Providing leadership, coordination and support for East Asian studies at the University of Southern California.
113
Affiliated Faculty in over 44 departments
388
Students sent to East Asia on Global East Asia
$2.8 M
Awarded in Student and Faculty Funding
Upcoming Events
Fall 2024
EASC Guest Speaker Series Cthulhu Cultivation Corporate Horror, Proletarian Manifesto, and the Salvation of Insanity in Chinese Fantasy Novels – Talk by Zhange Ni
Thursday, November 21, 2024 | 4:00PM-5:30PM PST | Zoom | RSVP
EASC Guest Speaker Series: Talk by Prof. Zhange Ni (Virginia Tech) with Faculty Moderator Dr. Kun Huang
The Cthulhu Mythos is fictional universe positing the existence of Cthulhu and other monstrous deities and warning against attempts to venture into a cosmos indifferent, if not hostile, to human interests. These monsters have arrived in China and transfigured there. The Cthulhu conquest of China is also the Chinese conquest of Cthulhu. The anti-humanism of supernatural horror has been transformed into a humanist critique against the capitalist system that utilizes information sciences and digital technologies to exploit human capacities. Prof. Ni will use Chinese fantasy novels to explore themes of corporate horror, proletarian manifesto, and the salvation of insanity.
EASC Guest Speaker Series: A Sound from Endless Desert: A Conversation with Abduweli Ayup and Screening of “Behind the Mask”
Monday, November 25, 2024 | 3:00PM-4:30PM | SOS B40 | RSVP
Moderated by Prof. Travis Major, Abduweli Ayup, an Uyghur scholar and activist, will give a presentation about the Uyghur people and the current crisis they face. This will be followed by a screening of the documentary “Behind the Mask”, which is centered on his experiences as a survivor of a Uyghur internment camp and subsequent opportunity to confront a former guard from his camp; however, he must consider the effect on his children, who witnessed his arrest. The documentary will be followed by a Q&A.
This event is co-sponsored by the USC Center for International Studies and Center for Advanced Genocide Research.
2024 East Asia Career Panel
Wednesday, January 29, 2025 | 5:00PM – 6:30PM | SOS B40 | RSVP
Please join us for the 10th annual East Asia Career Panel! The East Asia Career Panel is an annual event EASC organizes and is open to all undergraduate and graduate students interested in using East Asian language and area studies skills in their future professions and learning about the different career options available. Our impressive alumni panelists come from professions in fields such as business consulting, entertainment, journalism, non-profit, marketing, and education. The panel will be followed by a Q&A and networking opportunity.
EASC Guest Speaker Series: Informal Institutions and Challenges for International Relations: Asian Perspectives – Talk by Andrew F. Cooper
Thursday, January 30, 2025 | 12:00PM-1:00PM | SOS B40 | RSVP
Moderated by Prof. Saori Katada, Prof. Andrew F. Cooper (University of Waterloo) will unravel the centrality of contestation over international institutions under the shadow of crisis. Relying for conceptual guidance on the recovery of a valuable component in the intellectual contribution of Hedley Bull, a compelling case is made that informal concertation represents a fundamental institution as a peer competitor to formal multilateralism. Bull points to two scenarios around the concertation impulse. The first is based on pluralism, with a concertation impulse animated with respect to “unlike” countries, as featured in the G20. The second is based on an ethos of solidarity, based on some assumption of like-mindedness, as in both the G7 and the BRICS.
This event is co-sponsored by the USC Center for International Studies and Department of Political Science and International Relations.
“Flower Bird Wind Moon” (Kachō Fūgetsu) by Velina Hasu Houston – A Staged Reading
Saturday, March 1, 2025 | 2:00PM-5:00PM | Location TBD | RSVP
On the first day of Women’s History Month, the Shinso Ito Center presents a reading of “Flower Bird Wind Moon,” a play that explores female empowerment and immigrant integrity. When Japanese immigrant Kiyoko Kitchen’s husband dies and she is confronted with elder abuse, she seeks a way to live independently given the for fortitude that so long ago generated her immigration to America. Her endeavor synchronizes with a surreal world in which a character based upon her illuminates her youth. The play’s title comes from the Japanese notion of kachou fuugetsu – we can learn about ourselves in the experience of nature.
This event is presented by the USC Shinso Ito Center for Japanese Religions and Culture and co-sponsored the USC East Asian Studies Center, the USC School for Dramatic Arts , and the East West Players
EASC Signature Programs
Undergraduate
Global East Asia (GEA) is a four week upper-division Maymester research course with a study abroad component for USC undergraduate students, made possible by the East Asian Studies Center and USC Dornsife. This intensive program gives students the opportunity to travel and conduct research in China or Japan. Students from all majors, schools and language backgrounds are eligible to apply and experience East Asia in a unique way.
Graduate
EASC Graduate Fellowships provide summer stipends, typically between $1,000-$3,000, depending on the proposed course of study. The purpose of the award is to advance understanding of East Asia and/or US-Asia relations. The award may be used for research, language training or area studies, and can also be used for research including Asia in a comparative context or as a case study.
Research
A centerpiece of the East Asian Studies Center’s efforts to support all forms of research that deal with East Asia at USC is the manuscript review. Any USC faculty working on a book that deals with East Asia in some way are eligible for possible support. The program is designed to provide helpful and timely feedback to faculty preparing monographs or other similarly large academic works prior to submission for publication.
East Asian Area Studies MA Program Applications are Open!
The East Asian Area Studies (EAAS) Master of Arts is an interdisciplinary program designed to provide advanced academic training in East Asia. Candidates are able to design a program of study based on individual scholarly and professional goals, concentrating on one country (China, Japan, or Korea) or developing region-wide expertise.
Applications are due January 3, 2025.
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Contact Us
East Asian Studies Center
3454 Trousdale Parkway, CAS 100
Los Angeles, CA 90089-0154