East Asian Studies Center

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.

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. 

Friday, February 7, 2025 | 2:00PM-3:00PM | Location TBD | RSVP

This Global East Asia 2025 Orientation session will cover the Tokyo Maymester program, flights, insurance, health and safety, and other general travel-related requirements by the university. Additionally, this will be a chance to meet the course faculty and graduate student assistant, the EASC staff administering the program, and your fellow classmates. This is a MANDATORY orientation for the course and Global East Asia scholars must attend or make other arrangements with EASC.

Please RSVP by Monday, February 3, 2025. 
This orientation is only for registered students of EASC-360.

Friday, February 14, 2025 | 4:00PM-5:30PM | Location TBD | RSVP

Moderated by Prof. Bettine Birge, Prof. Morris Rossabi (Columbia University) first describes traditional Chinese relations with Central Asia, including the so-called Silk Roads, but he then focuses on China’s increasing interest and involvement in the region since the 1990s collapse of the Soviet Union. As China plays a greater economic role in Central Asia, he also discusses the impact on Xinjiang and on China’s relations with Russia. He concludes with an explanation of the importance of these developments for the U.S.

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

Friday, March 7, 2025 | 2:00PM – 3:30PM | CAS 100 | RSVP

Please join us for the Spring 2025 EASC Undergraduate Mixer! Come meet other East Asian area studies and Korean studies majors and minors while enjoying some food and drinks. We would love for you to also invite any other students interested in East Asian media, research, or study abroad opportunities!
Please note that this event is open to USC undergraduates only.

Please RSVP by Friday, February 28, so we can order enough snacks and drinks for everyone!

Tuesday, March 25 | 4:00PM – 5:30PM | CAS 100 | RSVP

Please join us for the Spring 2025 EASC Grad Mixer! Enjoy food, drink and conversation with fellow students across USC. Graduate students from any field are welcome to join, so it is a great opportunity to meet fellow students with East Asia-related research topics and interests!

Please RSVP by Friday, March 14, so we can order enough food and drinks for everyone!

Tuesday, April 1, 2025 | 5:00PM-6:20PM PT | Zoom Webinar | RSVP

Moderated by Prof. Jessica Zu, Santosh Raut (Harvard Divinity School) explores how Bhimrao Ambedkar writes about and expounds his vision of the Buddha-Dhamma as an instrument to reconstruct society and the peaceful transformation of an individual.

Wednesday, April 2, 2025 | 12:00PM-1:20PM  PT | Zoom Webinar | RSVP

Moderated by Prof. Jessica Zu,  Harsha Gautam (University of Texas at Austin) challenges the widespread notion that Navayāna Buddhism is exclusively a lay-focused tradition, emphasizing the pivotal role played by monastics, particularly nuns, within the movement. By focusing on the grassroots efforts of Navayāna nuns with oppressed communities, this talk will explore the innovative strategies the nuns employ to introduce Buddhism to unfamiliar audiences. It will also delve into how these Buddhist nuns navigate and resist the intersecting oppressions of caste and gender, while actively contributing to the broader struggle for social emancipation.

Tuesday, April 15, 2025 | 11:30AM – 1:30AM | University Club Scriptorium | By Invitation Only

EASC is excited to host our annual Faculty Luncheon this spring! We look forward to having the opportunity to share recent developments and reconnect with each other. We will be hosting this year’s lunch party at the University Club Scriptorium. We look forward to celebrating the end of the semester with you!

Please RSVP by Tuesday, April 1.