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Spotlight on Asian Studies Alumni: Recent grad finds purpose among the gibbons

Elizabeth Williams — Tue, 07 Jul 2026 15:59:51 +0000

Spotlight on Asian Studies Alumni: Recent grad finds purpose among the gibbons Elizabeth Williams Tue, 07/07/2026 - 09:59

Cody DeBos

Asian studies alumnus Lucas Lowenfish, soon to become a Peace Corps volunteer in Madagascar, experienced ‘a big trajectory change’ during Primates of Vietnam study abroad program

Before the sun rises in Cát Tiên National Park in Vietnam, the forest is wide awake. Lucas Lowenfish recalls slipping into the humid darkness with a few friends from his study abroad group to hike toward a tree they’d been told about.

This particular tree hosts a family of gibbons that congregates every morning to sing just as light begins to filter through the canopy.

“They start jumping and dancing around and doing their songs. It’s a coordinated singing that sounds unlike anything I’ve heard before,” says Lowenfish, a recent 91��Ҹ� 91��Ҹ� graduate in Asian studies.

Later that morning, Lowenfish and a friend wandered deeper into the forest. Upon rounding a bend in the trail, they found themselves just feet from two gibbons mid-call. Close enough that, as Lowenfish puts it, “You can feel it in your head.”

That morning in the forest, and others exploring Cát Tiên and the jungles of Vietnam, gave Lowenfish a new direction for his career.

An unlikely primatologist

Lowenfish grew up in Washington, D.C., asking his parents for more time at the primate exhibit every time his family visited the zoo. He arrived at CU 91��Ҹ� as an Asian studies major after taking Chinese classes in high school.

A career in primatology had never crossed his mind.

Then came a study abroad program led by CU 91��Ҹ� anthropology professors Jonathan O’Brien and Herbert “Bert” Covert. The duo takes students through an immersive tour of the biodiversity of Vietnam, visiting national parks, conservation NGOs, research centers and wildlife rehabilitation facilities.

For Lowenfish, the trip was an eye-opener.

“I’d never really thought about how studying monkeys could be a job, you know? But then my professors are in the field and we’re meeting people who are doing this full-time. Now that I was seeing that this is a thing, I knew I totally wanted to do it, too,” he says.

He calls the trip a “big trajectory change” for his career goals.

The “Primates of Vietnam” program runs each summer and draws a small cohort of eight to 15 undergraduates for a three-week adventure. Lowenfish says the experience rewards a certain kind of student.

“You definitely have to be adventurous and willing to step pretty far out of your comfort zone. But if you can do that, it’s like the greatest trip ever.”

Read the full article in A&S Magazine

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Job Opportunity - JLPT USA Team Assistant

Elizabeth Williams — Mon, 29 Jun 2026 20:15:50 +0000

Job Opportunity - JLPT USA Team Assistant Elizabeth Williams Mon, 06/29/2026 - 14:15

American Association of Teachers of Japanese is looking for a JLPT USA Team Assistant. AATJ is the administrator of the Japanese Language Proficiency Test in the US. We are looking for a new team member to assist in the administration of this important program, on the national level.

This is a part-time position, based in 91��Ҹ�, CO. Please use the link for more position information and to apply.

https://jobs.colorado.edu/jobs/JobDetail/JLPT-USA-Team-Assistant/73096

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The Power of Fiction to Unlock History: New Teaching Unit Brings Sri Lanka’s Civil War into the Classroom

Elizabeth Williams — Mon, 22 Jun 2026 17:23:44 +0000

The Power of Fiction to Unlock History: New Teaching Unit Brings Sri Lanka’s Civil War into the Classroom Elizabeth Williams Mon, 06/22/2026 - 11:23

Can a novel teach history in ways textbooks cannot? That question is at the heart of a new curriculum unit developed by Lauren Collins, assistant teaching professor and director of the undergraduate Asian Studies program in CU 91��Ҹ�’s Center for Asian Studies, recently published by the American Institute for Sri Lankan Studies.

