FALL 2010
DEALL NEWSLETTER
news from The Ohio State University department of east asian languages and literatures
TABLE OF CONTENTS Special Feature
3 Kavi CHONGKITTAVORN: Former DEALL Student and Human Rights Journalist by Mark Bender
Alumni News
4 Journey in the DEALL Ph.D. Program by Masako Inamoto
5 In Pursuit of Excellence
by Brandon Schindewolf
Focus on Students
6 Winning the Dan Crowley Memorial Student Prize by Ziying You
7 Receiving the Katherine L. Hall Prize by Courtney Murdock
8 Departmental Updates
The DEALL Undergraduate Forum Flourishes in its Fifth Year! by Meow Hui Goh, Undergraduate Director Annual Big DEALL Langfest 2010 Attracts Crowd, Recognizes Student Award Winners by Etsuyo Yuasa, Language Program Director
9 Faculty Activities DEALLers in Media
Special feature
Kavi CHONGKITTAVORN: Former DEALL Student and Human Rights Journalist by Mark Bender
On a recent trip to Thailand, DEALL Associate Professor, Mark Bender, met with former DEALL student Kavi Chongkittavorn, the intense well-known human rights advocate and editor at the English language journal, The Nation. Chongkittavorn took several hours out of his busy day to lead Bender and his family on a short tour of traditional markets, a special needs center, and a feast on local delicacies on a barge-restaurant along the Chao Phraya River in Bangkok. The two former classmates took Chinese classes together in DEALL in 1977-1978 while Chongkittavorn was majoring in political science. Both enjoyed an enthusiasm for China and the cultures of Eastern Asia. Among their professors were Frank Hsueh, Royall Tyler, Nora Ching, and the late David Chen. The last time the two classmates met was in Wuhan, China in the spring of 1981, where Bender was teaching English on a program arranged by the late DEALL professor Eugene Ching. During the afternoon tour Bender and Chongkittavorn managed to reminisce about the “good old days” at Ohio State in the 1970s, and current world and Asian affairs. Chongkittavorn also described his White House visit with President George Bush, and his stint as a Nieman Fellow at Harvard University in 2001. According to Source Watch, Chongkittavorn has worked as a human rights journalist in Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam for over twenty years and is the head of the
Kavi Chongkittavorn and Professor Mark Bender in Bangkok, Thailand
Southeast Asian Press Alliance. In 1998 he was named Human Rights Journalist of the year by Amnesty International in commemoration of the 50th year of the United Nations Human Rights Declaration.
conference in Indonesia, he was unable to move his limbs. A series of doctors determined the affliction was acute transverse myelitis caused by overwork and too many hours sitting in one position while writing.
He also received a National Endowment for Democracy award in 2007, as well as many other awards. Under his leadership, the Cuillermo Cano World Press Freedom Prize, UNESCO, was posthumously awarded to Anna Politkavskaya of Columbia.
After 145 days of immobility, during which he received a range of treatments that included a regimen of therapeutic massage, he was gradually able to move again. He has now regained most of his mobility and is as full of energy and irrepressible enthusiasm as ever.
Chongkittavorn’s greatest accomplishment, however, may be a personal one. One morning in 2009, while attending an international
The former DEALL’er is now looking forward to a new phase in his epic career, which now includes advocacy for special needs groups in Thailand.
{Mark Bender is Associate Professor in Chinese folklore}
Read the story of Chongkittavorn’s ordeal and recovery at www.rdasia.com/freedom-from-deadlines.
