The theme for the 2012 conference revolves around the aspects of modernization and cultural development China is currently undergoing in an increasingly globalized and digitized world. China is now facing the challenges not only from the outside – a penetrating western cultural influence, but more from its own inside – lack of social cohesion from the weakened traditional value system due to fast-changing social and economic transformation in the process of industrialization, urbanization, and overall modernization.

This is the 12th seminar presented by the National Consortium for Teaching about Asia (NCTA), the Global Studies Center (UCIS), and the World History Center at hte University of Pittsburgh. The general public is welcome.

ASC and the Japanese language program at Pitt are offering a series of Japanese language tables on campus for students of Japanese language. This session on “Practicing your listening with Japanese websites” is designed for all level of Japanese language students. You will be exploring different Japanese websites and try to understand the contexts. In this session:
• You will be introduced a cultural website where you can practice listening skills.
• You will explore some short Japanese clips (TV commercials) and see how much you can understand the contexts

Piyusha Mutreja, Syracuse University

International Trade & Composition Of Capital Across Countries

EVENT LOCATION UPDATED: Pittsburgh Athletic Association Library, 4215 5th Avenue (across from the Cathedral)

A ceremony honoring all graduate and undergraduate students who have completed the ASC Certificate during the past academic year (August and December 2011, and April 2012). Our students really appreciate seeing their professors and staff members as they complete their studies at Pitt, so please plan to attend.

Our guest speaker this year will be Dr. Thomas Rawski, Professor of Economics at the University of Pittsburgh

The repertoire of the instrument qin (pronounced “chin”), or guqin (ancient qin), embodies China’s three major religious-philosophical systems of Confucianism, Taoism and Buddhism. A major tenet in Confucianism lists five cardinal human relationships, of which the one between friends is a prominent theme in the qin repertoire. I shall discuss and play three pieces with the theme of Friendship:
Flowing Waters (Liushui 流水), from a 1425 notation collection
Magpies Cry in the Night (Wuyeti 烏夜啼), from the same 1425 notation collection

One Book, One Community Lecture Series:

"The Worldwide Fusarium Keratitis Epidemic of 2004-2006: What Would Dr. John Snow and Dr. Henry Whitehead Have Done?"
John Bullock, MD, MPH, MSc. Bullock is an infectious diseases epidemiologist at Wright State School of Medicine.

Also, part of the C.F. Reynolds Medical History Society Lecture Series.

The screening and director talk for the Japanese documentary "ANPO: Art x War" has been moved due to the bomb threats on campus. Please join us at the Carnegie Museum of Art theater at 7 pm Thursday - enter at the main doors on Forbes Ave by the fountains, and meet director Linda Hoaglund, Warhol Museum film curator Geralyn Huxley, and EALL professor Charles Exley for post-film discussion!

USA/Japan 2010, 89 min., in Japanese and English with English subtitles
Street parking or parking at Soldiers and Sailors Underground Parking available.

The symposium will report on recent research in the areas of Asian and American music by scholars from the U.S. and elsewhere. It assembles eight of Bell Yung’s former students to celebrate his 31 years of teaching at the University of Pittsburgh, together with four of his current students. The presentations focus on historical sources, musical genres, performance practices, musicians, and musical communities of China, Japan, Korea, Singapore, and the U.S.

ASC and the Japanese language program at Pitt are offering a series of Japanese language tables on campus for students of Japanese language. The second session of the series is “Learning to be a Japanese Interpreter!” This session is designed for all level of Japanese students-- 1st, 2nd and 3rd year (+up). You will be helping to communicate a native Japanese speaker and a Native English speaker. In this session:
• You will be playing a role of an interpreter between two persons.
• You will be interpreting Japanese to English, also English to Japanese.