Richard B. Mather was born in 1913 in Baoding, China. He grew up in northern China speaking Chinese and came to the United States to study art and archaeology at Princeton University, graduating summa cum laude in 1935. He then began the study of religion at the Princeton Theological Seminary where he met his future wife Virginia Temple, who was a student at the Westminster Choir College. Richard was ordained as a Presbyterian Minister, whereupon he and Ginny went to Belle Haven, Virginia to begin his pastoral duties. Ginny was a music major and brought the gift of music, including her singing, wherever she went. On their way back to China to begin new pastoral duties, the Mathers’ journey was interrupted on the West Coast. Taking advantage of the opportunity, Richard and Ginny began their graduate studies in Chinese at the University of California at Berkeley under the great sinologist, Peter A. Boodberg.

The Mathers came to the University in 1949, whereupon Richard, fresh with a PhD in Oriental Languages, began the Chinese language program. His first Chinese class had only three students, only one of whom was officially registered! Quite a legacy, considering that this year’s Chinese language program had 582 registered students.

In the early years Richard also taught Chinese literature, Chinese history, and Chinese art—an early sign of his renaissance-like learning. Over the years he emerged as one of the most important scholars in classical Chinese literature. Richard retired in 1984, but even after that he kept up a vibrant life of teaching and scholarship.

In addition to his dedication to undergraduate and graduate teaching, including mentoring numerous PhDs over the decades, Richard conducted deep and extensive research in early Chinese literature, specializing on detailed studies of early Chinese poetry and Buddhism. His early book, Shih-shuo Hsin-yü : A New Account of Tales of the World (University of Minnesota Press, 1976) is a classic in the field of sinological scholarship (and reissued in 2002 by University of Michigan Center for Chinese Studies). His book, The Poet Shen Yueh (441-513): The Reticent Marquis, was published by Princeton in 1988. Then in 2003 Richard published the annotated translations of the complete works of three poets of the Yung-ming period in two volumes totaling 900 pages: The Age of Eternal Brilliance: Three Lyric Poets of the Yung-ming Era (483-493) (Brill). This work is another tour de force in bringing broad scholarship to bear on this literature. Tellingly, these last two books were dedicated simply “To Ginny.�

Congratulations Jason, twice.

Jason’s book, Postsocialist Modernity: Chinese Cinema, Literature, and Criticism in the Market Age, examines Chinese culture under the age of market reforms. Beginning in the early 1990s and on into the new century, fields such as literature and film have been fundamentally transformed by the forces of the market as China is integrated ever more closely into the world economic system. As a result, the formerly unified revolutionary culture has been changed into a pluralized state that reflects the diversity of individual experience in the reform era. New autonomous forms of culture that have arisen include avant-garde as well as commercial literature, and independent film as well as a new entertainment cinema. Chinese people find their experiences of postsocialist modernity reflected in all kinds of new cultural products as well as critical debates that often question the direction of Chinese society in the midst of comprehensive and rapid change.

The name of the project for which he received the McKnight, “Inscribing the Real,� is a literal translation of 写实 (xieshi), a Chinese rendering of the Western term “realism.� For Chinese artists, the term (in fact a neologism borrowed from Japan in the early twentieth century) was intimately linked to modernity itself, and in particular to the concepts of a modern nation and its citizenry. The research project will connect the modern discourse of “realism� in Chinese culture with the debates over cinematic realism in film theory. The latter can shed much light on Chinese film history and its relation to modern Chinese cultural history in general, but at the same time a detailed exploration of the Chinese case will lead to a reevaluation of “realism� in the field of film studies—which, in a globalizing world said to be entering a new “Chinese century�—must expand beyond its basis in American and European film history and allow for the diverse film cultures of non-Western societies to inform its central concepts.

The leadership these five have brought to the department over the last several years has contributed significantly to the success of our language programs: this semester we have over eleven-hundred students enrolled in ALL languages—Chinese, Hindi, Hmong, Japanese, Korean and Vietnamese.

The completion of these degrees is part of our continuing effort to upgrade our language teaching and programs through professional development and training. In fact, two of the candidates received research leave through the College of Liberal Arts professional development program to work on their dissertations. We thank the College for their support.

