USC EASC

Global East Asia 2015 Scholars Feature - Megan Lee

Growing up, senior Megan Lee was rather uninterested in Asia, the region of her roots. She was bullied as a child, and because her ethnicity was a minority in the community where she grew up, she did everything she could to push away her roots and blend in with Western culture, so that her peers would have one less reason to bully her. However, when she struggled to connect with Chinese international students that approached her when she was an Orientation Advisor two years ago, she decided that something needed to change and dove right into East Asian culture.

“I realized that ignorance of my roots was in no means bliss, and it was preventing me from forming meaningful relationships with others,” Lee said.

This past summer through the Global East Asia program, she had the opportunity to travel out of the country for the first time in her life and go to China, as part of the USC East Asian Studies Center’s Global East Asia China course taught by Prof. Brett Sheehan of History. While in China, Lee not only got to visit classic sites in Shanghai and Beijing like the Oriental Pearl Tower and the Bird’s Nest, but also Kaifeng.

“I appreciated that the sites we visited reflected the depth and breadth of Chinese culture and history – they were more significant than the average tourist attraction,” Lee said.

Since her return, she has worked as an Orientation Coordinator at USC and interned at the top law firm in Hong Kong. Academically, she completed her Neuroscience major in the fall and is now finishing her last class for her Business Law minor. In her free time, she learns how to play the harp. In terms of extracurricular activities, she leads advocacy projects as the Assistant Director of University Affairs in Undergraduate Student Government and volunteers for the homeless ministries at her home church. In addition, she teaches swimming classes at USC and interns at a law firm in Orange County.  Ultimately, though, she wants to be a motivational speaker but would also be content pursuing a career in either clinical pharmacy or international human rights law.

And to students thinking about applying for Global East Asia, Lee says, “Strive to be a thermostat that changes the temperature of a room, rather than a thermometer that only observes it.”

Written by Jasmine Alia Zahedi, EASC Student Staff (major in Psychology)

Global East Asia 2015 Scholars Feature - Jotham Sadan

Senior Jotham (“Joe”) Sadan first became interested in East Asia when he was really young but only had the opportunity to act on his interest upon arrival at USC. After taking Japanese I for his language requirement, he fell in love with the language and the culture and decided to pick up an EALC minor. Since then, he’s taken Korean history with Professor Sunyoung Park and is currently taking Chinese Civilization and Special Topics with Professor Bettine Birge.

This past summer through the Global East Asia program, he had the opportunity to travel to Japan, a country he had never visited before, as part of the USC East Asian Studies Center’s Global East Asia Japan course taught by Prof. Lon Kurashige of History. Sadan’s first time in Japan included not only trips to well-known sites in Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto and Hiroshima, but also unique experiences to the research course such as a tour a North Korean school in Kobe and talk to students there. He was blown away by how progressive and bright the high school students he met there were, but he also went on a retreat to Lake Yamanaka around Mount Fuji.

“Not only did we get to spend a whole bunch of time with Japanese students from Meiji, our host university, but the lake ended up being the perfect setting for me to film my drum video, which I had been excited about since the planed ride there,” Sadan said.

Since his return, Sadan has started interning at the Japan Foundation, where he hopes to improve his business Japanese and gain more access to Japanese cultural events. In addition, he’s picked up a second minor in Technology Commercialization, which will hopefully assist him with recruiting in the future. Ultimately, he wants to work in chemical or pharmaceutical consulting with an emphasis on Asian markets.

“My dream has been to live and work in Japan ever since I started college, so I’m hoping to find either a consulting firm with an office in Japan or a Japanese pharmaceutical company that’s looking to expand to the U.S.,” Sadan said.

Written by Jasmine Alia Zahedi, EASC Student Staff (major in Psychology)

ACE-Nikaido Fellow Feature - YU TOKUNAGA

1. How did you become interested in Japan/Japan studies?

I became interested in Japan studies as one of my research fields after I learned about the Japanese American experience in my undergraduate years in Japan. It is important for me to study the history of both Japanese emigration policy and U.S. immigration policy.

2. What is your research focus?

My research focus is the interethnic relations between Japanese and Mexican immigrants in Los Angeles before World War II.

3. In what ways did the Association for Japan-U.S. Community Exchange (ACE) - Nikaido Fellowship impact or help your research?

Thanks to the generous support of the ACE-Nikaido Fellowship, I conducted archival research at the Diplomatic Archives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan in Tokyo. I also visited the Japanese Overseas Migration Museum in Yokohama and the Tenri Sankokan Museum in Tenri to see exhibits and find secondary sources related to Japanese immigration in the Americas. I am sure that some of these materials will be important parts of my dissertation.

