New Asian Studies Graduate Course!

Rome 771

Wednesdays 

03:30PM - 06:00PM

Course Description:

1947 was a crucial year for world history, as the end of WWII and decolonization over 1947-48 ushered in many new nations and invented new national communities and identities. This course focuses on what happened in 1947 in India, in relation to these global transformations; it engages postcolonial theories of nationalism, gender studies and historiography with literature and cinema to illuminate the cultural representation of the 1947 Partition of India and its social and political legacies for contemporary South Asia. Drawing upon a range of disciplines, the course examines the violent migrations that occurred during 1947, and its link to contemporary conflicts (war, ethnic conflict, refugee displacement, property rights) and ideas about citizenship, political belonging, intimacy, and secularism. We will look at different registers: literature, film, print media, visual and new media.  How gender, ethnicity and disability inflect these histories and texts will be integral to the story we will tell. No prior knowledge of South Asia required.

Readings include works by Paul Scott, Salman Rushdie, Homi Bhabha, Judith Butler, Vikram Chandra, Amitav Ghosh, Saadat Hasan Manto, Shauna Singh Baldwin, Tim Brennan, Pheng Cheah, Talal Asad, Sunil Khilnani, Dipesh Chakrabarty, Gayatri Spivak, Rajeswari Sunder Rajan, Deepa Ollapally, among others.  Films we will watch include Hindi cinema as well as third cinema, like "Delhi 6", "Parzania," and "My Son, the Fanatic."

Dr. Kavita Daya 

Associate Professor of English 

Kavita Daiya is Associate Professor of English, as well as affiliated faculty and Executive Committee member of the Women's Studies Program at GWU. A literary and film critic, and scholar of transnational cultural studies, Dr. Daiya's research engages the field of feminist postcolonial studies with Asian American Studies. Her specializations include nationalism, gender and sexuality, public culture, migration, and globalization. Her interdisciplinary research and publications have focused on the cultural representation in global media of ethnic belonging, violence, coupledom and diaspora in South Asia, United States and Africa. Her research has been generously supported by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, the Ford Foundation, the University of Chicago, and George Washington University.  

There are still seats available! Register now! 

Dear Students,

As you all know, the registration period for the Spring 2013 semester starts next Monday, November 5.   As you plan your academic schedule, you may find it helpful to have a look at the spreadsheet we have put together that lists all Asia-related courses being offered next semester. The document is divided into three tabs: Asian languages, Undergraduate, and Graduate.

You may access this document here: http://go.gwu.edu/s13asianstudies   

Please note that you should consult the Office of the Registrar's website for the most up-to-date information regarding all courses.

Students,

2012 Fall Registration is just around the corner! Don't forget to register early on April 10th.

Please check the following website to download the schedule of Asian Studies classes that are being offered!

The U.S. Department of State Foreign Policy Classroom

Series Speakers: Josh Goldberg and Seth Patch

Topic: “U.S.-China Relations”

Date: Thursday, March 15, 2012

Arrival Time: Please arrive no later than 10:30 a.m. to pass through security and registration. The program will be from 11:00a.m.-12:00p.m.

Where: U.S Department of State, 2201 C St. NW(Enter through the 23rdstreet entrance, between C and D Streets. Bring photo ID.)



Josh Goldberg – China Desk Officer, Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs

Josh Goldberg is a China Desk Officer, where he currently covers political-military, cross-Strait, and cyber issues for the State Department’s China Desk. He joined the State Department in 2005 and previously served in Shenyang, China; Cairo, Egypt; and the State Department’s Operations Center. Prior to joining the Department, Josh taught English at Beijing Normal University. He also worked for an education foundation in New York, for several political campaigns in across different states, and served in the Pennsylvania state government. He graduated from the College of William and Mary, in Williamsburg, Virginia.


Seth Patch – China Desk Officer, Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs

Seth Patch currently works as a Foreign Affairs Officer in the Office of Chinese and Mongolian Affairs. His work is primarily focused on Hong Kong and Macau, law enforcement, and counter-terrorism. Additionally, Seth spent two years covering the human rights portfolio. Prior to joining the China Desk, Seth served at the Consulate General in Shenyang, China, and at the U.S. Embassy in London. Before coming on board with the State Department as a Foreign Service Officer, he also worked as a management consultant. Seth attended Washington University in St.Louis, where he received both his bachelor’s and master’s degrees.


