Department News

The Asian Languages and Cultures Department at Rutgers is now home to the editorial office of positions: asia critique, an award-winning journal offering fresh approaches to Asia scholarship.

On Tuesday, May 5, 2026, the Japanese program in the Department of Asian Languages and Cultures held its annual induction ceremony for the Japanese National Honor Society–College Chapter (JNHS–CC), recognizing eight outstanding students for their academic achievement and excellence in the study of Japanese language and culture. This year’s inductees are: Adedotun Adedokun, Orland Geronimo, Reuben Geronimo, Xiyu Jiang, Jason Ordonez, Shane Rodado, Jonathan Charles Stephens, and Kate Yamauchi,. The...

Mr. Hirofumi Takinami, a member of the House of Councillors (the upper house of Japan’s National Diet) and a native of Fukui, visited Rutgers on May 1, 2026. Former and future Fukui City International Cultural Ambassadors Noah Hartwick ('23) and Nigel Thurston ('26) met with him at Kusakabe Taro’s grave in Willow Grove Cemetery, then gave him a tour of the campus. Mr. Takinami also visited Professor Haruko Wakabayashi’s class, “Asia-Pacific in Cross-Cultural Perspective,” where he engaged...

Ambassador Satoshi Katahira of the Consulate General of Japan in New York visited Rutgers on Monday, March 23. He started his day at the Alexander Library, viewing the William E. Griffis Collection, followed by a roundtable with our students—in Japanese! After a lunch hosted by Rutgers Global, he met with President William F. Tate IV and Executive Vice President Kimberly Hopely. Ambassador Katahira concluded his day with a visit to the graves of the early Japanese students at Willow Grove...

On October 9, Sumi-e artist Reiho Furukawa offered a workshop for Professor Wakabayashi’s class, “From Text to Image in Japanese Art.” Students learned about the techniques and meanings behind the traditional art of ink painting and created their own works of bamboo in ink and brush. The event was supported by the Classroom Enrichment Fund. Ms. Furukawa’s work is currently on display through December at the East Asian Library Gallery on the second floor of the Alexander Library. On November 6,...

On October 23, 2024, Ambassador Mikio Mori of the Consulate General of Japan in New York visited Rutgers and delivered a public lecture on “Global Partnership: A New Frontier of Japan-U.S. Relationship.” During his visit, the Ambassador viewed the William E. Griffis Collection at the Alexander Library, where he joined a group of exchange students from Koshi High School in Fukui, Japan, for a lecture by Archivist Fernanda Perrone. During his visit to New Brunswick, Ambassador Mori stopped by...

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Submissions welcome now through Friday, May 10th, 2024 For more information, click here

Applications welcome now through Friday, May 10th, 2024 For more information, click here

The Hidden Door, the Unclimbable Stairs, and the Broken Lightbulb: A Cultural History of the City in Korea. The wild success enjoyed by Bong Joon Ho and his recent film Parasite (2019) and also Park Chan Wook and his vengeance trilogy Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance (2002), Old Boy (2003), and Lady Vengeance (2005) can be attributed to a variety of different factors: creative storytelling, persuasive and powerful acting by a skillful cast, and the development of a distinctive mis-en-scène to name a...

The CLS Program is a program of the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs: The application for the 2022 Critical Language Scholarship (CLS) Program is now open! We welcome students to apply now to learn a critical foreign language next summer on a fully-funded study abroad program.   The application is now live and available online at:  https://clscholarship.org/apply  Applications are due Tuesday, November 16, 2021 by 8:00pm EST.   The CLS Program is an intensive overseas...

The Global Medieval Studies workshop series highlights the range of scholarship taking place at Rutgers, where medievalists pursue research across an incredible array of geographies, cultures, and languages. This year, faculty and graduate students from Art History, AMESALL, Asian Languages and Cultures, English, Italian, Jewish Studies, and Religion will come together to present new work. Fall events will be held remotely; please email gms@sas.rutgers.edu for information about Zoom links...

Seeking Applications: Student Advisory Board for Voices of Diversity Panels  What do you wish your professors knew about your experience as a Rutgers student? Do you want to help elevate the voices of students and create a space for them to tell their stories?   Apply to volunteer to serve on the Voices of Diversity Student Advisory Board!      Advisory Board members will help shape the themes and topics for the Voices of Diversity: Rutgers Student Stories, a panel series designed by students,...

Xiaojue will serve as the Graduate Program Director in the Program in Comparative Literature starting July 1, 2021. She received her Ph.D. degree at the Institute for Comparative Literature and Society and the Department of East Asian Languages and Cultures at Columbia University in 2007. Her research and teaching focus is on modern and contemporary Chinese literature and culture, Chinese-German intellectual connections, cultural Cold War studies in global Asias, film and media studies, and...

    Beginning July 1, 2021, Jenny will serve as the Pedagogy Coordinator for the Language Engagement Project (LEP) at Rutgers. As head of the LEP Pedagogy Board, she will be working with Rutgers faculty   members, the Language Center, and the LEP pedagogy committee members to develop and implement new and existing LEP courses (including mini-courses, modules and activities). She will also be in charge of the 991 Challenge, as well as explore new language and culture-related initiatives with Doaa...

 Introduction to American Law (Taught in Korean) (Course Number 43:600:101 Section # 01)  Exclusion: not open to students currently enrolled in an ABA-accredited JD program(3 credits)(Prof. Jootaek Lee) Class meetings: T/Th, Tuesday May 25ththrough Thursday, July 15th from 8am to 10:10am EST (10pm-12:10 am Korean Standard Time)  This course provides a basic introduction to the concepts, principles, and practical operations of the United States' system of laws. Students who attend class regularly,...

  Attention to Asian Languages and Culture Students, New Course Fall 2021 for you. For more information Contact Haruko Wakabayashi

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