Ling Wang, Ph. D, Curriculum and Instruction, Purdue University, 2005
Wang Ling joined the department in 2002 as Lead Teacher in Chinese while she was still a graduate student at Purdue; in the interim years she has taken classes specializing in foreign language education at the U. Specializing in foreign language education, she has quietly finished her doctorate. Under her leadership, the Chinese program has grown rapidly and instituted many innovative reforms. Last year, the students in the Chinese program took five out of fifteen first prizes in the Chinese speech contest which included the best universities from the greater Midwest.

Ravi Prasad, Ph. D, Sociolinguistics, Jawaharlal Nehru University, India, 2003
Ravi Prasad came to us as a Teaching Specialist in 1998; he transitioned to Lead Teacher in 2002. Since that time the program has grown substantially; this year he is teaching a “course share� of first-year Hindi to Pennsylvania State University. He has not only completed work on his dissertation but also presented academic papers at numerous conferences. In addition to academic work, Ravi is a professional musician, specializing in the Indian tabla drums.

Tomoko Hoogenboom, Ph. D, Japanese Linguistics, University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, 2007
Tomoko Hoogenboom has had a long and varied relationship with the University and our department. She began as a graduate student in 1992, and worked as a Teaching Assistant until 1999. After several years away, raising a family and teaching at other institutions in the area, she returned to the department to become the Japanese Lead Teacher—this year she is transitioning with Yukiko Morita. Tomoko’s research and dissertation is on child language acquisition including first language, second language and bilingual acquisitions.

Hangtae Cho, Ph. D, Linguistics, University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, 2007
Hangtae Cho came to the University as a graduate student in 1996. He joined the department as a Teaching Assistant in 1997, and became our Lead Teacher in 2002. Since that time he has created one of the largest, most vibrant Korean Language programs in the United States; in fact, the largest program for non-heritage speakers in the nation. This year Hangtae will lead a Global Seminar of students to Korea, called “Open the Door to Korea.�

Zhen Zou, Ph. D, American Studies, Purdue University, 2006
Zhen Zou was one of ALL earliest hires, coming to the department and the Language Center in 2000. Since then he has served as Lead Teacher for the Chinese program and has developed and taught several new, innovative courses. In addition, he is our College in the Schools coordinator and representative to ComSLE, CLA’s Committee on Second Language Education. His dissertation, entitled "'Smoke Gets in Your Eyes': American Writers on the Opium Issue, 1840-1860," is on four Americans’ writings on opium trade, opium smoking, and the Opium War (1839-1842) in the mid-nineteenth century.

Department of Asian Languages and Literatures

The Chinese Program at the University of Minnesota sent six students to compete in the contest, and all of them did an excellent job: five won gold, and one got silver. This is a strong testament of the strength of the Chinese Program in the Department of Asian Languages and Literatures at the University of Minnesota. The award winning students are: Casey Thomas Kerian (gold), Alaya Doreen Lee (gold), Andrew Curtis Kruse (gold), Ryan A. Loomis (gold), Andrew Earl Ramdular (gold), and Molly Christine Tolzmann (silver).

Casey Thomas Kerian is a third-year student taking second-year Chinese. He is from Rochester, MN, and his major is Global Studies. The topic of his speech was "Discovering China." At the talent show, he sang a Chinese song "The Girl Looking at Me."

Andrew Curtis Kruse is a fourth-year student taking second-year Chinese. He is from Shoreview, MN, and majors in Biochemistry. His speech was on his "predestined relationship with China," and he performed Juggling and Nursery Rhyme in the talent show.

Alaya Dorean Lee, a sophomore taking first-year Chinese, is from Minneapolis, MN. She told the audience how much she loves Chinese dance, and performed a beautiful "Peacock Dance" at the talent show.

Ryan A. Loomis is a high school student, and is taking first-year Chinese through the University’s PSEO program. He is from Mahtomedi, MN. The topic of his speech was "Volunteering in China," and he played Tai Chi in the talent show.

Andrew Ramdular, a senior majoring in Asian Languages and Literatures, is taking both third and fourth-year Chinese. He is from Minneapolis, MN. The topic of his speech at the contest was "My Previous and Present Life," and he sang the Chinese song "Two Butterflies" at the talent show.

Molly Christine Tolzmann, a third-year student taking first-year Chinese, is from Forest Lake, MN, majoring in Global Studies. She told the story of her “Bad Day� in the speech contest, and performed Trombone in the talent show.

Margot, who has studied one year of Chinese in ALL, has said that, in addition to improving her language skills, "I really look forward to meeting and speaking with native Taiwanese and learning about the culture as well." She is planning on using her Chinese training in the non-profit field, such as working in Asia for a human rights association.