4. How was your experience conducting research in Japan?

Since I am Japanese, I have no problems in navigating in Japan. But as a person who grew up in the Kansai area, it is always nice and exciting to stay in Tokyo where traditional and modern cultures come together in unique ways.

5. What advice do you have for students who are thinking about studying Japan or East Asia as a graduate student?

It has been beneficial for me to study the histories of other countries in order to understand Japanese history from a global perspective. Whatever you may choose as your research topic, I would recommend that you stay open to other topics, which might help develop your thought on Japan or East Asia.

FLAS Fellow Feature - LARA KIEFER

1.     How did you become interested in East Asia/East Asian studies?

When I came to USC in Fall 2013, I had an “undeclared” major. As a result, I tried out a wide variety of classes during my first year. I took an ancient Asian art history course in order to fulfill a general education requirement and found the course very interesting; this definitely sparked my interest in East Asian studies. Additionally, a good friend and fellow USC student of mine recommended taking a Chinese class. I went to the EALC department office and asked to speak to a professor about the Chinese language program, and I ended up speaking to my future Chinese I teacher. I decided to enroll in Chinese I and had the best semester yet at USC.

2.     In what ways did the Foreign Language and Area Studies (FLAS) program impact or help you?

The FLAS program helped me go on a USC intensive language program to Beijing, China last summer (2015). I knew I wanted to seriously study Chinese, but starting from Chinese I as a sophomore, I felt like I would never be able to master the language in the 3 years I had left at USC. With the help from FLAS, I was able to increase my level in Chinese by an incredible amount in one short summer. Additionally, the program was very challenging and forced us to work very hard, my work ethic and time management skills increased greatly because of the program. Moreover, the opportunity to be studying Chinese in China was highly motivating, it felt great to be able to learn something in class and then be able to go out apply it right after. Lastly, the FLAS program introduced me to the USC EASC community. This community is one of my favorite things at USC and I love going to their events on the USC campus.

3.     How was your experience studying abroad in Beijing, China?

Amazing. Beijing is beautiful, I enjoyed exploring the city; I hope to be able to go back soon! I loved trying new foods, to my amazement I had some of the best food of my life in Beijing. Also, I loved making new friends from the local area, many of whom were also college students. It was an incredible experience discussing our ideas and various studies we were pursuing. Lastly, I am so grateful for the group of USC friends that I met while in Beijing. It was great to connect with people from all different studies, interests, and personalities. 

4.     What was your favorite memory from your time in Beijing?

As a class assignment we frequently had to interview local people in Chinese about the topics we were learning. As much as this was intimidating at times, I am so grateful for the experience. One of my favorite memories was when I was in a park interviewing a woman about family relations and she called over her mother, daughter, and friends to come talk to me. They all had different, interesting things to say, but the best part was how welcoming they all were. I was amazed by how helpful and receptive people were—strangers really wanting to help me with my Chinese, eager teach me about their culture, and genuinely wanting to know about my background. I guess this is a simple memory, but the great people I met and things I learned through these interviews remind me why I pursued this study aboard option and FLAS opportunity.  

5.     What are your plans after graduation and what are your ultimate career goals?

Currently, I am pursuing a double major in East Asian Languages and Cultures & Business Real Estate Finance, and plan to graduate in May 2017. I want to continue my Chinese studies, working on achieving fluency. After graduation I hope to pursue a career in commercial real estate finance that enables me to connect bridges between the U.S. and China. It would be pretty cool to be able to use my Mandarin and cultural knowledge in the world of business either helping Chinese businesses expand to the U.S. or helping U.S. companies seek out opportunities in China. Lastly, I hope to go back to China and spend a decent amount of time traveling around there in the future.

6.     What advice do you have for students who are thinking about studying East Asia?

Enroll in one of the many EALC or EASC classes! If you want to learn more before committing to a semester long course, I would recommend going to one of the EASC events on campus, or going to talk to someone in either the USC East Asian Studies Center or the EALC department office.

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After over a decade at the College House, we have moved offices. We are now in CAS 100 at the corner of Trousdale Parkway and 34th Street. Our new address is:

3454 Trousdale Parkway, CAS 100
Los Angeles, CA 90089-0154

Please stop by and visit us in our new location in 2016!

