Purdue University College of Liberal Arts

Information for

Past Events

"Chester Rowell and the Mystery of Anti-Asian Racism"
Professor Lon Kurashige
Monday, April 21, 2008
3:00-5:00 p.m.
UNIV 117

Hiroshima-Nagasaki A-bomb Exhibit
Feburary 18-March 1, 2008

Exhibition of Hiroshima & Nagasaki: A-Bomb Artifacts
Sponsored by The Cultural Center at DePaul University and the Hiroshima Peace Museum.
October 15-November 19, 2007
Student Center, Suite 105
2250 N. Sheffield
Chicago, IL  60614

Zhang Yimou's film, "Huozhe" (To Live)
Sponsored by the Department of Foreign Languages & Literatures
November 7, 2007
4:30-8:00 p.m.
West Lafayette Public Library
Screening of the film starts at 5:00 p.m.  Admission is free, and light refreshments will be available.  One of last year's highlights was our drawing for a free DVD to a lucky member of the audience, and we will continue our traditional drawing again this year!  The presenter will give an introduction to the film of about 10 minutes, followed by the film viewing and then a discussion/question & answer session.

"Charity as a Cultural Tradition: Implications of American Catholic Social Thought in the Current Social Thought in the Current Social Milieu of China"
Professor Peng Xiaoyu, Beijing
Wednesday, November 7, 2007
7:00-9:00 p.m.
LWSN 1142

"Japanese and American Perceptions of Trouble in Conversation: The Interaction of Inter-turn Silence and Speech Act"
Professor Felicia Roberts
Thursday, November 1, 2007
3:30-5:00 p.m.
REC 302

"That's Sign Fascism!: The Conflict Over Deaf Identity and Sign Language in Contemporary Japan"
Professor Karen Nakamura, Yale University
Thursday, April 5, 2007
6:00-8:00 p.m., Wetherill Hall, Room 104

Karen Nakamura will be talking about the development of deaf communities, minority identities, sign language, and political movements in Japan. She traces the history and development of deaf  identity from the turn of the 19th century, linking deaf identity  with early Showa and post-War modernization and industrialization  discourses. The title of the talk refers to a comment made by one of  the leaders within the Japanese Federation of the Deaf who was  incensed by a new generation of deaf activists who were adopting an  American-style, radical, separationist deaf identity. The youth  activists were claiming that they were the true bearers of a “pure  JSL” (Japanese Sign Language) and attempting to control the lexicon  and grammar through various means. This talk will explore how the  language wars around Japanese signing are evidence of changing  generational attitudes towards disability, identity, and culture in  Japan.  This talk is sponsored by the following groups: American Sign Language Program, Linguistics Program, Dept. of Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences, Asian Studies Program, Dept. of Anthropology, and the College of Liberal Arts.


"'Freedom's Name is Mighty Sweet; Black and White are Gonna Meet:' Blacks and Whites on the Left in the Battle for Freedom, 1917 to WWII"
Dr. Mark Solomon, Professor Emeritus of History, Simmons College
March 30, 2007, 2:00-4:00 p.m.
Beering Hall, Room 2275

Rethinking Gandhi: The Practice of an Immeasurable Politics"
Dr. Ajay Skaria
March 30, 2007, 11:30 a.m.-12:20 p.m.
University Hall, Room 119

"Shanghai, A Socialist City: The Production of Space in Shanghai Morning" in Chinese"
Wednesday, February 21, 2007
4:00-5:00 (Reception in Staak's Lounge, Stanley Coulter Room 131)
5:00 - Lecture in Stanley Coulter, Room 136
Professor Luo Gang, an associate professor of Chinese literature in East China Normal University, Shanghai, and a visiting professor at New York University.  He authored six books, edited and co-edited 13 books, and is widely regarded as one of the most outstanding young scholars in mainland China.

"Lone Mother Policy Reforms in Japan and South Korea since the Mid-1990s"
Professor Ito Peng, Associate Professor of Sociology
Director, Dr. David Chu Program in Asia Pacific Studies
Munk Centre for International Studies, University of Toronto
Monday, February 19, 2007
4:30-6:30 p.m., BRNG 1284

Study Abroad in China and Japan, HIST 240: East Asian and its Historic Tradition
Maymester 2007
Informational Callout - Monday, January 29, 2007
7:30-9:00 p.m., UNIV 303

Family, Liberalism, and the Multicultural University: College and the Korean American Family

Beyond 'Good Wife, Wise Mother': Gender, Law, and the Meiji State

The Politics of Religion: Nation, Identity and Difference Conference

The "Rising China," the "Other China," and U.S.-China Relations 

2005 History Forum: The Samurai Cult and the Need for Heroism