USC EASC

Class of 2013 Placements and Achievements

Congratulations to the following East Asian Area Studies graduates for their job placements: 

Nicholas Powers-Maher has been accepted into the Japan Exchange and Teaching (JET) Programme, and will be teaching English in Japan. 

Jeffrey Tamaru will be a management consultant for Allied Consulting in New York. 

Roger Tang has committed to Teach for America, a non-profit organization that places high-achieving recent college graduates and professionals to teach in low-income communities in the U.S.

Congratulations also to the following graduating Global East Asia alumni for their achievements: 

Katherine Fu (Global East Asia China 2011) was named valedictorian of the class of 2013. She graduates with a BA in Biological Sciences and Neuroscience. Read more about Katherine in her USC News feature. 

Janet Lee (Global East Asia China 2012) was 1 of 10 students to win the distinguished USC Provost’s Global Scholar Prize, which awards $10,000 towards graduate education. She received the award in conjunction with research presented at this year’s USC-Michigan Undergraduate Conference as a USC Korean Studies Institute (KSI) Fellow. Janet graduates with a BA in Biological Sciences and Health Promotion and Disease Prevention Studies as well as a minor in East Asian Area Studies.

EASC Affiliated Graduate Student Achievements 2012-13

Congratulations to our affiliated graduate students for their achievements this academic year.

Keisha Brown (PhD, East Asian Languages & Cultures) received the Gold Family Graduate Fellowship for summer 2013 and will be presenting a paper at UC San Diego’s Graduate Research Conference.

Jier Dong (MA, East Asian Area Studies) is graduating this May after completing his thesis “Romance Rapscallions on the Cusp of Modern: Male Courtship in Four Eileen Chang Stories”. His thesis committee consisted of Professors Brian Bernards, Dominic Cheung, and Sunyoung Park. Jier has accepted a position as project manager for a private firm in El Monte.

Jesse Drian (PhD, East Asian Languages & Cultures) received the Nippon Foundation Fellowship to study Japanese at the Inter-University Center in Yokohama, Japan in 2013-14. 

Yu-Kang Fan (PhD, Sociology) received the USC Research Enhancement Fellowship for 2013-14 academic and his co-authored paper is forthcoming in August in the Journal of Marriage and Family. 

Nate Heneghan (PhD, East Asian Languages & Cultures) received the Russell Endowed Fellowship to complete his dissertation. 

Josh Hsieh (MFA, Cinematic Arts) co-produced the documentary A Second Chance, which has been nominated for a Student Academy Award. 

Nadia Kanagawa (PhD, History) was awarded a Japan Foundation Doctoral Fellowship for 2013-14, as well as a Roberta Persinger Foulke fellowship for this summer. 

Kate Page-Lippsmeyer (PhD, East Asian Languages & Cultures) was awarded a Japan Foundation Fellowship to attend the Japanese language program at the Inter-University Center for Japanese Studies in Yokohama, Japan.

Victoria Pinto (PhD, East Asian Languages & Cultures) organized a panel and presented a paper at the American Academy of Religion’s national meeting, published a book review in the Japanese journal of religious studies, and was elected Graduate Student Government Vice President.

EASC Affiliated Faculty and Postdoc Achievements 2012-13

Congratulations also to our affiliated faculty and postdoctoral scholars for their achievements this academic year. 

Bettine Birge (Associate Professor, East Asian Languages and Cultures) received a 2013-2014 National Endowment for the Humanities Grant. 

Tomoko Bialock (Japanese Librarian, East Asian Library) was promoted to Associate Librarian with tenured Continuing Appointment. 

Youngmin Choe (Assistant Professor, East Asian Languages and Cultures) received the 2013 Zumberge Individual Award for academic year 2013-2014. 

Sandra Fahy (Sejong Society Postdoctoral Fellow, Korean Studies Institute) will join Sophia University in Tokyo, Japan as Assistant Professor of Anthropology.

Hee Ju (Lecturer, East Asian Languages and Cultures) is the new language coordinator for the USC Korean language program. 

Saori Katada (Associate Professor, International Relations) will be on the editorial board of a new Japanese political economy journal. 

Sunyoung Park (Assistant Professor, East Asian Languages and Cultures)’s translation and edited text On the the Eve of the Uprising and Other Stories from Colonial Korea will be in its second printing from Cornell East Asian Series.

Juliana Wang (Assistant Professor of the Practice, Environmental Studies) received the 2013-14 Haynes Faculty Fellowship to conduct research on smart grid and disaster management in Los Angeles, building upon research done using her EASC Tsai Family Research Fund award. 

John E. (Jack) Wills Jr. (Professor Emeritus, History) received the USC Faculty Lifetime Achievement Award, which recognizes faculty with eminent careers and notable contributions to the university, the profession and the community. Past East Asia faculty recipients include Robert Ellwood, Otto Schnepp, George Totten and Peter Berton.

Susie Woo (Postdoctoral Fellow, American Studies and Ethnicity) will join Cal State Fullerton as Assistant Professor in American Studies. 

