finals! Have a

great summer! And we’ll

see you in the Fall!