East Asian Area Studies MA Alumni Feature - Yi Shao

Yi Shao is a recent alum of the East Asia Area Studies M.A. Program currently working as an editor at Chinhuo Inc. Her thesis focused on cultural censorship in Chinese media and the systemic contradictions and opportunities that arise from it. Yi was also a TA for EASC 150g East Asian Societies and EASC 160g China and the World for two years.

How did you become interested in East Asia studies?

Books about China, my home country, written by western authors stimulated my interests in East Asian studies. Growing up in a place leads to familiarity with its society and culture but also a tendency to take things for granted. Observations and insights provided by foreign authors made me realize what I deemed normal could in fact be noteworthy, complicated, therefore intriguing and that’s when I realized I wanted to know more about my own country from a different perspective.

In what ways did the East Asian Area Studies M.A. program impact or help you?

I believe that East Asian Area Studies M.A. program creates an encouraging and constructive environment for aspiring East Asian scholars to both gain general knowledge about the area and fully develop their specific research interests. Its interdisciplinary nature, to be more specific, the freedom of being able to take East Asia related courses from various departments of USC, enabled me to work with prestigious scholars with wide ranging specialties and therefore explore previously unfamiliar territories such as anthropology and public diplomacy. At the same time, the program also provided fabulous opportunities to pursue my own interests in the contemporary Chinese film industry.

Moreover, being part of the EAAS program helped me to cultivate an enduring interest in East Asian societies and cultures. I will always be interested in reading about, traveling to and knowing more about these great countries and such interest is great wealth that I will cherish for a lifetime.

What have you been doing since graduation?

During my last semester at USC, while I was working on my thesis, I did an internship at J-goods Magazine, a Japanese owned Chinese language food/lifestyle magazine aiming at introducing Japanese restaurants and merchandises to the Chinese community in the US. Japanese businesses’ interests in the Chinese community demonstrate the great potential of this market. Therefore, after graduation, I joined Chihuo Inc., one of the most popular Chinese language lifestyle media outlets in Southern California, as an editor. My daily responsibilities include creating shareable and engaging stories about the vibrant Los Angeles restaurant scene and culinary culture and participating in advertising campaigns for the company’s various clients and sponsors.

In what ways did the EASC East Asia Career Panel help you?

The EASC East Asia Career Panel helped me to directly connect with my future employer. For a long time, I knew Chihuo Inc. as an interest group that posts interesting information about local restaurants and events. After listening to and interacting with Amy Duan, the founder and CEO of Chihuo Inc., I got to know Chihuo as an energetic start-up company with great ambition and potential and eventually became a member of the company.

What advice would you give students pursuing or interested in pursuing East Asian studies?

Have confidence in the value of your East Asian knowledge. It will help you in unexpected ways.  

What are your favorite memories from USC?

Getting to know faculty members and fellow graduate students of different backgrounds and research interests but sharing similar passion for East Asia was my favorite memory from USC.

Working as a TA for two years, teaching students who knew absolutely nothing about East Asia and witnessing their growth and progress is also an invaluable experience. Seeing how confused they could get sometimes is also fun, too.

For more information about the EASC East Asia Career Panel and USC Career Fest 2016, please click the links provided. A video of last year’s career panel can also be found here.

For more information about the East Asian Area Studies M.A. Program or the Joint MBA/MA East Asian Area Studies Program please visit our website. The deadline to apply is January 8, 2016. You can also email (easc@dornsife.usc.edu) or call (213-740-2991) to make an appointment to meet with our Graduate Advisor.  

For more information about the East Asian Area Studies Major, East Asian Area Studies Minor, or Korean Studies Minor, please visit our website. You can also email (easc@dornsife.usc.edu) or call (213-740-2991)  to make an appointment to meet with our Undergraduate Advisor.

For more information about Upcoming EASC Events, click here.

To subscribe to the EASC weekly eNewsletter, click here.

FLAS Fellows Feature: Ana Cuellar

1.      How did you become interested in East Asia/East Asian studies?

My first contact with East Asian culture was the food. Then in middle school and high school, I became interested in Japanese pop culture. But that changed when I decided to study International Relations as my admiration for Japan took a more deep and academic approach. I decided to learn about their language, economy, history, politics, etc. 

2.      In what ways did the Foreign Language and Area Studies (FLAS) program impact or help you?

I always wanted to study in Japan, but I did not have the time to study for one whole semester in Japan during the academic year. But the FLAS summer award was my perfect alternative. The funds I received from FLAS made it possible for me to attend a Japanese language program in Japan. In addition, the EASC staff was very helpful throughout the whole application process.

