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13th Issue of Colorado Journal of Asian Studies

Elizabeth Williams — Tue, 22 Sep 2026 17:58:53 +0000

13th Issue of Colorado Journal of Asian Studies Elizabeth Williams Tue, 09/22/2026 - 11:58

We are please to announce the publication of the thirteenth edition of the Colorado Journal of Asian Studies: Vol. 13 No. 1 (2026): Colorado Journal of Asian Studies 2026 | Colorado Journal of Asian Studies

This edition brings together four academic essays and a photo essay that demonstrate the breadth of undergraduate scholarship in Asian Studies. Spanning conservation, Japanese history, Asian American identity, and visual culture, the contributions in this volume approach Asia from distinctly different perspectives and disciplines. Together, however, they share a common interest in the ways that people, places, histories, and identities are represented and connected.

Read together, these works demonstrate one of the strengths of Asian Studies and the ability to bring seemingly different questions into conversation. A photograph can become a way of interrogating history. Conservation can reveal relationships between human communities and the natural world. A war can reshape national identity and international relations. And the experience of growing up between cultures can raise larger questions about belonging and how identities are constructed.

The Colorado Journal of Asian Studies provides a space for students to pursue these questions and to share their work beyond the classroom. We are proud to feature scholarship that is not only diverse in subject matter, but also in its methods, perspectives, and forms of expression. Each contribution reflects the intellectual curiosity of its author and the value of giving undergraduate scholars an opportunity to develop and publish their own work.

We are grateful to the students who contributed their work to this edition, as well as to the faculty, mentors, editors, and supporters who helped bring these pieces to publication. We hope this volume encourages readers to look at Asia, and its connections to Colorado and the wider world, with new questions and perspectives.

Thank you for reading the thirteenth edition of the Colorado Journal of Asian Studies.

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Malala at CU �Ǹ�Թ�: Teachers and students share their takeaways.

Elizabeth Williams — Tue, 15 Sep 2026 13:57:40 +0000

Malala at CU �Ǹ�Թ�: Teachers and students share their takeaways. Elizabeth Williams Tue, 09/15/2026 - 07:57

The Center for Asian Studies co-sponsored Malala Yousafzai��s visit to CU �Ǹ�Թ� for the Conference on World Affairs in April. We selected two teachers who participated in CAS��s South, Southeast, and West Asia (SSEWA) Outreach Program��s professional development workshop on Afghanistan, along with an Asian Studies student, to attend Malala��s talk live at Macky Auditorium.

Here are reflections from a teacher and a CU student.

Thornton High School

I wanted to send my profound thanks to the Center for Asian Studies for the opportunity to hear Malala Yousafzai speak. The entire evening was very motivational, and it was a gift for myself and my students when I returned to work the next day. I was also pleasantly surprised by the wonderful seating reserved for us. I felt very valued and appreciated, and I want to thank you for that.

Sitting so close to the stage on the right side of the auditorium, I could see the small residual scars from the attack Malala survived as a young person. But it became very clear early on and throughout the evening that she had done the work to heal and is now living and thriving in the next chapter of her life. I believe many of us expected to see someone still actively fighting that fight, but her personal strength belied the power of her resilience. It reminded me of the profound, scarring traumas my students have faced, and the faces, voices, growth, learning, and smiles we see from them every day.

It was powerful to hear Malala talk about her strong desire to make friends. As teachers, we are often so focused on the ever-important mountain of skills newcomers must acquire that we don��t always create enough opportunities for moments of friendship. My school is focused on academic discourse, of course, but even when given opportunities to connect, our students often retreat into what they describe as the safety of solitude.

I think Malala beautifully illustrated our shared need for connection. I know she said she struggled with grades in the pursuit of social connections, but it made me wonder: Would she have healed? Would she be the vibrant, strong woman changing the world today had she not prioritized those relationships? She is such a remarkable person that when she almost dismissively listed the obstacles that face our newcomers to language and culture, it reminded me to consider all the layers of extra work we ask our students to do in each moment.

I could go on for pages, but I simply want to thank the Center for Asian Studies. Your generosity in giving me the unique opportunity to hear Malala share her story and her work to make the world a better place has enriched my life and informed my teaching. I hope the impact of this experience will continue the ripples of change and betterment.

Shannon Meyer
ELD Teacher
Thornton High School

CU �Ǹ�Թ� Undergraduate

Malala Yousafzai��s keynote talk really resonated with me, particularly when she talked about her work with the Afghan women��s soccer team in exile. We see a lot of media attention on men��s soccer, especially with the Iran situation at the recent FIFA World Cup held in North America, but Afghan and Middle Eastern women��s teams rarely get the same visibility.

Malala��s advocacy for Afghan girl athletes to have a place on the world stage while their own Taliban government pretends they don��t exist is such a powerful message. It��s the kind of story that deserves a much wider audience.