Anri Yasuda (Provost’s Postdoctoral Scholar, East Asian Languages and Cultures) will join George Washington University as Assistant Professor in Japanese Literature.

Photo

Spring 2013 EASC Faculty Luncheon Meeting

See more photos.

2013-2014 Tsai Award Recipients

Congratulations to the following 2013-2014 Tsai Family Research Fund for Taiwan Studies award recipients. Through a generous donation by the Tsai Family, this award supports undergraduate, graduate, and faculty study and research on Taiwan. 

Faculty

• Jacques Hymans, Associate Professor of International Relations: Research on Taiwanese banknote iconography.
• Daniel Lynch, Associate Professor of International Relations: Research on Taiwan’s strategic shift related to China.
• Andrew Simpson, Professor of Linguistics: Present paper on the grammar of questions and answers in Mandarin Chinese at the 8th international workshop on Theoretical East Asian Linguistics in Taipei, Taiwan.
• Tin-Yu Tseng, Lecturer of East Asian Languages and Cultures: Develop new advanced language/culture Chinese course at USC tentatively entitled “Chinese through Theater and Drama.”
• Aaron Walker, Lecturer of American Studies: Compile collection of personal narratives from elderly Taiwanese citizens who lived through the Japanese occupation of Taiwan.
• Yi-Hsien Walker, Lecturer of East Asian Languages and Cultures: Compile new generation’s Taiwanese-Mandarin spoken language corpus.

Graduate Students

• Li-Ping Chen, Comparative Studies in Literature and Culture: Present conference paper and conduct research in Taiwan on Japanese settler colonialism.
• Li-Hao Chu, Pharmaceutical Economics & Policy: Conduct study at Kaohsiung Medical School on rheumatoid arthritis patients.
• Yu-Kang Fan, Sociology: Research on transnational organization of elder care in Taipei and rural areas of Taiwan.
• Tse-Min Fu, Political Science and International Relations: Research on Taiwan’s grand strategy towards China with a focus on military spending.
• Peter Guekguezian, Linguistics: Research on an endangered Taiwanese language, Saisiyat, at National Tsing Hua University in Hsinchu, Taiwan. 
• Joshua Hsieh, Film Production: Research on concurrent trends in Taiwanese film industry towards and away from co-production with China.
• Jenneille Hsu, Public Policy and Management: Research on Taiwan’s renewable energy policy and development and present results at 12th Hawaii International Conference on Social Science and 32nd International Association for Energy Economics (IAEE) North American Conference.
• Yuyun Wang, East Asian Languages and Cultures: Research on Mandarin Chinese and Taiwanese Southern Min at Academia Sinica and National Tsing Hua University. 
• Mingmin Yang, Political Science and International Relations: Research on Taiwan FTA policy at Chung-Hua Institution for Economic Research.

Undergraduate Students

• Sarah Chang, Piano Performance: Participate in EALC Chinese summer language program at National Taiwan University. 
• Kristina Chiu, Biology and EALC: Participate in EALC Chinese summer language program at National Taiwan University. 
• Joseph Krassenstein, Print Journalism and EALC: Participate in EALC Chinese summer language program at National Taiwan University. 
• Jennifer Marr, International Relations (Global Business) and EALC: Participate in EALC Chinese summer language program at National Taiwan University. 
• Marisa Tsai, International Relations: Conduct research project on US arms sales to Taiwan as intern at International Affairs department of Taiwan Think Tank.
• Tina Tzeng, Business Administration: Participate in EALC Chinese summer language program at National Taiwan University. 

USC Kazan Taiko Annual Spring Concert Leaps to New Heights

By Shoko Oda 

On Sunday, April 14, USC Kazan Taiko held its fourth annual spring concert, “Kazan Matsuri: Legend of the Sacred Bachi” to great success, attracting an audience of over 100 people from on and off campus. This year’s concert highlighted Kazan’s leap to a new level of performance and dedication to the art of taiko. 

Written by Kazan’s own Lauren Pang, the play featured a young hero of the Village of Kazan striving to save his people from the evil Fire Dragon by forging a sacred bachi, a Japanese term for taiko drumsticks. The concert was very well-received by those who attended. Collaboration with USC Wushu Nation and Haneulsori Korean drumming club added energy to the performance.

USC Kazan Taiko, founded in the fall of 2002, is one of the newest collegiate taiko organizations in California. Joining the ranks of other collegiate taiko clubs such as UCLA Kyodo Taiko, UC Irvine Jodaiko, and Stanford Taiko, Kazan Taiko has grown significantly over the last decade from eight founders to 27 members of varying majors and backgrounds. 

Kazan is excited to recruit a new generation of enthusiastic students for the 2013-2014 school year. It hopes to engage students of all backgrounds and experience levels in the art of taiko. For more information about Kazan and how to join, please visit the website. Performance requests for on and off-campus events can also be submitted through the website. 

View photos from the spring concert here.

Shoko Oda is a sophomore double majoring in International Relations and East Asian Area Studies. She serves on the USC Kazan Taiko Executive Board as webmaster. She is also an EASC student staff member.