3.      How was your experience studying abroad in Hokkaido, Japan and what impact did it have on you?

My summer in Japan was one of my best experiences ever. This was my second time in Japan. The first time I went to Japan I was just a tourist and the trip lasted only two weeks. But this time, I got the opportunity to fully immerse myself in Japanese culture. I learned that it does not matter how many books you read or how hard you study a specific country, you need to experience firsthand that culture if you wish to truly understand it. The Hokkaido International Foundation program was great. I lived with an amazing host family that helped me to improve my Japanese, and introduced me to Japanese customs that I did not know before. Everyday, we had Japanese language class in the morning and cultural activities in the afternoon. Those activities were kimono etiquette class, tea ceremony, Japanese cooking class, Japanese archery, calligraphy, etc. My favorite activities were the visits to local schools and temples. 

4.      What advice do you have for students who are thinking about studying East Asia or who want to work there?

East Asia is an amazing region. The relevance of these countries in global affairs is increasing more and more. Not only are the economies of these countries some of the most important in the world, but also their cultural influence is spreading to every corner of the globe. For that reason, having an understanding of how these countries see the world and how they interact with others will be crucial for every student. The first step is to be open-minded and be willing to participate in new experiences.

5.      What are your plans for after graduation and what are your ultimate career goals?

My ultimate career goal is to support Japanese companies or Japanese government agencies that want to work together with non-Asian companies, and vice versa. I want to be the link between them in order to help them to overcome their cultural differences so they can reach their common goal.

INTRODUCING THE NEW EASC DIRECTOR, BRETT SHEEHAN

We would like to introduce the new EASC director, Brett Sheehan, Professor of Chinese history at the University of Southern California. He received his Ph.D. from the University of California, Berkeley in 1997. Teaching Chinese history is actually his second career. He turned to academics after obtaining a degree in Finance and spending six years working as a commercial banker.

His research focuses on the intersection of business and economy with social, political and cultural phenomena. He is the author of Trust in Troubled Times: Money, Banking and State-Society Relations in Republican Tianjin, 1916-1937 (Harvard University Press, 2003), Industrial Eden: A Chinese Capitalist Vision (Harvard University Press, 2015), and numerous articles and book chapters. He is currently working on a book exploring the way business is treated in fiction and film over China’s long twentieth century.

He teaches a variety of classes on Chinese and East Asian history, and is especially proud of his class on the history of East Asian business. Over the last seven years, one of the most rewarding teaching experiences of his career has been taking USC students to China as part of the EASC Global East Asia program. We look forward to introducing him to the EASC community at our upcoming events this year!

EAST ASIAN STUDIES GRADUATE PLACEMENTS

Charles Becker (BA: Philosophy, Politics and Law, East Asian Languages and Cultures; Summer ‘14 Global East Asia China): Entering law school at UC Davis

Kelly Belter (BA: Creative Writing, French, East Asian Languages and Cultures; Summer ‘14 FLAS Fellow): Teaching abroad in Seoul for one year; then pursuing a Ph.D. in Korean Literature

Evan Brown (BS: Physics/Computer Science; Summer ‘13 Global East Asia Japan): Working as software engineer for Google in Tokyo

Isobel Brown (BA: East Asian Area Studies, Public Relations; Summer ‘12 Global East Asia Korea): Working for the British government

John Carlson (MS: Regulatory Science, BS: Biochemistry, BA: East Asian Languages and Cultures; Academic Year ‘14-’15 FLAS Fellow, Summer ‘13 Global East Asia Japan): Working for Merck Serono Asia (EMD Serono in the U.S.) – a multinational biopharmaceutical company

Maracel Guevarra (BA: East Asian Area Studies, Animation and Digital Arts; Summer ‘12 FLAS Fellow): Awarded a two-year Fulbright Fellowship to study in South Korea; planning to enter an MA program in film and cultural studies 

Joseph Krassenstein (BA: Print and Digital Journalism, East Asian Languages and Cultures): Entering MA program in Public Diplomacy, USC Annenberg

Shoko Oda (BA: East Asian Area Studies, International Relations; Summer ‘12 Global East Asia Korea): Working as a journalist for Bloomberg News in Tokyo

Jacob Roberts (BA: East Asian Languages and Cultures, Economics): Recognized as USC Dornsife Scholar (highest award in Dornsife); entering MA program in Political Science as an Outstanding International Scholar, National Taiwan University