The unit, Teaching about the Civil War through the Novel Brotherless Night, uses V. V. Ganeshananthan’s award-winning novel as a gateway to understanding the origins, complexities, and human consequences of Sri Lanka’s civil war. Set in 1980s Jaffna, Brotherless Night follows Sashi, a young Tamil woman and aspiring doctor whose life is transformed by the conflict. Through her perspective, students encounter questions of political resistance, moral ambiguity, and survival while exploring how war reshapes families, education, personal aspirations, and everyday life.

Designed for high school and college classrooms, the unit combines literary analysis with historical inquiry. Six thematic “deep dives” introduce students to the historical events, political movements, and key figures that shaped the conflict, helping them connect fiction to historical reality. The curriculum encourages close reading, critical thinking, and empathy while demonstrating how literature can open conversations about difficult histories with nuance and care.

Collins will bring this approach into the classroom this fall, offering Brotherless Night as a reading option in her upper-division seminar, Politics of Memory.

The unit reflects the Center for Asian Studies' broader commitment to public and community-engaged scholarship that bridges university research and K–12 teaching. CAS is home to two long-running teacher professional-development programs — the South, Southeast, and West Asia Outreach Program (SSEWA) and the Program for Teaching East Asia (TEA) — that bring the study of Asia into classrooms across Colorado and the nation.

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Young Professionals International Career Connections

Elizabeth Williams — Thu, 07 May 2026 18:45:04 +0000

Young Professionals International Career Connections Elizabeth Williams Thu, 05/07/2026 - 12:45

Tuesday, May 26 @ 6:00 p.m.
Maglione Hall, University of Denver

Join WorldDenver, Fulbright, and the University of Denver to bridge the gap between global ambition and professional reality. Meet seasoned experts in diplomacy, development, international law, and more for a panel discussion and networking session designed to launch your global career. Free and open to all.

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CAS Celebrates our Graduates and Student and Faculty Achievement

Elizabeth Williams — Mon, 27 Apr 2026 19:33:09 +0000

CAS Celebrates our Graduates and Student and Faculty Achievement Elizabeth Williams Mon, 04/27/2026 - 13:33

Asian Studies Major

Madchen Craig
Vitalina Lagutkina Second Major: International Affairs; Minors: Geography and Economics
Lucas Lowenfish Minors: Philosophy and Chinese
Zachary Katsuleres Additional Majors: International Affairs, Political Science, and Japanese Language and Civilizations

Asian Studies Minor

Abigail Ellis Major: History
Jeff Heiges Major: Mathematics
Sophia Mix Major: Psychology
Alex Rodrigue Majors: History and Chinese Language and Civilization

Graduate Certificate in Asian Studies

Aaron Bhatoya Ph.D. History
Christy Go Ph.D. Ethnomusicology

Foreign Language and Area Studies Fellowships

Graduate Student Fellows

Aaron Bhatoya* Hindi; History
Vincent Burnett# Japanese; ALC
Callysta Caraballo# Chinese; Linguistics
Edward Hayward*# Japanese; Russian, Eastern European, and Eurasian Studies
Lillith Jackson# Chinese; ALC
Kelly Kroeger# Uzbek; History
Sarah Maronick*# Chinese; Linguistics
Jessica Misiorek# Japanese; Anthropology
Stephanie Oh* Korean; ALC
Casey Ringer* Japanese; History
Emily Swertfeger*# Arabic; History

Undergraduate Fellows

Axel Castillo-Armenta# Japanese; Computer Science
Amy Fink (MSU)# Japanese; Linguistics
Marion Furukawa# Chinese; IAFS
Michael Kakkar# Chinese; Business
Jason Nam# Japanese; International Affairs
Ryan Zhang# Chinese; Economics

Japanese Studies Scholarship Fellows *

Vincent Burnett Asian Languages and Civilizations
Brandon Edwards Asian Languages and Civilizations
Haruka Fujii Asian Languages and Civilizations
Bergen Grant Asian Languages and Civilizations
Ubochi Igbokwe Music
Lillith Jackson Asian Languages and Civilizations
Jessica Misiorek Anthropology
Xuanyu Piao Asian Languages and Civilizations
Casey Ringer History
Nyla Schaberg Asian Languages and Civilizations
Juliana Valverde Asian Languages and Civilizations
Taoxuan Xu Asian Languages and Civilizations
Ayako Yamaguchi Asian Languages and Civilizations