I��m very glad Malala is continuing this work and using her platform to shed light on a fight that doesn��t get enough attention. Hearing her speak live made it clear her fight for girls�� education, women��s sports, and human rights is an ongoing work to this day.

Emmett Haruch
Undergraduate student pursuing a BA in Cinema Studies, with a minor in Asian Studies
CU �Ǹ�Թ�

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Malala at CU �Ǹ�Թ�: Teachers and students share their takeaways.

Elizabeth Williams — Tue, 15 Sep 2026 13:45:00 +0000

Malala at CU �Ǹ�Թ�: Teachers and students share their takeaways. Elizabeth Williams Tue, 09/15/2026 - 07:45

The Center for Asian Studies co-sponsored Malala Yousafzai��s visit to CU �Ǹ�Թ� for the Conference on World Affairs in April. Teachers who participated in CAS��s South, Southeast, and West Asia (SSEWA) Outreach Program��s professional development workshop on Afghanistan were invited to bring their students to an exclusive livestream event at the Limelight Hotel in �Ǹ�Թ�.

Today, we��re featuring reflections from two �Ǹ�Թ� high school teachers who attended with their students.

Fairview High School

On Thursday, April 16, roughly 30 Fairview High School students and staff had the great fortune to attend an overflow event at the Limelight Hotel in �Ǹ�Թ� to hear Malala Yousafzai��s Conference on World Affairs�� closing talk.

It was incredible. The youngest person ever to win the Nobel Peace Prize, Malala talked about advocating for girls�� education, building schools around the world, and standing up for what you believe in, all in a clear, relatable, and inspiring way. She also shared her love of weightlifting, wearing jeans, and her experience balancing an active social life with the academic demands of studying at Oxford University.

Many Fairview students in attendance said that seeing Malala ��live�� was a dream come true. They described Malala as their personal hero and the reason they are activists. Ninth-grader Cressa Stricklan said, ��Her message has inspired me to take more action on issues that I see.�� Senior Elleanna Voran reflected that ��it was really poignant when [Malala] said it��s not about a leader but about the cause that the leader��s bringing people together for.�� Elleanna also appreciated Malala��s reminder that solving problems takes hard work and persistence, and you must ��keep working and keep trying.��

Ninth grader Aspen Corff, who grew up in Australia, recalled that Malala features prominently in the Australian primary school curriculum. Aspen appreciated that the lessons Malala learned about balancing social and academic life in college also apply to high schoolers. ��You can feel very isolated in trying to evoke change,�� Aspen noted, ��but we need to push forward and express our ideas in a louder and bolder way.��

Meanwhile, junior Domenica Plaza Homiston said that she genuinely teared up listening to Malala speak. ��Hearing someone like Malala describe the same identity crisis I experienced was incredibly refreshing. I am Chilean-American, and I am so proud of my Latino heritage, yet I have felt so out of place recently. Hearing a similar experience from Malala's life at Oxford felt so beautiful, and to be able to relate to someone so central to advocacy at that level. I left feeling with no doubts about who I am, because there is no ��should be.��

Everyone in our group received a free copy of Malala��s new book, Finding My Way. It felt as if she were personally thinking about us watching from the overflow event. The evening was just so fantastic and inspiring, and we were all quite moved!

Vanessa Carroll
Grad+ Site Lead, Graduation Specialist, and Gifted and Talented Advisor
Fairview High School

�Ǹ�Թ� High School

We want to thank the Center for Asian Studies for inviting our group from �Ǹ�Թ� High School to the livestream of Malala��s keynote. Fifteen students came and were really inspired by Malala��s words!

We liked the back-and-forth interview style versus having Malala speak for an hour straight. It kept us engaged and made Malala seem more like a real person instead of a talking head. We loved how down-to-earth and open Malala was, with no pretensions. In fact, we liked how she addressed how hard it is to be ��normal�� when you have celebrity status. We especially loved her message of how simple youth activism may seem, but how complicated it can get.

Malala��s story about wearing jeans also served as an important reminder that we, as teachers, should not engage in stereotypes even from famous spokespeople from a region and religion.

It was a great evening to get to know this more personal side of Malala, a young woman who, despite being a Nobel Peace Prize winner, has faced many of the same challenges of growing up as anyone else.

Here is a photo of my students showing off their copies of Malala��s memoir. They were so excited to get a free book!

Roberta Spray

Teacher of Social Studies
Model UN Advisor
�Ǹ�Թ� High School

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Global Seminar - Social Change in Contemporary China

Elizabeth Williams — Mon, 14 Sep 2026 18:58:38 +0000

Global Seminar - Social Change in Contemporary China Elizabeth Williams Mon, 09/14/2026 - 12:58

In May and June, Rachel Rinaldo, CAS faculty director and associate professor of sociology, brought 12 students on a Tang-funded global seminar with the theme of ��Social Change in Contemporary China.�� Students spent time in Beijing, Xi��an, and traveled throughout Yunnan province. The course themes included changes in marriage and family, Chinese religious traditions, ethnic diversity, infrastructure and economic development, and tourism. As part of this global seminar, students also had the opportunity to visit many fascinating historic, cultural, and natural sites. Highlights included the Great Wall of China, the Terra Cotta Warriors, and Tiger Leaping Gorge.