2013-14 EASC FLAS AND ACE FELLOWS

Congratulations to the following 2013-14 Foreign Language and Area Studies (FLAS) Fellowship and Association for Japan-U.S. Community Exchange (ACE) - Nikaido Fellowship recipients!

FLAS Fellows
Summer 2013

• Kimberly Ordel (MA), East Asian Area Studies
• Victoria Pinto (PhD), East Asian Languages and Cultures
• Ramon Barrera (BA), Economics
• Shannon Campbell (BA), East Asian Languages and Cultures
• Maracel Guevarra (BA), Animation and Digital Arts & East Asian Area Studies
• Konrad Mazurek (BA), East Asian Languages and Cultures
• Anna Pazderski (BA), Theater
• Sasha Spala (BA), Linguistics
• Vivian Yan (BA), Comparative Literature & History

AY 2013-14

• Carolyn Choi (PhD), Sociology
• Shannon Haugh (MPD), Public Diplomacy
• Jacob Roberts (BA), Economics & East Asian Languages and Cultures
• Tatumn Walters (BA), International Relations & East Asian Languages and Cultures

ACE-Nikaido Fellows

• Yasuhito Abe (PhD), Communication
• Jackson Bliss (PhD), English
• Michelle Damian (PhD), History
• Jesse Drian (PhD), East Asian Languages and Cultures
• Eike Exner (PhD), Comparative Literature
• Nathaniel Heneghan (PhD), East Asian Languages and Cultures
• Nadia Kanagawa (PhD), History
• Amanda Kennell (PhD), East Asian Languages and Cultures
• Chris Santiago (PhD), English
• Meredith Shaw (PhD), Political Science and International Relations
• Scott Wilbur (PhD), Political Science and International Relations

Photo

Spring 2013 EASC Graduate Mixer.

See more photos on our Facebook page.

2013 GLOBAL EAST ASIA SCHOLARS

Congratulations to the following Global East Asia scholars for summer 2013! Global East Asia is a summer study abroad scholarship program administered by EASC and funded by a generous grant from the Freeman Foundation. Follow our scholars’ adventures this summer on the Global East Asia China, Japan and Korea blogs.

Global East Asia China

• Jeffrey Bassette, Popular Music and Business Administration
• Erica Christianson, Political Science
• Esmeralda Del Rio, History and English Literature
• Michelle Lau, Business Administration
• Cliff Liu, Broadcast Journalism and Political Science
• Grace Mi, Animation and Digital Arts
• Joshua Neill, Neuroscience
• Amy Nham, Biological Sciences
• Kristi Rogers, Linguistics and East Asian Languages & Cultures
• Sunny Sun, Business Administration and International Relations
• Danielle Then, Psychology
• Elisa Ting, Public Relations
• Tyler Tokunaga, Business Administration, EALC
• Oanh Tran, Business Administration and International Relations

Global East Asia Japan

• Evan Brown, Physics and Computer Science
• Lawrence Burns II, Political Science
• John Carlson, Biochemistry and East Asian Languages & Cultures
• Kalai Chik, International Relations (Global Business) and EALC
• Yael Freiberg, Biological Sciences
• Sally Fu, History
• David Gero, Film & TV Production
• Jairo Hernandez, Computer Science
• Sally Kim, Film & TV Production and East Asian Languages & Cultures
• Olga Lexell, Critical Studies
• Annika Linde, East Asian Languages & Cultures, Linguistics, and Music (Choral)
• Sophia Mostowy, Psychology
• Yuewan Wang, International Relations and Business Administration
• Matt Wong, Neuroscience

Global East Asia Korea

• Abigail Becker, East Asian Area Studies and International Relations
• Jasmine Collins, International Relations
• Margarette Deagon, Health & Humanity
• Kayla Foster, East Asian Languages & Cultures and International Relations
• Olivia Hudnut, East Asian Area Studies and Business Administration
• Hanna Jolkovsky, History
• Daniel Kim, Biological Sciences
• Jaemyeong Lee, Theater and Narrative Studies
• Hyun Taek Lee, East Asian Languages & Cultures
• Ariadne Lyon, Psychology
• Shawn Rhoads, Physics and Psychology
• Melina Sutton, American Studies and Business Administration
• Lauren White, Communication

AAS 2013 Annual Conference

Each spring, the Association for Asian Studies (AAS) holds a four-day conference devoted to planned programs of scholarly papers, roundtable discussions, workshops, and panel sessions on a wide range of issues in research and teaching, and on Asian affairs in general. This year, the annual conference was held in San Diego, CA on March 21-24. 

Many EASC affiliated faculty, graduate students, librarians and staff were in attendance, including Professor Emeriti Jack Wills, Gordon Berger and Charlotte Furth and Professors Joshua Goldstein, Brett Sheehan, Youngmin Choe, and Brian Bernards who served as chairs and/or discussants of panels or roundtables. Professors David Kang and Satoko Shimazaki, EASC Associate-in-Research Janet Goodwin and USC Post-Docs Hyun Seon Park, Geraldine Fiss, and Sunkyung Kim also presented papers.