Fulbright Foreign Language Teaching Assistant *

Alifia Moci Maritta Indonesian Language Instruction

Asian Studies Faculty Course Development Grants #

Stephanie Choi College of Music
Dan Hirshberg Asian Studies
Miriam Kadia Kingsburg History
Cody Walizer College of Communication, Media, Design and Information

Cultures and Languages Across the Curriculum Course Development Grants #

Lauren Collins Asian Studies
Runqing Qi Asian Languages and Civilizations

Academic Year 2025-26 # Summer 2026

Congratulations Graduates!

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Friday! The 15th annual Asia Symposium: Gender, Sexuality, and Intimacies in Asia

Elizabeth Williams — Tue, 14 Apr 2026 14:19:46 +0000

Friday! The 15th annual Asia Symposium: Gender, Sexuality, and Intimacies in Asia Elizabeth Williams Tue, 04/14/2026 - 08:19

Friday, April 17th
Center for British and Irish Studies, 5th Floor, Norlin Library

Symposium Schedule

10:45a - 11:30a Reception

11:30a - 11:45a Welcoming Remarks with Rachel Rinaldo, CAS Faculty Director and John Masserini, Dean of the College of Letters, Arts and Sciences at Metropolitan State University in Denver.

11:45a - 1:15p Gender, Sexuality, and Cultural Life in Asia
Domestic Violence in a Changing Landscape in Vietnam Lynne Kwiatkowski, Colorado State University
Queer Futures in Okinawa: On Miyagi Futoshi’s American Boyfriend Project Daryl Maude, CU 91��Ҹ�
Domestic Nationalism: Muslim Women, Health and Modernity in Indonesia Chiara Formichi, Cornell University
Commodification of Intimacy in the K-pop World Stephanie Choi, CU 91��Ҹ�
Moderated by Carla Jones, CU 91��Ҹ�

1:15 Remarks by Daryl Maeda, Interim Dean of the College of Arts & Sciences, CU 91��Ҹ�

1:45p - 3:15p Feminist Struggles and Social Movements in and beyond Asia
The Forced Disappearance of Enforced Disappearances in Kashmir Ather Zia, University of Northern Colorado
Is Climate Change Increasing Child Marriage? Amanda Carrico, CU 91��Ҹ�
Sanctioning States, Silencing Speech: Iran’s Woman, Life, Freedom Movement and the Challenges of Transnational Feminist Solidarity, A. Marie Ranjbar, CU 91��Ҹ�
Coming of (r)age in Pakistan: Exploring the Aurat March and its afterlives Sana Malik, University of Denver
Moderated by Shae Frydenlund, CU 91��Ҹ�

Keynote Address

3:30p - 4:30p Intimate Placemaking: Women, Care, and Community After Displacement
Shenila Khoja-Moolji, Georgetown University

Event program

Across Asia, the realm of gender, sexuality, and intimate relationships is shifting rapidly. New articulations of gender and sexuality have emerged, often in conversation with both local and Western categories. Women and sexual minorities have pushed for greater empowerment but in some countries, counter-movements are contesting hard-won rights. Changes in marriage and family and intimate life are generating political debates and contestations across the region. This year's theme will explore the flux of gender, sexuality, and intimate life across Asia, from both historical and contemporary perspective. We seek to highlight phenomena such as gender and sexuality related social movements, cultural expression, migration, work and labor, family and household life, law and politics, and regional/transnational connections.

