The last few years have witnessed a transformation of the global energy market. The United States is now leading the world in the production of oil and natural gas. Western Pennsylvania has assumed an increas-ingly prominent role in the energy sector with the exploration and development of Marcellus Shale. Japan, in the wake of the 2011 Fukushima disaster, has had to reassess its strategic priority on nuclear energy.

North Korea is often portrayed in mainstream media as a backward place, a Stalinist relic without a history worth knowing. But during its founding years (1945-1950), North Korea experienced a radical social revolution when everyday life became the primary site of political struggle, including quite deliberately a feminist agenda. With historical comparisons to revolutions in the early 20th century, Suzy Kim introduces her book through rarely seen archival photos, situating the North Korean revolution within the broader history of modernity.

We have a special opportunity this week. As part of the Talking About Asia series, the Asian Studies Center Director and Professor of Anthropology Nicole Constable will be giving a lecture this Friday 1/23 entitled Born Out of Place: What We Learn from the Babies of Migrant Workers.

Light refreshments will be served.

We look forward to seeing you there.

Are you looking for travel opportunities and a chance to get “real world experience” before facing the job market? Join us at the Global Gap Year Panel, where representatives from the Peace Corps, Hekima Place, PULSE Pittsburgh, Fulbright Fellowship Program, and others will talk about what they gained from their “Gap Year”.

Panelists include:
Abraham Kim, Peace Corps (Zambia)
Jessa Darwin, Hekima Place (Kenya)
Jenna Baron, PULSE, United Way, Fulbright Scholar (Pittsburgh, PA & Kenya)
Holly Hickling, FORGE (Paris & Zambia)

Bill Adams, senior international economist for The PNC Financial Services Group, is responsible for forecasting international economic conditions and exchange rates for PNC, covering emerging Asia, the European Union, Canada and Latin America. Adams serves as PNC's principal spokesperson on global economic issues and frequently presents to its clients on the international economic outlook. He joined PNC in July 2011 after serving as resident economist for The Conference Board China Center from 2009 to 2011.

Tzung-Shiun Li, Ph.D. is Professor, Department of Administrative Management, Central Police University, Taiwan. Now as Visiting Scholar, Graduate School of Public and International Affairs & Certer of Disaster Management, University of Pittsburgh. He also serves as Chairman at Chinese Association of National Competitiveness and Standing Director(2011~2114) of Neihu Safety and Health Collaborative Association in Taiwan. His research interests are crisis management & risk governance, contracting out government services, leadership and public philosophy.

This lecture aims to investigate the direction of Korean art of the past half century, through observing the trends in modern Korean history. It will briefly cover the social and artistic background of Korea in the 1960s to 2010s. The core issue that is pursued by the art of today is ‘communication.’ The reason behind the popularity of artworks that carry the meaning of breaking barriers between artistic genres, overcoming prejudices among people, and destructing regional boundaries is all for the sake of smoothening out communication.

China’s electric power industry, now the world’s largest, displays an unusual mix of impressive achievement and large-scale inefficiency. Rapid accumulation of technical capability has transformed this industry into a major force in global markets for equipment and project management, most notably in the nuclear sector, even as changing demand patterns threaten the finances of major generating companies. The giant ecological footprint of China’s power sector adds urgency to tracking its likely future direction.

Hong’s arrival in the mid-1990s marks a new phase in the development of Korean cinema in the post-democratization era. He responded to the post-epic condition by rediscovering everyday life (its contingency and disjointedness) via a minimalist gaze.