Asian Studies Center

Synonyms: 
ASC
Asian Studies

International Week!

Event Status: 
As Scheduled
Date: 
Mon, 11/17/2014 - 08:00 to Fri, 11/21/2014 - 17:00

Over the course of the week, Pitt campus will be alive with international activities, global events and the buzz of the International Week Contest, which will grant 1 free Summer 2015 Study Abroad Panther Program (tuition scholarship) to a country of your choice, a Sony NEX-F3 camera, or an apple ipad. For a full list of events, please review the International Week Website to learn more about how to add an international focus to your academic experience.

Kinship Organization Reflected in Bifurcated Settlements

Subtitle: 
ANTHROPOLOGY COLLOQUIUM SERIES
Presenter: 
Dr. Yu Xiyun, Professor, Department of Archaeology, Wuhan University, China
Event Status: 
As Scheduled
Date: 
Fri, 11/07/2014 - 15:00

In prehistoric China, egalitarian communities were often organized into ‘bifurcated settlements’ (两分结构聚落). These settlements are characterized by distinct clustering of residential areas and even burial grounds into two distinct sectors. Ethnographic examples of bifurcated settlements indicate their internal organization is a reflection of a kind of kinship organization akin to the moieties of South America, phratries of North America, and marriage classes of Australia.

Location: 
The Anthropology Lounge, 3106 Posvar Hall
Cost: 
Free

Alumni & Professionals Panel: Careers in International Law

Subtitle: 
International Career Toolkit Series
Presenter: 
Michael Zuck, Kimberly Bennett
Event Status: 
As Scheduled
Date: 
Fri, 11/21/2014 - 15:00 to 16:00

Interested in global issues? Join us for an Alumni & Professionals Panel on Careers in International Law. Discover career opportunities for all fields of study and network with alumni and professionals working globally. Our diverse panel will discuss a variety of career options and share insights about how to make yourself more competitive in the job market.

Location: 
Posvar Hall 4217
Cost: 
Free
Contact Person: 
Sarah Angel Markwardt
Contact Email: 
saa133@gmail.com

Excrement as a Commodity?

Subtitle: 
Excrement in the City: Tokyo, 1868-1920
Presenter: 
David Howell
Event Status: 
As Scheduled
Date: 
Mon, 12/01/2014 - 12:00

Excrement was a hot commodity in the cities of nineteenth-century Japan. The widespread use of night soil as an organic fertilizer meant that residents of big cities such as Edo (Tokyo) and Osaka could sell their waste rather than dispose of it themselves. Thanks to this trade, early modern Japanese cities enjoy a reputation as remarkably green spaces, in which residents lived in salubrious harmony with nature.  Let us put poop into the modernizing city.

Location: 
4130 Posvar Hall

Political Economies of the 19th-c. Economic Change under Industrial Capitalism

Subtitle: 
World History Center Speaker Series: East Asia, Eurasia, and the World
Presenter: 
Bin Wong, University of California, Los Angeles
Event Status: 
As Scheduled
Date: 
Fri, 10/24/2014 - 12:00

The standard narratives of 19th-c. global economic transformation compare and connect patterns of economic change in different regions of the world in distinct ways. The durability of competing explanations for the contrasting economic conditions of countries in the late 18th and early 20th centuries poses a challenge to our efforts to create a more persuasive account of both the momentous changes and the persistence of older economic practicies.

Location: 
3703 Posvar Hall

Does Performance Matter? Evaluating the Institution of Political Selection along the Chinese Administrative Ladder

Presenter: 
Dr. Pierre Landry
Event Status: 
As Scheduled
Date: 
Fri, 11/21/2014 - 16:00 to 17:30

The determinants behind the political selection of officials in China have been the subject of great debate. Although factions and political connections play an important role, China’s stellar economic performance since 1978 suggests that the Communist Party’s cadre management system is still able to select and promote at least some competent individuals to hold important government positions. This paper evaluates the extent to which the Party uses economic performance, namely the growth of local fiscal revenues and GDP, as the indicators of competence when promoting local politicians.

Location: 
4130 Posvar Hall, University of Pittsburgh
Contact Person: 
Dr. Katherine Carlitz
Contact Email: 
kcarlitz@pitt.edu

The Politics of Migration Control in Asia

Presenter: 
Dr. Erin Chung, Johns Hopkins University
Event Status: 
As Scheduled
Date: 
Fri, 11/14/2014 - 15:00

On 16 October 2010, German Chancellor Angela Merkel declared multiculturalism in Germany a failure. Far-right parties that have recently gained power in countries such as Sweden and Austria have further raised doubts about the viability of multiculturalism in Western Europe and North America. Meanwhile, in South Korea, Japan, and Taiwan, where immigration is tightly controlled and integration programs are at their infancy, the catchword, “multiculturalism,” has gained popularity among policymakers and the public alike.

Location: 
4130 Posvar Hall, University of Pittsburgh
Cost: 
Free
Contact Person: 
Dr. James Cook
Contact Email: 
jacook@pitt.edu

JASP's Halloween Mixer

Event Status: 
As Scheduled
Date: 
Fri, 10/24/2014 - 18:00 to 23:00

The Japan-America Society of Pennsylvania (JASP) is co-hosting a Halloween Mixer with Point Park University's Anime Club for students interested in Japan and Japanese culture.

All students are welcome!

**Event Schedule**
6:00 pm : Arrival and Sign in
6:15 pm : Food and lots of candy
6:30 pm : Japan-related Club Introductions
7:00 pm : Yokai (Japanese folklore monsters) Presentation
7:45 pm : Costume Contest
8:15 pm : Horror film screening (movie title TBA)
10:30 ~ 11:00 pm : End of mixer
**Don't forget to dress up!**

Location: 
Point Park University, Lawrence Hall 2nd Floor, Multi-purpose Room
Cost: 
Free

The Challenges and Promise of Democratic Governance in Asia

Subtitle: 
The Discussions on Governance Lecture Series
Presenter: 
David D. Arnold, President of the Asia Foundation
Event Status: 
As Scheduled
Date: 
Thu, 11/13/2014 - 12:00 to 13:00

2014 has been a remarkable year in terms of democratic developments in Asia. Landmark elections in India and Indonesia brought dramatic leadership changes to the region's two largest democracies. Afghan citizens defied Taliban threats to exercise their franchise in elections leading to the country's first democratic transition from one elected president to another, and student-led protests on the streets of Hong Kong demanded a greater voice in choosing their elected leaders.

Location: 
William Pitt Union Building/Lower Lobby
Cost: 
Free (must register beforehand)

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