Annalee has completed three years of Chinese in ALL. She echoes the other students when she says, "I am incredibly grateful for this scholarship opportunity, now I can study Chinese like never before. This scholarship has given me an opportunity that I will cherish for a lifetime."

Anatoly, who has studied three years of Chinese in ALL, is planning to use the Taiwan experience as a springboard to a PhD program in Chinese literature. He says, "Spending an academic year at ICLP is a good steppingstone in my intellectual and linguistic development, and if not for the scholarship, I would not be able to go. As such, I am grateful to Taiwan's MOE, as well as to ALL for cultivating deep ties between the department and the scholarship administrators."

Scott, who studied Chinese for two and half years in ALL then another semester at the Beijing Foreign Studies University, has said, "I have been impressed at the quality of Chinese language education here at the University of Minnesota. In fact, upon arriving in Beijing for language study, I was surprised to find out that I was both speaking and writing Chinese at a much higher level than many American students who had studied Chinese for as long or longer as I had." He has chosen to go to ICLP to prepare for his Masters in International Business at Taida because "I had such a positive experience with the ICLP exchange teachers, as well has hearing highly positive reports from friends and classmates who went there, I decided to apply for the ICLP to further my Chinese language. The quality of teaching and the intensity of the program will be a great fit for me as a look to further my Chinese language education."

William Hesch has studied two years of Chinese in ALL, along with a course on Taiwan, to prepare himself for the new adventure. His long term plans are to pursue the study of the ancient history of China, specifically from the Warring States period through the end of the Han Dynasty.

Building on Minnesota’s strengths in the interdisciplinary study of the Asias, we offer a name and configuration that is unique among such proposals. Our Consortium moves beyond the traditional division of Asia into sub-regions and explores local specificities, regional interactions, and global processes across Asia. Undergraduate programs in Asian Languages & Literatures and in Global Studies along with the graduate program in Asian Literatures, Cultures, and Media are at the core of Consortium activities. The Consortium also supports the activities of faculty and students across the social sciences, humanities and professional schools more widely. CSA offers instruction in Arabic, Chinese, Hebrew, Hindi, Hmong, Japanese, Korean, Turkish, Urdu, and Vietnamese.

Plans for the Coming Four Years include:

Conferences, workshops, colloquia, and fora on four themes

• Film in the Asias
• Contemporary Uses of the Past
• Communalism & Violence
• Transnational Migration in the Asias

Curriculum Projects

• Film in Islamic Asia, Korean Film, Beijing & Shanghai Film
• Classical Literature in a Modern World and Production of National Culture and Creation of Identity
• Communal Violence & Sectionalism
• Literature of Migration & Exile in Asia
• Comparative Asian Diasporas
• Empire & Globalization
• Courses for Korean major
• Graduate minor in the Study of the Asias

Language Projects

• Vietnamese & Turkish language instruction
• Advanced Hindi/Urdu and Korean language instruction
• Advanced and Colloquial Arabic language instruction
• FLAC funding
• Asian Language Summer Institute
• Short term courses in India & Korea
• LCTL resource library support

Library Projects

• Development of targeted Asian studies collections
• Film resources library

Outreach Projects

• K-14 Summer Institutes, "Communalism & Violence," "Islam in the Asias," "Transnational Movements & Migrations," Teaching Asia through Film," "National Art-International Markets," "Nationalism in Asia," "Content Based Language Instruction," "Global Cultures in the Language Classroom," "Global Media in the Language Classroom"
• Teacher dialogues linked to conference themes (above)
9237 Tue, 18 Jul 2006 00:00:00 -0600

It is impossible to write a thorough cultural history of postwar Japan without referring to jazz. That simple premise lies at the heart of this book, which examines how jazz has been represented in Japanese film, literature, criticism, and material culture from 1945 through the present day.

http://blog.lib.umn.edu/all/main/2006/05/professor_michael_molasky_jazz.html 78660

This book is neither a history of jazz in Japan (E. Taylor Atkins has already published a thorough historical study, Blue Nippon: Authenticating Jazz in Japan, 2001), nor is it a comprehensive cultural history of Japan's postwar era (which would necessarily encompass a much wider scope and entail multiple volumes). Rather, the present book is a cultural history of postwar Japan as viewed through the prism of jazz.

