UBC prof translates earliest surviving live-action Mulan film
Mulan, a live-action rendition of the Disney animated classic, premiered on Sept 4th. This highly anticipated film retells the legend of Chinese heroine Hua Mulan, a story that has been appearing on the silver screen for almost a hundred years. Professor Christopher Rea, who recently translated the earliest surviving Mulan film, Hua Mu Lan (1939), talks about why Mulan remains a powerful cultural icon.
Asian Studies Graduate Students feature daily in Japanese multimedia publication “In Media Res”
This week’s In Media Res (August 31-September 4) features pieces from UBC graduate students Rosaley Gai, Lilian Higashikata, Ai Yamamoto, Jaylene Laturnas, Oğuzhan Kaya, and Alisa Guo. Designed as a public-facing platform to introduce and discuss contemporary new media texts, In Media Res is a multi-modal form of online scholarship with a wide readership and online presence.
Transitioning Asian Studies to online for Winter 2020…no easy task!
September 2020 marks the first time ever that UBC Asian Studies (along with most other UBC departments) has offered all classes in online form. Although many courses already included some sort of online component, it was no small task to move everything entirely online, so we were extremely lucky to have a team of grad students, led by Kurtis Hanlon and Shota Iwasaki, on-hand to manage the overwhelming flow of information.
Nusantara’s Indigenous Knowledge
Nusantara’s Indigenous Knowledge was a June 2020 joint undertaking between Dr. Tom Hunter and the University of Indonesia’s Faculty of Cultural Studies. The book features analyses of both local tradition and artifacts, in juxtaposition to contemporary societies of both Indonesia and South East Asia as a whole. Tom shares his experience on the process!
Farewell Message from Outgoing Departmental Head Ross King
After 12 years, Ross King shares some triumphs and tribulations from the top of the Asian Studies tree and gives a very warm welcome to incoming Head, Sharalyn Orbaugh.
Asian Studies Statement on Racial Violence and Racial Injustice
The Department of Asian Studies stands in solidarity with Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) on the UBC campus, in Canada, on this continent, and around the world in their demands for an end to systemic racism and racialized violence.
Rumee Ahmed promoted to Full Professor of Islamic Law
We congratulate Rumee Ahmed on his promotion to Full Professor of Islamic Law!
Congratulations to Christina Yi
We are delighted to announce and want to congratulate, Christina Yi of our Japanese faculty, on receiving her well-deserved tenure and promotion to the rank of Associate Professor! Professor Yi has been a beloved member of our department since July of 2013. Click here to read her full bio of amazing achievements!
Q&A: Speaking Mandarin Chinese as a heritage or non-heritage learner
Did you know that Mandarin Chinese has four distinct spoken tones? As part of Asian Heritage Month, UBC’s Language Sciences program interviewed Qian Wang of our Chinese Faculty on creating a safe space for both heritage and non-heritage learners to share similar stories and challenges. Click to read more!
Inspiration in Isolation – Sunnie Wang
We’ve asked some of our Asian Studies faculty, staff and students to share their experiences on working from home. Sunnie Wang, our Chinese Language Program Coordinator and optimist extraordinaire, wins the prize of most thoroughly answering this questionnaire when it comes to discussing preparation: What are some problems you may have encountered during the […]