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Alumni News
Journey in the DEALL Ph.D. Program By Masako Inamoto
The graduation for summer quarter 2010 was a very hot afternoon. The graduates-to-be were lining up in alphabetical order according to their degrees at the Auxiliary Gym in the Schottenstein Center, waiting to march into the main arena. “What is your Ph.D. in?” “How long did it take for you to get your degree?” “What are you going to do after graduation?” We were from different departments and didn’t know each other but could talk and talk because we’d been through the same, long process for the same goal – to receive our Ph.D. degrees. It was, indeed, a long process for me. I came to DEALL as an M.A. student in the Autumn of 2000. At that time, I had a full-time job as an instructor at Skidmore College in Saratoga Springs, New York. Skidmore was kind enough to give me a two-year leave, so I came to DEALL while keeping my teaching position at Skidmore. After teaching for many years at Skidmore, I truly enjoyed being on the other side of the desk and being a full-
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time student for the first two years at DEALL. At the end of the second year, I applied for the Ph.D. program in DEALL and was fortunate enough to be admitted. But, then, I had to face a dilemma—there was no way I could get another leave from Skidmore, so how could I pursue my Ph.D. degree in Ohio while teaching full-time in New York? There seemed to be only two alternatives to choose from: I should either pursue my degree at Ohio State and quit my job at Skidmore or return to my employment and give up my dream of studying for my Ph.D. But, which would be the right choice for me? I just couldn’t make up my mind and went to Professors Richard Torrance and Bill Tyler, two professors in my major field, for consultation. Both professors were truly encouraging and told me to pursue my degree while keeping my job in New York, saying that they would help me as much as they could, and they really did. Since then, my life as an instructor in New York from September to May and graduate student in Ohio from June to August has continued for eight years.
Professors in DEALL helped me tremendously to attain my goal. Professors Naomi Fukumori, Shelley Quinn, Torrance, and Tyler allowed me to take their courses in New York as a distance learner, and Professor Torrance, my advisor, always made himself available during the summer for an independent study for the last eight years.
have been a full-time student for more than two years, but given the circumstances, I believe I made the right decision to pursue the degree the way I did. Of course, I wouldn’t have been able to reach my goal without the help and support of my advisor, professors, teaching and administrative staff, fellow graduate students in DEALL, and my colleagues at Skidmore.
Professor Noda generously supported me by providing me with a summer GTA position, which enabled me to return to campus summer after summer. Numerous professors shared warm, encouraging words when I met with them during the summers, and Skidmore College gave me a second leave in the Spring of 2005, which allowed me to fulfill my three-quarter residency requirement for the degree.
I consider myself truly fortunate to have had studied under wonderful professors in DEALL, and I will always cherish the great memories I have from Ohio State. As I leave DEALL, I would like to thank everyone who helped and supported me one last time from the bottom of my heart. Hontoo ni arigatoo gozaimasita.
Working towards the Ph.D. degree was a long process but I truly enjoyed my last ten years at DEALL. I wish I could
{Masako Inamoto is currently an Assistant Professor of Japanese literature at Skidmore College}
In Pursuit of Excellence By Brandon Schindewolf
Upon arriving at The Ohio State University in Autumn 2007, I knew that taking on Japanese as my academic major would prove a challenging and rewarding goal, and I was proven correct. Through enrolling in the summer intensive Japanese courses—SPEAC—for both secondyear and fourth-year Japanese, and by working on a research distinction thesis, I did indeed find myself taking the road less traveled. But throughout my time at DEALL, whether I was learning the intricacies of doing Japaneselanguage research in Professor Torrance’s Japanese 800, wrapping my mind around the concept of the Japanese extended predicate (from Japanese 101 to 712!), or debating the meaning of a poem more than four hundred years old, I found myself not only growing as a student, but becoming a more focused and driven person. Brandon with his honors thesis advisor Professor Shelley E. Quinn
Embarking on the study of another culture and language is an experience that changes one’s life forever, and as a new alumnus, I must say that there could have been no more nurturing and encouraging environment in which to begin that quest than our Department of East Asian Languages and Literatures. Thanks to the guidance and support of the DEALL faculty and staff, especially Professor Shelley Fenno Quinn, my senior thesis project advisor, I attained graduation with distinction with a B.A. in Japanese this past academic year.
My time at DEALL has prepared me well for entering the post-baccalaureate world, and I intend to use my Japanese language studies as I seek employment in Japan as an instructor of English, before returning to the U.S. to pursue graduate studies in Japanese literature and history. After spending three years with DEALL, I look forward to sharing with others the knowledge and enthusiasm that has been imparted to me. Having seen the wonderful ability of instructors to bring out the best in their students, I can only hope that I can do the same as a hopeful future professor of Japanese. I owe my success only to those who encouraged it in me.