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Fall 2026 Asia-Related Courses

Elizabeth Williams — Fri, 03 Apr 2026 14:40:00 +0000

Fall 2026 Asia-Related Courses Elizabeth Williams Fri, 04/03/2026 - 08:40

ASIA 2000 Gateway to Modern Asia

2 sections - T/Th 9:30-10:45 (honors) & 11:00-12:15pm
Lauren Collins (collinlk@colorado.edu)

Introduces main themes, intellectual approaches used in Asian Studies through a transdisciplinary perspective that focuses on interactions and links between geographic regions and national boundaries. Presents Asia as a concept, a powerful imaginary geography, and historically dynamic construct that has shaped/been shaped by global patterns of economic development, nation building, war and diplomacy, colonialism and aspirations for better lives.

ASIA/RLST 3300 Foundations of Buddhism

T/Th 2-3:15
Dan Hirshberg (dan.hirshberg@colorado.edu)

Traces the development of Buddhism in India before introducing its subsequent preservation and interpretation in Tibet. Foremost relies on many of the most celebrated Buddhist scriptures to introduce its diverse doctrines, practices, ethics, objectives, and their evolution over the history of Buddhisms. In addition to lectures, group discussions, and ample time for Q&A, classes rely on contemplative and interactive exercises to reflect on core content and delve into its relationship to human experience.

ASIA 4200 Memory Politics in Asia

T/Th 2:00-3:15
Lauren Collins (collinlk@colorado.edu)

Explores how memory and heritage shape contemporary politics in Asia. Examines how the past—historical events, heritage sites, and shared memories—continues to influence nationalist movements, diplomatic disputes, grassroots activism, nostalgic tourism, and popular media. Pays particular attention to the legacies of colonialism and conflict, highlighting how communities seek justice and reconciliation in the wake of historical trauma. Engages a wide range of materials, including films, graphic novels, public art, photography, museums, monuments, and archaeological sites.

ASIA 4650 Art and Science of Meditation

T/Th 9:30am and 11am (2 sections)
Dan Hirshberg (dan.hirshberg@colorado.edu)

Broadly interdisciplinary and skill-based, this course offers an in-depth theoretical, practical, and experiential exploration of meditation informed by cutting-edge scientific studies. Students read traditional contemplative masterworks in translation, survey current neuroscientific and psychological research on meditation, and employ critical subjectivity in the application of evidence-based meditation techniques.

ANTH 4525 Globalization and Islams

T/Th 11am-12:15pm
Carla Jones (carla.jones@colorado.edu)

Examines the historical formation of Islam in Indonesia and Southeast Asia so as to situate contemporary Islamic practices in a global context.

ARTH 3919 Art and Climate Justice in Southeast Asia

T/TH 12:30-1:45 pm
Brianne Cohen (brianne.cohen@colorado.edu)

This course investigates ecologically engaged contemporary artwork and visual culture in Southeast Asia, a region often understudied or neglected with relation to the Anthropocene. Through an interdisciplinary lens, the course will analyze a boom in recent artworks that address cascading effects of socio-environmental violence and the climate crisis in Southeast Asia from the 19th to the 21st centuries.

CHIN 1012 Introduction to Chinese Civilization

MWF 12:20-1:10 + 1 recitation T/W AM
Katherine Alexander (katherine.alexander@colorado.edu)

Introduction to Chinese Civilization covers Chinese history, philosophy, and literature from the ancient period to the present day. Students encounter firsthand voices from the past by reading a wide variety of short primary sources, which serve as case studies for broader narratives of Chinese cultural changes and continuities across time.

CHIN 4041 Introduction to Classical Chinese

MWF 11:15 am – 12:05 pm
Matthias L. Richter (mlr@colorado.edu)

Develops basic competence in the Classical Chinese, the language of early Chinese philosophical texts, such as Laozi and the Analects of Confucius. Classical Chinese forms the basis for the literary language used in China until the early 20th century.

CHIN 4391 Health and Wellbeing in Chinese Literature and Culture

11:00 a.m.–12:15 p.m.
Antje Richter (antje.richter@colorado.edu)

Questions we will discuss in this course are “what does it mean to be in good health?”, “how do societies judge illness and disability?”, “how do individuals deal with being sick and impaired?”, “how to achieve health and wellbeing?”, “how to write about one’s own health and illness or that of others?” To answer these questions, we will turn to Chinese medical, cultural, and literary history.

