UH Asian Studies Freeman Undergraduate Initiative
In January 2003 the Freeman Foundation awarded the UHM Asian Studies Program a $1.3 million grant over four years to strengthen and develop the undergraduate Asian Studies program.
The Freeman Foundation Undergraduate Asian Studies Initiative grant is in its third calendar year, the second year of full operation. It has allowed the Program to develop areas and provide incentives for its students and faculty.
Projects. The four project areas within the grant include: Undergraduate Awards for Study in Asia, Visiting Undergraduate Faculty, Faculty Development/Travel, and Online & Distance Instruction Support.
Undergraduate Awards for Study in Asia. For Year 2004, twelve awards have been designated for undergraduate study in Asia during the summer or during the academic year. Included are five to China, four to Japan (all for year-long study), two to Korea and one to the Philippines. Awardees from Year 2003 have given reports to the Asian Studies Undergraduate Student Organization (ASUSO) and have participated in high school recruitment visitations for Asian Studies (Details for all years)
Visiting Undergraduate Faculty.The Spring 2004 visiting faculty was Professor Charnvit Kasetsiri, Asian Studies Program from Thammasat University (Bangkok, Thailand). He presented a highly successful senior-level class on tourism, ecology and monuments in SEA. He presented public colloquia and participated as guest lecturer in other departments. He was invited speaker at the University of Washington and the University of Wisconsin. In summer 2005 he will be principal professor for an undergraduate travel study project, focusing upon cultures along the Mekong River (Kunming through Saigon). The 2003 visiting faculty was Professor Michael Letz from Trinity College (Hartford CT)
Faculty Development. Non-competitive development funds for Asian Studies faculty have been used for Asia-related conference and research travel in Asia, Europe and the U.S. mainland. We have been able to extend support to adjunct faculty and lecturer s in Asian Studies as well.
Online and Distance Instruction Support.The grant has resulted in twenty-three new courses with on-line components, most using the WebCT platform (see http://webct.hawaii.edu) Support has also been given to colleagues in History and in Music. An instructional CD ROM project on Burma is being developed by Professor Michael Aung-Thwin in collaboration with Kapi'olani Community College colleague Dr. Carl Hefner, completion anticipated in 2004. An instructional CD-ROM project on Islam in China is being developed by Professor Dru Gladney, completion anticipated in 2005.
Artist in Residence Program
The arts component acknowledges the diversity of "ways of knowing" in Asia. The Project presented five Artists-in-Residence.
- Two are Japanese kabuki masters Senjiro Kashiwa (narimono) and Tokijaku Takemoto (acting).
- One represents Sumatra, Indonesia, Muhammad Halim (Randai).
- Two are Chinese classical musicians, Dr. Yu Siu-wha (erhu) and Ho Kang-ming (pipa)
- Two are Indian classical musicians Debashish Bhattacharya (slide guitar) and Subashish Bhattacharya (tabla). The Indian slide guitar tradition has historical connections with Hawai'i. The artists were able to meet the Hawaiian musician, Tau Moe, who introduced slide guitar to Calcutta in the 1920s. The residencies included public concerts, visits to undergraduate classes, and public symposia on topics related to each art medium.
We invite other institutions interested in using future Freeman Artists-in-Residence to contact us for availability and arrangement pdunn@hawaii.edu. Pending include presentations in classical Thai dance (Spring 2005), Philippine kulintang (Spring 2005), Tajikistan music and dance (Fall 2005), and Sundanese (Indonesia) music (Fall 2005).