{Brandon Schindewolf graduated in Spring 2010 as a Japanese major with distinction. He was the 2010 recipient of the William Tyler Award for undergraduate research}
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Focus on Students
Winning the Dan Crowley Memorial Student Prize by Ziying You
My dream is to be an accomplished scholar of Chinese folklore studies, yet sometimes the difficulties of achieving that dream seem insurmountable. In Autumn 2009, I became a graduate student in DEALL. Although I have an MA in Chinese literature and folklore from Beijing University and an MA in Folklore Studies from the University of Oregon, I have found the coursework in DEALL to be very challenging. There were unexpected requirements, new ways of doing things and new ways of exploring knowledge. I took courses in pedagogy, Chinese linguistics, and literature that seemed very challenging. As the months went by, I was able to meet the challenges with the help of many professors and my peers in DEALL. As a result, I have a stronger foundation for conducting research and teaching, as well as a renewed enthusiasm for my studies. My passion for Chinese folklore studies has been expanded and deepened. I have been encouraged to attend different courses in folklore studies in other departments and communicate with folklorists and students who come from various disciplines and backgrounds. DEALL has also given me support in attending several big conferences in folklore studies, so that I have had many chances to learn from folklorists all over the world. Luckily, I was elected co-chair of the Eastern Asia Section of American Folklore Society (AFS) in October 2009, and learned how to coordinate many academic events in the field. In August 2010, the AFS Storytelling Section awarded me the 2010 Dan Crowley Memorial Student Essay Prize for my essay, Creation and Performance of ‘New Stories’ in Contemporary China: 1963-1966, which was completed in one of my courses in DEALL. All these honors encourage me to keep working hard to obtain my goal of being an accomplished scholar of Chinese folklore studies. {Ziying You (advisor Mark Bender) is a first-year PhD student}
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Receiving the Katherine L. Hall Prize By Courtney Murdock
I am double majoring in Chinese and International Studies, both of which are majors in the College of Arts and Sciences. As an undergraduate, I have been searching for the future that I would be most happy in. In other words, what did I want to do with the rest of my life, starting with my decisions early in college? I knew from the beginning that I loved Chinese culture and language but had no idea how to make it into a career.
In the Department of East Asian Languages and Literatures I was offered guidance to the many options I had for majors that would complement my language as well as be something I was interested in. That is how I found International Studies. I have had advisors who were the most patient and helpful people I have met yet in life, interesting classes that I can honestly say I looked forward to attending, and, most importantly, professors who have not hesitated to go above and beyond their job descriptions. The department has aided me through my questions and my problems, and has helped me find my way to success. It was through the department and the help of its wonderful faculty that I received the Katherine L. Hall price, which is awarded to a student in the College of Humanities who demonstrates academic achievement, service, and leadership. It made me proud not only to know I had been recognized for how hard I worked, but even more that I had lived up to deserving such an award. The day I found out I had won this prize I was more excited and appreciative than I could have imagined. The feeling is indescribable. I was so honored that not only had I proven myself worthy of such an honor, but also that someone in DEALL had believed in me enough to nominate me for the award. I have found so many wonderful people and experiences in my undergraduate time thus far at Ohio State and I hope for nothing less for any Buckeye. GO BUCKS!� {Courtney Murdock is a senior majoring in Chinese and International Studies}
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Departmental Updates
The DEALL Undergraduate (UG) Forum Flourishes in Its Fifth Year! By Meow Hui Goh, Undergraduate Director
In the afternoon of April 16, 2010, the Forum opened with welcoming remarks from Professor Danielle Ooyoung Pyun, who led the organization of the Forum, and Professor Mari Noda, the Chair of DEALL. Six presenters then took the stage, each giving a fifteen-minute presentation and responding to questions from the audience for ten minutes thereafter. The presenters and the titles of their papers are: Chang-Tung Chou (“Profiles of a Tragic Hero: Minamoto Yoshitsune”), David Young (“China’s Christianity: Church-State Relations in the PRC”), Jie Chen (“Translation of Classic Korean Literature”), Brandon C. Schindewolf (“Toki wa ima”), Phillip Johnson (“Prenuclear Glides in Language Games and Speech Errors”), and Leopold Eisenlohr (“Islamic Education in China: Engaging the Youth”). A judges’ panel, made up of the members of the UG Forum Committee, including Professors Meow Hui Goh, Danielle Ooyoung Pyun, Shelley Quinn, and Jianqi Wang, evaluated the presentations and selected a winner. They were impressed with the solid research and the presentational skills demonstrated by the six presenters—a testimony not only to their talent and conscientiousness, but also to the hard work of the professors who guided them in their papers and presentations. Before the Forum was brought to a conclusion, Professor Jianqi Wang gave a commentary on behalf of the judges and Professor Meow Hui Goh presented the William Jefferson Tyler Memorial Prize to the winner, Brandon C. Schindewolf.
