On May 2, 2026, graduate students from across the department and beyond gathered in Gowen Hall 201 for the 2026 Asian Languages & Literature Graduate Student Research Colloquium. Held under the theme “New Horizons: Representation, Interaction, and Governance in Asia,” the colloquium featured eleven graduate student presenters affiliated with the Department of Asian Languages & Literature and the Henry M. Jackson School of International Studies, organized across four panels spanning literary and film studies, area studies, language pedagogy, and premodern textual traditions. The colloquium opened with video remarks from Dr. Chan Lü, Associate Professor and Chair of the Department of Asian Languages and Literature.
The colloquium additionally featured a keynote lecture by Dr. Amy Snyder Ohta, Professor of Japanese Applied Linguistics at the Department of Asian Languages & Literature, who spoke on personalization in foreign language teaching and learning through the lens of sociocultural theory. Students participated in four panels: “Bodies, Memory, and Sensory Worlds in Literature and Film,” featuring William Gershman, Aidan Seipke, and Tzu-Lu Hung; “Mobility, Militarization, and Cultural Practice in Asian Societies,” featuring Jasper Howald, Che Sehyun, and Kariza Nolasco; “Writing Systems, Language Pedagogy, and Communicative Practice,” featuring Tetiana Andriiuk, Dana Fried, and Liyao Chen; and “Textual Traditions, Transmission, and Intimacy in the Early World,” featuring Jonathan Laiman and Eli Drake.
Attendees provided positive feedback on the presentations and appreciated the opportunity to share their research with peers and faculty across programs, to receive meaningful feedback, and to build connections that cross disciplinary and cohort boundaries. Organized by graduate students in the Department of Asian Languages & Literature, PhD student Ricky Chen (Japanese literature) and MA student Tetiana Andriiuk (Japanese applied linguistics), the 2026 UW AL&L Graduate Student Colloquium provided a valuable space for graduate students to build intellectual connections across fields, cohorts, and programs. The organizing team was grateful for the support of volunteers Samuel Patwell (MA student in Chinese) and Xinyue Yu (MA student in Asian Languages and Cultures), whose contributions were invaluable to the smooth running of the event. The colloquium continued the department’s tradition of fostering a collaborative scholarly community and highlighted the vitality and range of graduate research at UW. Through its panels, keynote, and conversations throughout the day, the colloquium opened new avenues for dialogue and helped strengthen the sense of community within and beyond the department.