To register to attend a Foreign Policy Classroom, send an email to ForeignPolicyClassroom@state.gov.

The U.S Department of State is pleased to announce the newest addition to its outreach curriculum: the Foreign Policy Classroom. Beginning January 2012, the Classroom will be in session year-round for all students and faculty members interested in elevating their knowledge of foreign policy priorities to a more scholarly status. As you continue in your future academic pursuits, we encourage you to expand your campus to include the U.S. Department of State by attending the Foreign Policy Classroom.

This Thursday, February 23, from 2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m., Jonathan Adams, India Desk Officer, and Mitul Desai, Senior Advisor, from the Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs, will be speaking on “India’s Rise.”

Jonathan Adams is an India desk officer working on political issues in the U.S. Department of State’s South & Central Asian Bureau. Before joining the State Department a year ago, Jonathan was a Taiwan-based journalist covering East Asia politics, economics and culture for Newsweek, the International Herald Tribune, the Christian Science Monitor and other publications. He has also done communications work for nonprofit groups in Maine and New York City. He holds a masters degree from Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs.

Mitul Desai is Senior Advisor in the U.S. Department of State’s South & Central Asian Bureau, where he engages private sector, NGO, and Diaspora organizations to build partnerships around a variety of issues impacting the region, including philanthropy and entrepreneurship. Mitul comes to government from the corporate arena, where he worked as an investment bank analyst, entrepreneur, and intellectual property attorney. His experience includes several years at Merck & Co. and Piper Jaffray & Co. He received his J.D. from the Boston University School of Law.

If you are interested in attending the program on February 23, please click here for information on how to register.

The deadline for all individuals to submit their security information is Tuesday, February 21 by 5:00 p.m.

This spring a number of one-credit language courses will be offered. Courses will be offered at the Intermediate level in Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian, and Spanish, and we will also have an Advanced level course for Arabic. Times and dates for these courses are available on the Schedule of Classes.

To enroll in these courses, students will be required to take the online diagnostic exam, or use their scores on this fall’s language proficiency exam. Required scores for each course are as follows:

Arabic (Advanced): Advanced-Low to Advanced-Mid (primarily for MA students in Middle East Studies)
Arabic (Intermediate): Intermediate-Mid to Intermediate-High
Chinese (Intermediate): Intermediate-Mid to Intermediate-High
French (Intermediate): Intermediate-Mid to Intermediate-High
Russian (Intermediate): Intermediate-Mid to Advanced-Low
Spanish (Intermediate): Intermediate-Mid to Intermediate-High

If your speaking or reading level is below "Intermediate-Mid," you should take a regular language course at the intermediate level or below rather than the one-credit language course. The one-credit language course is designed for students who are near the required proficiency level for most MA programs. Please take the online diagnostic examination to estimate your proficiency level if you have not already taken a language proficiency examination.

Here are links to the diagnostic exams:

Arabic Diagnostic Exam
http://www.quia.com/pages/elliottschoollanguagetesting/arabicdiagnostic

Chinese Diagnostic Exam
http://www.quia.com/pages/elliottschoollanguagetesting/chinesediagnostic

French Diagnostic Exam
http://www.quia.com/pages/elliottschoollanguagetesting/frenchdiagnostic

Russian Diagnostic Exam
http://www.quia.com/pages/elliottschoollanguagetesting/russiandiagnositc

Spanish Diagnostic Exam
http://www.quia.com/pages/elliottschoollanguagetesting/spanishdiagnostic


If you meet the required proficiency level, and are interested in taking one of these courses, please contact Ryan Pond at rjpond@gwu.edu to enroll.

The Sigur Center has posted a listing of all Spring 2012 Asian Studies courses. You can view the listing on our website under new information for either Graduate Programs or Undergraduate Programs.

The spreadsheet includes three different pages for language, undergrad, and grad courses.

Graduate students, please note that only MA Asian Studies students can take the capstone. MAIA Asia concentration students must take one of the MAIA capstones.

For more information on Spring 2012 registration, please visit The Office of the Registrar.

If you plan on taking the GW-proctored examination this semester, you MUST pre-register to ensure there are spots for all students who wish to take the exam. Pre-registration is now open for the Elliott School reading and speaking foreign language proficiency examinations for the Fall 2011 semester. If you do not pre-register, GW may not be able to accommodate you this fall.