Annual Big DEALL Langfest 2010 Attracts Crowd, Recognizes Student Award Winners By Etsuyo Yuasa, Language Program Director
On Friday, June 4, the students in our Chinese, Japanese, and Korean language programs gathered to show off their language skills at the annual DEALL Language Festival. The participants and audience enjoyed performances from nine courses for more than four hours. Among the performances were speeches, skits, professionally finished movies, and traditional performances. During the Big Interpretation Shootout, the 103 and 206 students of Chinese, Japanese, and Korean competed against each other and showed us how much their skills improved in just one or two years of study. Langfest also is a time when student excellence is recognized by announcing the winners of the DEALL scholarships and other awards. This year’s recognitions went to: Ms. Jia Yang (Tien-yi Li Award for graduate studies in Chinese); Mr. Phillip Johnson (Jin Lu Award for undergraduate studies in Chinese); Mr. Carlos Pimentel (Tanakadate Aikitu Award for graduate studies in Japanese); Mr. Chang Tung Chao (Miyo Kawai Award for undergraduate studies in Japanese); Mr. Seth Goss (Atsushi Onoe Award for study of Japanese language and culture); Mr. David Goldman (Korean Studies Award for the study of Korean); Mr. Brandon Schindewolf (William Tyler Award for undergraduate research); and Ms. Stephanie Rhoads, Mr. Brandon Schindewolf, and Mr. Michael C. Waring (Japanese National Honor Society). Congratulations!
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Faculty Activities Mark Bender won the Office of International Affairs grant to develop a study abroad program in Gateway countries. He will be designing Diversity, Tradition, and Environment in Southwest China in collaboration of Southwest Nationalities University (Chengdu, Sichuan, China) for Summer 2011. Chan PARK premiered her composition in collaboration with Kathy Foley, Fox Hunts and Freedom Fighters: Korean and Western Women in Seoul 1894-1920 (developed from Intertwined Lives) at the Theatre of Yugen in San Francisco, September 14 and 15, 2009. Galal WALKER was awarded Honorary Professor by Guizhou University. He serves as Foreign Advisor and Project Director at Wuhan University Resource Center for Teaching and Promoting Chinese as a Foreign Language. Mineharu (JJ) NAKAYAMA is Visiting Professorship in the Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences and the Graduate School of Health and Environmental Sciences, University of Shizuoka, May 2007-March 2011
Five DEALL professors have been promoted in 2009-2010. Promoted to Full Professor
Promoted to Associate Professor with tenure
Professor William J. TYLER (modern Japanese literature, posthumously) Professor Kirk DENTON (modern Chinese literature) Professor Mineharu NAKAYAMA (Japanese linguistics) Professor Mari NODA (East Asian language pedagogy)
Professor Meow Hui GOH (traditional Chinese literature) Congratulations to all of them!
DEALLers in Media Ohio State Chinese Flagship students were with President Gordon Gee at numerous points at his recent visit to China, where the university opened its Gateway Office in Shanghai. Ohio State Chinese Flagship students, Kara BABB and Sean KEITH, were finalists at the 2010 Chinese Bridge Competition. Videos of their performances and other China-related messages are available online. Chan Park was a guest performer at the university library’s, ReadAloud on October 15, 2009. {click here for the sound file}
Meow Hui Goh’s new book, Sound and Sight: Poetry and Courtier Culture in the Yongming Era (483-493), is now available from Stanford University Press. Meow Hui Goh gave a lecture, Xi Jin de wenzhang wenhua (The Literary Culture of the Western Jin), at the National University of Singapore on August 10, download the University of Singapore Newsletter. {picture on p. 4} Watch Mark Bender’s videos on ethnic minority groups in Sichuan and Yunnan.
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