Benjamin Surbrook (BA: East Asian Languages and Cultures, International Relations; Summer ‘14 Global East Asia Japan): Interning with Ashinaga (non-profit organization in Japan)

Tyler Tokunaga (BA: Economics, Business Administration, East Asian Area Studies; Summer ‘13 Global East Asia China): Working in corporate finance for HSBC in Los Angeles

Rebecca Tom (BS: Health Promotion and Disease Prevention Studies): Entering UCSF School of Dentistry

EAST ASIAN STUDIES STUDENT AWARDS & ACHIEVEMENTS

Jiun Bang (Political Science and International Relations): 2015 Outstanding Teaching Assistant Award. Jiun was the only social scientist in the entire university to win a teaching award this year. The annual award recognizes exceptional teaching by graduate students.

Jesse Drian (East Asian Languages and Cultures): 2015-16 Japan Foundation Japanese Studies Fellowship. Jesse was also awarded the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS) Fellowship from the Social Science Research Council, which he declined in order to accept the Japan Foundation Fellowship.

Keisha Brown (East Asian Languages and Cultures): Successfully defended her dissertation and was inducted into the Order of Areté (meaning excellence and valor in Greek), the highest honor accorded to graduate students at USC.

Michelle Damian (History): Postdoctoral Fellow at the Reischauer Institute of Japanese Studies, Harvard University. Given Michelle’s interest in maritime history and archaeology of Japan and Asia, she will be able to use the resources there to work on turning her dissertation into a book, including learning more about intangible practices (particularly religious or ritual aspects of seafaring) and making larger connections between the Inland Sea region and the rest of Asia. She also hopes to improve her understanding of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and digital humanities for Japanese studies.

Yunwen Gao (East Asian Languages and Cultures): 2015 EASC Global East Asia China Teaching Assistantship. Yunwen was selected to be the TA for the first-ever Dornsife PwP edition of EASC’s long-running Global East Asia (GEA) summer study-abroad program to China. In this capacity, she will be responsible for leading 9 GEA scholars as the group treks across China.

Sachiko Kawai (History): College Fellow in the Department of East Asian Languages and Civilizations, Harvard University. There Sachiko will be able to further expand on her research on Japanese premodern royal women known as nyoin (retired queen consort). 

Kate Page-Lippsmeyer (East Asian Languages and Cultures): Graduate School Dissertation Completion Fellowship. Dissertation Completion Fellowships are awarded on a competitive basis and intended to facilitate the final completion and submission of dissertations. 

Haiwei Liu (East Asian Languages and Cultures): Graduate School Endowed PhD Fellowship. Haiwei’s endowed fellowship is the Theodore & Wen-Hui Chen Fellowship. This one holds special meaning for East Asian studies as Professor Teddy Chen was a significant figure in building the department of East Asian Languages and Cultures (then Asian Studies Department). He was also the first professor of Chinese ancestry to be granted tenure at USC and a scholar of Chinese history.

Di Luo (East Asian Languages and Cultures): Graduate School Dissertation Completion Fellowship. Dissertation Completion Fellowships are awarded on a competitive basis and intended to facilitate the final completion and submission of dissertations.

Victoria (Tori) Montrose (East Asian Languages and Cultures): Fulbright Research Grant. The Fulbright Award will allow Tori to conduct twelve months of field research in Japan. She will be based at Tokyo University and plans to spend several months conducting archival research at three of Japan’s oldest and most prominent Buddhist universities.

Yunji Park (East Asian Languages and Cultures): Graduate School Endowed Fellowship. Yunji was also awarded the Graduate Studies Fellowship from the Korea Foundation but declined in order to accept the Dissertation Completion Fellowship from the Graduate School. She is currently a visiting scholar at Australian National University.

Yu (Toku) Tokunaga (History): 2015 EASC Global East Asia Japan Teaching Assistantship. Toku was selected to be the TA for the first-ever Dornsife PwP edition of EASC’s long-running Global East Asia (GEA) summer study-abroad program to Japan. In this capacity, he will be responsible for leading 11 GEA scholars as the group treks across Japan.

Chad Walker (East Asian Languages and Cultures): Graduate School Endowed PhD Fellowship. Endowed PhD Fellowships are for advanced-level PhD students who have passed their qualifying exams and are making good progress to the degree in terms of both quality of work and timing.

Scott Wilbur (Political Science and International Relations): 2015-2016 Fulbright US Student Award. Scott will utilize this award to go to Japan where he will continue his dissertation research on the politics of small business policies in East Asia. While there he will be an affiliate of Waseda University.