HIST 1628 Introduction to Modern Chinese History

M/W/F 2:30 - 3:20pm
Tim Weston (weston@colorado.edu)

Introduces students to modern Chinese history and culture, from the 17th century to the present. Considers the pertinent aspects of modern China, focusing on its social patterns, economic structure, intellectual trends and political developments.

HIST 2718 Japanese History through Cinema

M/W/F 12:20-1:10pm
Marcia Yonemoto (Yonemoto@colorado.edu)

Explores Japan’s modern history through the medium of film. All films by Japanese directors, subtitled in English, in a variety of genres from drama to comedy/satire to anime and horror.

HIST 4638 Contemporary China: Radicalism and Revolution, 1949 to the Present

M/W/F 10:10 - 11:00am
Tim Weston (weston@colorado.edu)

Examines the dramatic, often tragic, and globally transformative history of China under the Chinese Communist Party. Focuses on such topics as political, social, and cultural revolution, nationalism, Maoism, the Great Leap Forward, Red Guards and the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution, the Deng Xiaoping era, relations with Taiwan, the 1989 Tiananmen Massacre, and China's rise as a world power.

RLST 1620 Religious Dimensions of Human Experience

MWF 1:25pm-2:15pm
Aun Hasan Ali (aun.ali@colorado.edu)

Surveys different approaches to the study of religion. Students will grow familiar with key thinkers, texts, and movements that shape how we understand religious phenomena. Students will also examine critiques of how religion is studied. In the end, students will have gained insight into significant aspects of religious life, belief, and practice that will empower them to navigate a world in which religion is increasingly relevant.

RLST 2202 Islam

MWF 10:10-11:00
Aun Hasan Ali (aun.ali@colorado.edu)

Introduces students to foundational Islamic concepts, texts, core practices, historical narratives and intellectual, spiritual and literary traditions. Topics covered include: the figure of Muhammad; the Quran; the emergence of distinct Muslim identities; Hadith; Sharia; Islamic theology; Islamic philosophy; science in Islamic civilization; Islamic mysticism; the impact of colonialism and modernity on the Muslim world; gender and sexuality; and political Islam.

RLST 3750 Women in Buddhism

T/TH 11-12:15
Holly Gayley (gayley@colorado.edu)

This course explores diverse representations of the female in Buddhist literature as well as the social realities of actual women in different historical contexts. Through case studies that traverse Asia, we delve into the life stories of Buddhist women, monastic views of gender and the female body, idealized images of the feminine, philosophical discussions of gender, and contemporary issues such as the nun's revival moment.

RLST 4250 Buddhist Ethics

T 3:30-6
Holly Gayley (gayley@colorado.edu)

This seminar explores Buddhist ethics and the workings of karma in doctrinal and narrative texts. We begin by examining classical sources for Buddhist ethics in scriptures and commentarial literature. With this foundation, we spend the bulk of the semester looking at how Buddhist stories in South Asia portrays ethical ideals as well as conflicting moral imperatives.

SUMMER 2026 Courses:

ASIA 1000 Origins of Contemporary Southeast Asia

2 sections - Maymester - Meets Online
Augmester - Meets Online
Shae Frydenlund (shfr8297@colorado.edu)

Explores the dynamic present of Southeast Asia in light of its complex past. Introduces the shared historical experiences that have shaped diverse Southeast Asian societies, with a focus on the continuing effects of colonialism, nationalism, and globalization in the region. Examines key issues facing contemporary Southeast Asian communities, including current debates around gender, faith, human rights, democracy, development, etc. Engages with Southeast Asian literature, film, art, journalism, and museum collections from a transdisciplinary perspective. Recommended prerequisite: students may find some prior coursework in history, anthropology, or Asian Studies to be helpful, but this is not required.

ASIA 2000 Gateway to Modern Asia

2 sections - Summer Session A - Meets Online
Summer Session C - Meets Online
Lauren Collins (collinlk@colorado.edu)

Introduces main themes, intellectual approaches used in Asian Studies through a transdisciplinary perspective that focuses on interactions and links between geographic regions and national boundaries. Presents Asia as a concept, a powerful imaginary geography, and historically dynamic construct that has shaped/been shaped by global patterns of economic development, nation building, war and diplomacy, colonialism and aspirations for better lives.

