2016-2017

By Rina Human rights have become a vital part of discourse among the international community in recent decades. As different regions of the world join the discourse on human rights, it becomes apparent that a universalist way of thinking about human rights on a global scale is problematic. In particular, Asian countries have weighed in on these issues more critically after the Second World War, which has contributed to a more diverse way of thinking about human rights. One assumption, however, is the opinion that “Asian values”, or the notion of a pan-Asian identity makes Asian countries collectively support regimes that are not conducive to advocating for human rights, or do not prioritize individual liberties within their societies. The purpose of this article is to argue that Asian ...

The Sakura festival took place in Bemis hall on Saturday, April 29, organized by the Japanese CPC, Mami Tsuta. Mami, Joan Ericson, Hiromi Onishi opened up the Sakura Festival with a koi dance, a very popular dance in Japan. This festival shared Japanese culture with the campus and the community through dances, food, comedy skits, trivia, and a yukata (traditional Japanese wear for the summer) showcase. Many students involved in the Asian Studies Program participated in this event to help advertise the program and practice their Japanese. Specific acts included a series of idol group dances throughout history by dozens of students, a reenactment of a festival dance that included the whole audience, and a trivia of Japanese culture and language with five participating groups of students. Th...

South KoreaClean up and dress up! How you present yourself is very important in Korea!Potential partners can be met at club activities or arranged meetings with people from other universities or majors. (dating within your major is rare – might get awkward if you break up)Confession is direct and may be from either party – girl or boy!Matching clothes and couple jewelry are big. PDA is ok!Celebrate anniversaries such as 100 days, 6 months, etc.Couples always out and about on dates – dating is more active! (not much Netflix and chill)If you break-up, that’s it! No such thing as relationships breaks in Korea!If you see this relationship resulting in marriage, don’t anticipate living together before then! It’s rarely done in Korea.ChinaGet to know potential partners through studying together...

(Peter Kim, Emily Laur) The custom of gift giving is significant due to the representation of interpersonal relationships in Asian cultures. In Asia, the meaning of individual gifts can represent signs of respect, lasting friendships, and longevity or bad luck, severance of relationships, or death. Japan, South Korea, Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Singapore are examples of countries in which gifts are especially prominent and the rules of etiquette behind the practice of gift giving most important. This article will focus on gift giving practices in China and Korea. In China the significance of gift giving comes from the Confucian values, more specifically those of maintaining harmony with one’s family, friends, colleagues, and soc...

By Winston Xu & Cirl Lee In Asia, hobbies are very similar to those in the U.S., with some surveys showing populations spending the same average amount of time on these activities. Some differences include the addition of karaoke, tai-chi, or a focus on different sports, such as ping-pong, badminton or cricket. However, in some of the more traditional families, there is a negative association with “leisure” activities. In addition, activities are viewed differently by countries. One example is that studying or learning seems to pop up regularly under activities to be done for fun in one’s spare time. The idea is that even during free time, one can still find some way of being productive/improving one’s self.One aspect of leisure time that differs slightly in East Asian countries is...

By Emily LaurChina’s rapid accumulation of wealth in the past few decades has made waves in the international community. Despite the country’s leapfrog to the position of second largest global GDP in 2010, the United Nations’ Statistical Annex still regards China as a developing country, meaning China’s economic rise is not over. Even now China is regarded as a challenger to the United States’ influence in the international arena, most recognized in terms of economic strength, military potential, and development ideology. Being aware of this fact, a principle objective of China’s Asian neighbors is to avoid having to choose an alliance with only Washington or only Beijing. China’s development and, by association, its potential global influence has resulted in the emerging “China th...

Chinese Higher Education (Zoraida Hu, Yuxi Wang) With a booming economy fueled by technological growth, China has indubitably become a quintessential participant in the globalized world. Each year, millions of Chinese students enroll into different Chinese higher education institutions, and the enrollment rate is increasing every year. The increased size of the educated population has generated significant changes in China’s economy. As stated by Weifang Min in his article Chinese Higher Education, higher education has been valued as a part of Chinese society since 1100 B.C. Overall, the system of higher education developed slowly under the feudal and authoritarian society of ancient China. Confucius’ education model rose in popularity during feudal times since students’ tho...

Migrant Filipina women are employed as domestic workers in over 130 million cities across the globe.  In fact, maids have joined the list of the Philippines’ top exports along with electronic equipment, machines, engines, and pumps.  Countries with great economic power such as China, Singapore, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have taken on many Filipino Maids. Exportation of manpower started with President Ferdinand Marcos (1965-1986) during an economic crisis in the Philippines. Since then, there has been an increasing number of overseas Filipino workers, mainly women7. These foreign workers commonly serve as housekeepers and nannies for the children of wealthy families.  In this article, we will discuss the reasons why Filipino women take on these domestic worker p...

(Rina Dishman, Emily Laur) Rice is a staple food for billions of people all over the world, prepared and consumed in many different ways. As a complex carbohydrate, it has been mans’ staple food item for thousands of years in various cultures.Today, there exists a multitude of different types of rice: grains of different lengths, textures, colors, and aromas are sold virtually anywhere. After maize (corn), rice is the second most produced crop worldwide with over 40,000 different types of rice grown in every continent (other than Antarctica). The origin of domesticated rice is said to have come from the Yangtzee river valley in China, dating back at least 8,000 years ago. Even today, 92% of rice consumed worldwide comes from Asian farmers in countries like China, India, Japan Viet...

By: Peter Kim, Emily Laur, and Cirl Lee The Group of 20 (G20), established in 1999 in response to the global financial crisis that spanned from 1997-1999, represents the premier forum for international economic cooperation and a mechanism for global economic governance by the world’s 20 largest economies (2). The member countries include Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Republic of Korea, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Turkey, the United Kingdom, the United States, and the European Union (1). The Group is entrusted with “the critical mission of addressing economic risks and challenges, promoting world economic growth, improving global economic governance and sharing development benefits amongst people across the worl...