May 2025 Newsletter

Dear Students, Faculty, and Friends of Asian Studies,

As we wrap up another successful semester, I want to extend my heartfelt congratulations to all of you for finishing strong. To our graduating seniors—congratulations! We are proud of your achievements and excited for what lies ahead in your journey.

This newsletter highlights our annual banquet, the Japanese Speech Contest, and the Model Arab League Club’s recent participation in the National University Model Arab League conference (NUMAL) in Washington, DC. You’ll also find a preview of our exciting lineup of Asian Studies courses for the fall.

Wishing everyone a restful and rewarding summer!

Best regards,
Yang Song
Director of Asian Studies
Associate Professor of Economics

Picture of faculty and staff listening to Mary Kate Doyle.

Asian Studies Annual Banquet

On April 16, we gathered at Merrill House with our Asian Studies faculty and students to celebrate the end of the academic year over some delicious Asian flavors. It was a wonderful evening filled with reflection, laughter, and community.

Mary Kate Doyle ’25 gave a brief presentation on her honors thesis, which explores how shinise—century-old Japanese businesses—tailor their websites differently for Japanese and English-speaking audiences.

We were proud to recognize the accomplishments of our graduating seniors and delighted to welcome new faculty members into the Asian Studies program.

Picture of tabled food at the Senior Banquet.

2025 Awards Convocation

Congratulations to Bryan (Tai) Pham, Mary Katherine Doyle, and Conrad Stone Chipman for their outstanding achievements in Asian Studies! It was wonderful to see their hard work and passion recognized at the 2025 Awards Convocation on May 2 - a proud moment for our community!

Happenings around campus

22nd annual Japanese Speech Contest

The Japanese program held its 22nd annual Japanese Speech Contest on April 11. Ten students from Colgate and two students from Hamilton College, spanning all levels of language study, shared heartfelt and funny speeches in front of a friendly crowd of peers and judges from Colgate and the surrounding community.

The following prizes were awarded: First Prize went to Jimmy Liang, Second Prize was shared by Boyana He '25 and Kyle Groves '27, a Special Judges' Prize went to Jonathan Cheng '27, the Culture Prize went to James Elizares von Baeyer '26, the Humor Prize went to Jessie Cai '26, and the Effort Prize went to Carolina Cerecero of Hamilton College.

The Model Arab League club picture in front of the Capital Building

Colgate's Model Arab League Club in Washington, DC

From April 3–6, Colgate’s Model Arab League Club participated in the National University Model Arab League (NUMAL) conference in Washington, DC, joining over 300 delegates representing 22 nations. Members engaged in two days of lively debate, with two students earning conference awards. The club has built a space for students of all experience levels, offering fall and spring programming to develop public speaking and diplomacy skills. For club president Simon Khairallah ’25, the experience has been transformative: “I would say that Model Arab League has been the most important club/organization that I’ve been involved in at Colgate. Not only did it lead me to pursue my academic interests but also meet a ton of great people and refine what I want to do with my career.”

List of Fall 2025 ASIA Courses

ANTH 252/MIST 252 Muslim Societies in Motion

ASIA 270/GEO 270 Deep Asia

CHIN 121 Elementary Chinese I

CHIN 201 Intermediate Chinese I

CHIN 303 Films and Media

CHIN 405 Reading Chinese Newspapers

CORE C130 Korean Peninsula

CORE C197 Tibet

ENGL 431 Ethnographic Fictions: Human Rights and Literature

FMST 212 Global Media: Flows & Frictions

GEOG 313 Geographical Political Economy: Asia in Globalization

HIST 265 War and Violence in East Asia

HIST 368 China, the Great Wall, and Beyond

JAPN 121 Elementary Japanese I

JAPN 201 Intermediate Japanese I

JAPN 240 Gender and Sexuality in Japanese Culture

JAPN 301 Advanced Japanese I

JAPN 401 Readings in Japanese I

MIST 304/POSC 304 Islam and Politics

MUSI 221 World Music (H&A)

POSC 306 Politics in North Korea

POSC 434 Seminar: Immigrants, Refugees, and the Politics of Borders

RELG 215 Buddhism

RELG 271 Religion and Politics in Chinese Thought

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