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Mark Your Calendars: Malala Tickets Opening March 26th

Elizabeth Williams — Mon, 23 Mar 2026 20:52:57 +0000

Mark Your Calendars: Malala Tickets Opening March 26th Elizabeth Williams Mon, 03/23/2026 - 14:52

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Mark Your Calendars: Malala Tickets Opening March 26th
In partnership with the Conference on World Affairs and the Center for Leadership, we are excited to share that tickets for Malala Yousafzai will be released on March 26 at 10:45 AM.

Malala will join us as the closing speaker for the Conference on World Affairs 2026 on April 16 from 7:00–8:30 PM at Macky Auditorium. The event is free and open to the public, but tickets are required to attend.

Important Notes:

Malala tickets are expected to sell out, so we encourage guests to secure their tickets as soon as they become available.
Macky Auditorium uses EventBrite for ticketing, which is separate from our primary CWA registration system. You will need to register for the Malala event using EventBrite.
Please be sure to mark your calendar for the morning of March 26th, and stay tuned for a followup message when Malala tickets go live.

Malala Yousafzai began her activism at age 11 by anonymously blogging about life under the Taliban in Pakistan’s Swat Valley and its ban on girls’ education. After surviving an assassination attempt at age 15, Malala founded the Malala Fund to champion education for all girls worldwide. In 2014, she became the youngest Nobel Peace Prize recipient in history. Malala graduated from Oxford University in 2020 with a degree in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics and is a best-selling author and investor in women's sports.

Students are invited to be part of the conversation with Malala by submitting a question for the opportunity to have it asked live on stage during the closing event with Malala Yousafzai at the Conference on World Affairs (CWA) 2026. Selected students will receive a reserved ticket to the event and a copy of Malala’s book Finding My Way.

Submit your Question

CWA Website

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Fukushima 15 years later

Elizabeth Williams — Thu, 19 Mar 2026 17:02:55 +0000

Fukushima 15 years later Elizabeth Williams Thu, 03/19/2026 - 11:02

On March 11, 2011, a magnitude 9.1 earthquake struck off Japan's eastern coast near the Tohoku region. The six-minute quake caused damage, injuries, and loss of life, and was followed by a powerful and deadly tsunami that in turn triggered a meltdown at the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant. As we reflect on the triple disaster fifteen years later, we are compelled to consider whether the world is any better prepared for such catastrophes.

With support from the Albert Smith Nuclear Age Fund, the Center for Asian Studies launched “A Tale of Two Asias: Living in and Beyond the Nuclear Age,” a project bringing together scholars to examine political, social, and environmental challenges associated with nuclear issues across Asia. The initiative began with a March 2021 workshop marking the ten-year anniversary of the disaster and will culminate in a forthcoming book co-edited by Geography professor and past CAS faculty director Tim Oakes and Anthropology associate professor Kathryn Goldfarb.

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Celebrating the 2026 Impact Award Recipients

Elizabeth Williams — Thu, 05 Mar 2026 17:27:04 +0000

Celebrating the 2026 Impact Award Recipients Elizabeth Williams Thu, 03/05/2026 - 10:27

On February 11, Campus Compact announced that TEA’s Teaching East Asia Through Picture Books program was one of five programs recognized for the 2026 Excellence in Civic & Community Engagement Programming Awards - an award highlighting programs that have utilized on-campus civic and community engagement in a way that makes deep and long-lasting positive change. Teaching East Asia Through Picture Books has been helping K-12 classrooms establish cross-cultural connections with Asia since its launch in 2024 and has reached classrooms across Colorado. By introducing students to East Asian topics through picture books on natural sciences, geography, biographies, and more, TEA has opened the opportunity for teachers and students alike to gain a deeper understanding and appreciation of East Asia, and it strives to continue doing so for years to come.

The announcement can be read here.

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