Zhang named Chang Jiang Scholar

Hongming Zhang, associate professor in the Department of East Asian Language & Literature, was recently named "Chang Jiang Scholar" by the Ministry of Education of People's Republic of China.

The term "Chang Jiang" is actually a transliteration of the Chinese characters "Long River", known to the west as "Yangtze
River."  This the highest scholastic title/honor so far awarded by the Chinese central government. 

This prestigious award is jointly funded by the Chinese government and the Li Ka-shing Foundation with the goal of rapidly developing and improving the quality of research conducted at universities in China by strengthening ties with scholars around the world.

Zhang is the third linguist to receive this title since the award began in 1998. He is also the recipient of the University Housing's Honored Instructor Award for two consecutive semester - Fall 2008 (First Semester Chinese) and Spring 2009 (Second Semester Chinese).

To see all of this year's Chang Jiang Scholars, please see the program's website.

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Year-long series: "Supernatural Presences in East Asian Culture"

This academic year will feature a year-long series of interdisciplinary events - "Supernatural Presences in East Asian Culture."  All events are open to the campus community and the public.

As part of the Year of the Humanities, this series will explore manifestations of the miraculous and the demonic in the cultures of Korea, Japan and China. 

Upcoming events include a community reading group at the Madison Public Library as well as public lectures and film screenings. The series culminates with ritual performance by Daoist masters, rarely seen outside of China.  Students may also earn course credit under a Directed Study rubric for taking part in the events. 

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New course on Japanese comics

Adam L. Kern, Associate Professor of Japanese Literature and Visual Culture, will be offering a new course this fall on manga or Japanese comics, in English translation, titled “East Asian 376: Manga.”

Accounting for nearly one third of all printed matter sold in Japan, according to Kern, manga also represents the fastest growing segment of the book market in the United States—and elsewhere around the world.

Kern, who left a faculty position at Harvard University to come to UW for a joint appointment in East Asian Languages and Literature and in Visual Culture Studies, has worked as an editorial assistant for the manga weekly Young Magazine in Tokyo.

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Online Chinese Courses for business professionals available in '09-10

In 2009-10, the Language Institute and the Department of East Asian Languages and Literature will offer a two-semester sequence of online Chinese courses designed for business professionals.

The courses are based on a series of original video clips, filmed by the Language Institute in Beijing, that follow an American businessman on a trip to China to meet with prospective partners.

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Lim wins Korean Studies Grant for his telecollaboration project at UW

Dr. Byung-jin Lim, Associate Faculty Associate of Korean in the Department of East Asian Languages and Literature has been selected by the Academy of Korean Studies as a winner of the 2009-2010 Korean Studies Grant competition. 

Dr. Lim received the grant for his research project "Developing Intercultural Communicative Competence and Linguistic Competence: Telecollaboration in the Korean Language Program at UW-Madison."

Telecollaboration involves interpersonal exchanges between foreign language students and native speakers of the target culture through the use of Internet communication tools.  

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Five students garner top Japanese language awards

Five University of Wisconsin–Madison students continued UW’s legacy of winning top honors at Annual Midwest Japanese Language Speech Contest hosted by the Consulate General of Japan at Chicago. [Read More]

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Nienhauser receives $17K grant to support "Shiji" translation

William H. Nienhauser, professor of East Asian Languages and Literature, received a $17,000 grant from the Council on Cultural Affairs in Taiwan to support the translation of what will be volume nine of his “Shiji” translation, “The Grand Scribe's Records, Volume 9: Memoirs of the Han Dynasty (Part II).” 

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