The deadline for pre-registration is October 7th (Friday).

We expect final registration to take place in mid-October and will be working with the GW Language Center to finalize the schedule and begin the final examination registration process.

The examination period is tentatively scheduled for November 7th to 18th (except for Arabic). Students wishing to take the Arabic exam should contact Emily Voight at mesp@gwu.edu regarding the Arabic testing schedule.

To pre-register, click on the following link and then complete and submit the pre-registration form: http://tiny.cc/ESIAlanguage.
Again, if you do not pre-register by October 7th, it is possible that you may not be able to take the proficiency examination this fall. Students who pre-register will have priority in the final registration process.
Any questions regarding the foreign language proficiency examination process, please contact: Ryan Pond at rjpond@gwu.edu.
Questions regarding the Arabic language exam , please contact: Emily Voight at mesp@gwu.edu.

Take a short-term study abroad course in China with the George Washington School of Business! GWSB is offering Economic and Financial Issues in Global Financial Markets (IBUS 6290) & Globalization and China's Business Environment (IBUS 6297) [6 credits]. The program is from December 27, 2011 to January 10, 2012. GWSB is accepting applications through THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 15^TH.

This 6 credit program consists of IBUS 6290 Economic and Financial Issues in Global Financial Markets and IBUS 6297 Globalization and China's Business Environment. Following on-campus coursework students will depart for China for 2 weeks. While in China students will travel to Shanghai, Beijing and a third city near Beijing or Shanghai where they will engage in lectures, seminars, field visits, conduct business and participate in cultural visits.

IBUS 6290 Economic and Financial Issues in Global Financial Markets

This course will help students understand current issues in international economics and finance. It covers topics such as the subprime mortgage crisis, securitization, financial institutions risk management, global trade issues, balance of payment issues, non-performing loans, and the global stock markets.

IBUS 6297 Globalization and China's Business Environment

This course will help participants understand the Chinese economy, China's relationship with the World Trade Organization, and China's role in globalization of the world economy. Through lectures and guest lectures, seminars, and field visits, participants will learn China's business environment, multinational firms' business strategies and practices in China, the reform of state-owned enterprises, and the development of non-state-owned enterprises in China. Participants will travel to Shanghai, Suzhou, and Beijing where they will conduct business and cultural visits.

Visit this page for more information.

Minority Rights Group is offering free online training.

If you are interested in minority rights issues in Asia, are looking to increase your advocacy skills and learn more about minority rights, have been working working or volunteering for an organization working on minority rights for two year, or are working on minority rights in one of the following countries: Bangladesh, Burma, Cambodia, India, Indonesia, Nepal, Malaysia, Pakistan, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Thailand, or Vietnam, then you can qualify for Minority Rights Group free online training for minority rights advocacy.

The online course runs for 12 weeks, and you are expected to spend about 3 hours a week on the course. An online tutor will be available to help you with the learning process.

Participants may get more opportunities to attend regional trainings, study visits and may even be able to attend the UN Forum on Minority Issues in Geneva, 2011.

A recommendation letter from your organization is required.
The online course is free.

The deadline for applications is March 5th, 2011.

For more information and application forms, visit:

http://www.refugeeeducation.com/minority-rights-group-offers-free-online-training/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+refugeeeducationinitiative+%28Refugee+Education+Initiative%29

Fudan University offers a tuition scholarship and living stipend for a GWU senior to attend the M.A. program in Chinese Politics and Diplomacy. this Master's degree is offered in English by Fudan University's School of Public Relations and Public Affairs.

This two-year Master's program provides students with the opportunity to study China's politics, diplomacy, and administration. The program's mission is to enhance both the students' analytical skills and their knowledge of China. All academic courses are taught in English.

The program requires two years of full-time study. It offers courses in Political Development in Modern China; Chinese Diplomacy; Chinese Public Administration; International Politics; Chinese Economy; Chinese Modern History; International Relations in East Asia; Political Economy in East Asia; Research Methods; Seminar Series on Chinese and World Affairs; and Chinese language at a variety of levels.

The application cycle opens on March 1, 2011 for fall enrollment. Visit www.sirpa.fudan.edu.cn/english for more information on the English-insturcted Master's Program (EMA).

Students with questions about Fudan University should not contact the Sigur Center. Students may contact Caroline Donovan White, cdonovan@gwu.edu, director of International Programs & Education, at the Elliott School.