At the same time, it is a history of Japan's shifting reception of the music as manifested in those cultural forms that have typically been overlooked by music critics and historians. I discuss the works of respected writers and filmmakers as well as those who, precisely because they are viewed more as "entertainers" than as "serious artists," have largely been ignored by Japanese scholars and who remain practically unknown to English-speaking students of Japanese culture, despite their widespread popularity in Japan.

My textual analyses are informed by theoretical and historical scholarship in contemporary media studies (including film), literary studies, gender studies, and the burgeoning new interdisciplinary field of jazz studies. In addition to engaging in close readings of both creative and critical texts, I devote a chapter to analyzing the history and social space of the jazz coffeeshop, which occupies a central position within Japan's cultural milieu of the 1960s and 1970s. Throughout this book, I also draw on my own experience as a jazz musician (albeit not an especially accomplished one), having played piano in Japanese jazz clubs on and off for nearly three decades. While striving to avoid the facile and narcissistic form of authorial self-referentiality that plagues some recent ethnographic writing, I draw on this personal background in an effort to address those less tangible, more "experiential" facets of jazz listening and performance.

This book attempts to engage both scholars and non-specialist readers, those interested primarily in cultural history as well as intellectually-inclined jazz fans. By weaving back and forth between cool-headed analysis and impassioned cultural critique (in other words, by striving to combine the discipline and thoughtfulness of academic discourse with the more emotionally engaging and accessible style of the cultural critic), I have tried to write a book that bridges not only traditional disciplinary divides but those that routinely separate readers.

9237 Fri, 05 May 2006 00:00:00 -0600

"...and you may find yourself in another part of the world...and you may ask yourself, well...how did I get here?� -Talking Heads, Once in a Lifetime

Performing at an indigenous people's festival in Taipei, guitar in hand, surrounded by some of Taiwan's most respected aboriginal musicians singing, "Down By The Riverside"; exploring the limits of my ragged Chinese in various public speaking settings (to wild appreciation!); hosting Taiwanese art students in my studio; cajoling and then recording complete strangers singing folk songs...during November and December I must have asked myself 500 times the question the Talking Heads pose.

http://blog.lib.umn.edu/all/main/2006/04/john_munson_all_senior_project.html 78661

My time in Taipei came about in part as a result of my senior project in ALL. Joe Allen, who oversaw my project, encouraged me to take a creative approach. I embraced that challenge and developed musical settings for poems from China's Book of Songs, poems that Joe had introduced me to during my final semester at the University. Joe liked my work well enough to request that I send him additional copies to show to his colleagues in Taipei while he was there on sabbatical. One friend of Joe's expressed particular interest in the work and suggested that I apply for a residency. Eight months later I walked through the door at The Taipei Artist Village.

The Artist Village is a collection of artist's lofts set up in an old government building. The Village hosts artists from around the world and oversees a variety of cultural exchange efforts. The Taiwan Bureau of Cultural Affairs sponsors these efforts. While I was there, artists and writers from Austria, Taiwan, China, Japan, France, Australia and the U.S. were visiting or on residencies. Being a resident gave me great opportunities to plug into a world in Taipei that may have otherwise been inaccessible. I met many Taiwanese artists and musicians, Fulbright scholars and other creative types. Put creative people from all over the globe in the midst of a vibrant, cosmopolitan city and good things are bound to happen. For me they did. The trip was immensely rewarding. I learned a lot about my art, got a great, unique introduction to an interesting country, and just plain enjoyed myself.

I would encourage anyone who is thinking about strategies to improve their Chinese or who simply wishes to go and live or teach in a Chinese culture, to go and experience Taiwan. If you're an artist, you'll find a culture that places a high value on art and a people truly interested in cultural exchange. If you're interested in learning more about my trip, drop me a line at munsongs@yahoo.com.

9237 Thu, 20 Apr 2006 00:00:00 -0600

In one summer you can complete an entire year of Asian language study (or even two years of Hmong and Hindi). Your classes will be highly interactive, moving you quickly to proficiency in the four skills: speaking, listening, writing and reading. Join us for a summer of learning and fun.

http://blog.lib.umn.edu/all/main/2006/04/asian_languages_summer_institu.html 78663

Registration for Summer Term begins April 11th
For information on registration, housing and post-secondary enrollment options, visit
www.cce.umn.edu/summer or all.umn.edu
or call the Summer Session Office
612-624-4000 or 800-234-6564.

Read More

9237 Thu, 06 Apr 2006 00:00:00 -0600