Recent News
Published: Jun 19 2017 - 2:22pm
The 2016-2017 Academic Year saw the Department of Asian Languages & Literature welcoming four new graduate students.
Benjamin DeTora graduated with a B.A. in Japanese Language & Literature from Boston University and continued on to work as an ALT in the JET Programme in Shikokuchūō City, Ehime, Japan. Prior to arriving at UW, Ben received his M.A. from Washington University in St. Louis and attended the Inter-University-Center for Japanese Language Studies in Yokohama, Japan. His research focus is modern literature and Japanese-language literature of minorities,... Continue reading
Published: May 31 2017 - 9:01am
Professor Reiko Yamanaka, Director of the Noh Theatre Research Institute of Hosei University in Tokyo, visited the University of Washington as a Visiting Scholar during April and May 2017. Dr. Yamanaka is a renowned authority on Noh Drama, specializing in individual Noh plays and the way they've been staged throughout history.
While at the University of Washington, Dr. Yamanaka co-taught a course with Department Chair Paul S. Atkins on Noh and Kyogen drama, and was a guest speaker for the Drama department's "Theatre History I" class. She served as guest judge at the 34th annual Washington... Continue reading
Published: May 26 2017 - 12:01pm
by Amy Snyder Ohta, Associate Professor
For this year’s Andrew L. Markus Memorial Lecture, Dr. Junko Mori, Professor of Japanese and Department Chair of Asian Languages and Cultures from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, skillfully guided all who attended on a thought-provoking tour through various ideas related to the construct of the “native speaker” in the context of Asian language education in our world of increasing migration and global mobility. Her lecture, entitled “On Native-Speaker-Hood, Translingual Competence, and Asian Language Education” was presented on May 8th, 2017. The... Continue reading
Published: May 19 2017 - 2:07pm
Korean Language Full-time Lecturer or Senior Lecturer
The Department of Asian Languages & Literature at the University of Washington seeks to appoint a full-time Lecturer or full-time Senior Lecturer in Korean. The initial appointment, starting Autumn Quarter 2018, is for three years, with the possibility of renewal. Applicants must have at least an M.A. degree in Korean, Foreign Language Teaching, or another relevant area, must have native or near-native proficiency in Korean, be fluent in English, and have at least one year of experience teaching at the college or university level. The... Continue reading
Published: May 10 2017 - 2:21pm
Senior Lecturer Pauli Sandjaja was featured in KOMPAS newspaper on April 21, 2017 to commemorate the birth of Kartini, who is known as a national hero in Indonesia who fought for women's rights through education. Livi Zheng, Desiana Pauli Sandjaja, and Juliana Wijaya have different backgrounds, but they all share Kartini's passion for education. Together they collaborated on the film, "Bali: Beats in Paradise" in order to promote Indonesia's rich culture within the United States and to the rest of the world.
In this interview, Ms. Sandjaja shared information about the Indonesian language... Continue reading
Published: Mar 30 2017 - 9:41am
The second annual Sakura-kai, a new tradition celebrating the iconic cherry blossoms that grace the University of Washington’s quad each spring, took place on March 29 in the East Asia Library. Braving the uncooperative weather, more than 80 students and community members packed the room, while many others were turned away due to lack of space.
Department Chair Paul S. Atkins, professor of classical Japanese language and literature, gave a talk on the significance of the cherry blossom in Japanese poetry, highlighting its representation of human ephemerality, while also emphasizing... Continue reading
Published: Mar 13 2017 - 8:53am
On Thursday, January 19th, the Department of Asian Languages & Literature and the East Asian Library hosted a career panel for students majoring in Asian Languages & Literature. Speakers included Joel Petersen, Assistant Manager in the Language Services Department of Nintendo of America, Koh Shimizu, a freelance Japanese-English interpreter and translator, and Michael Joyce, an entrepreneur and owner of Nature Nuts Adventure Travel, a company aimed at providing outdoor adventures and tours to Chinese-speaking tourists visiting the Pacific Northwest. The event, moderated by Department... Continue reading
Published: Mar 6 2017 - 3:27pm
Sean Bradley was invited to the Huntington Botanical Gardens in Pasadena, California on February 21st, 2017 to present his research on Myrrh and its history of medical use along the Silk Road from Arabia into China. The Huntington Library and Botanical Gardens is one of the premier private research libraries in the United States with an impressive collection on the history of science and twelve botanical gardens with over 15,000 plant species. Following the talk, Bradley toured the gardens with director, Dr. Jim Folsom and discussed the continued expansion of the gardens to include medicinal... Continue reading
Published: Feb 8 2017 - 4:47pm
Teika: The Life and Works of a Medieval Japanese Poet by Paul Atkins, professor of Japanese and department chair, was published by the University of Hawai’i Press in February, 2017.
Here are excerpts from the publisher’s description:
“Fujiwara no Teika (1162–1241) was born into an illustrious lineage of poets just as Japan’s ancien régime was ceding authority to a new political order dominated by military power. Overcoming personal and political setbacks, Teika and his allies championed a new style of poetry that managed to innovate conceptually and... Continue reading
Published: Feb 8 2017 - 4:30pm
The first Vietnamese Tet (Vietnamese New Year) event was held on UW’s Seattle campus, at the Waterfront Activities Center on Saturday January 21st, 2017, to celebrate the Year of the Rooster. More than 70 community members, graduate students, UW employees, undergraduates and their family members attended. Vietnamese instructor Bich-Ngoc Turner, Chinese language and literature professor Dr. Ping Wang, head of the Southeast Asian Studies library Dr. Judith Henchy, and managing director of the South East Asian Studies center Rebakah Minarchek were all in attendance. Traditional foods, games,... Continue reading