Thanks to an endowed gift to CAS, each summer the Tang Fund provides generous scholarships for faculty-led global seminars to China. In summer 2027, Teaching Professor Anja Lange will lead the global seminar ��Self Awareness and Images of the Other,�� in Xi��an. For more information, see: /abroad/tang-scholarship.

Students in the Social Change in China Global Seminar Share their Experiences

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Global Seminar - The Art and Science of Zen

Elizabeth Williams — Mon, 14 Sep 2026 18:53:28 +0000

Global Seminar - The Art and Science of Zen Elizabeth Williams Mon, 09/14/2026 - 12:53

This summer, Dan Hirshberg, Khyentse Foundation Associate Teaching Professor of Contemplative Studies in the Center for Asian Studies, led a CU Global Seminar in Japan on ��The Art and Science of Zen.�� Students studied the history, arts, aesthetics and contemplative traditions of Japanese Zen Buddhism, explored Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka, practiced meditation in the mountain hermitages of Koyasan, and deeply engaged numerous Zen gardens with contemplative exercises designed to highlight and enhance specific designs, styles and features.

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How warming might have caused Nepal's deadly floods

Elizabeth Williams — Tue, 08 Sep 2026 16:09:11 +0000

How warming might have caused Nepal's deadly floods Elizabeth Williams Tue, 09/08/2026 - 10:09 Yvaine Ye

Original article found in A&S Magazine.

One week after catastrophic floods swept through towns along the Nepal-China border, more than 1,000 people are dead and 4,500 remain missing.

Satellite and drone images suggest that softening permafrost, or perennially frozen rock, ice and soil, on Langtang Lirung peak likely caused a massive bedrock failure and glacier collapse. An estimated 50 million metric tons of ice, rock and water��roughly 13 billion gallons, or about three times the capacity of �Ǹ�Թ� Reservoir��fell 6,500 feet into the valley below, unleashing a slurry of mud and water that inundated bridges, hydropower facilities and villages along the way. According to the United States Geological Survey, the force of the initial debris flow hitting the ground was equivalent to a magnitude 5.2 earthquake.

��This is by far the most horrific flood I have ever seen,�� said Alton Byers, a faculty research scientist and an associate of the Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research (INSTAAR) at CU �Ǹ�Թ�. For the past 50 years, Byers has been studying changes in glaciers around the world, including the Himalayas, and the hazards associated with those shifts. He has lived in rural regions of Nepal for a total of eight years in addition to dozens of shorter visits since the 1970s, trekking in the mountains to study glacial lakes and help local people become more prepared for mountain hazards.

��The size of this slide totally dwarfed anything I��ve seen before. Mountains have clearly become more dangerous places to live, work and play in as Earth becomes warmer.��

As rescue teams continue searching for those still missing, CU �Ǹ�Թ� Today spoke with Byers about what may have triggered the disaster, how climate change is reshaping glaciers and mountain hazards around the world, and whether similar events could occur in the United States.

Read full article here.

Donate to Nepali Relief here:

The best way to donate is through the Nepal government's official disaster relief fund. https://moha.gov.np/en/post/ha-ra-tha-ka-apa-l-11.

Additional local relief opportunities:

Go fund me

Colorado Nepal Alliance

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Tang Global Seminar - Organizational Behavior and Business in China

Elizabeth Williams — Mon, 24 Aug 2026 20:23:12 +0000

Tang Global Seminar - Organizational Behavior and Business in China Elizabeth Williams Mon, 08/24/2026 - 14:23

Chengdu

This summer, Leeds School of Business Teaching Professor Tracy Jennings led a group of 12 CU �Ǹ�Թ� undergraduate students in a Tang-funded global seminar on Organizational Behavior and Business in China. We'll be showcasing two blog posts from students to share their experiences.

From Holt Bouma :

Both Chinese and Americans have very distorted views of each other��s culture and society. Before arriving in China, while I was telling my friends and family about my upcoming trip, I received numerous warnings and concerns. While I personally wasn��t worried, many people had the perception of China being a dangerous dictatorship that would surveil and arrest me for anything that I did. Now that it has been a little over a week, I have noticed similar misperceptions from Chinese people (thanks to my Chinese!). The recent and most prominent example happened while I was getting a street massage. During my massage, somebody walking by asked if they could take my picture, to which I agreed. Afterward, they��re friends began telling her how foreigners don��t like getting their picture taken. I told her that we don��t care, but they were adamant that it was true and the masseuse agreed. Another example was when we visited the international school, where the students I spoke with were surprised to learn that American college students consist of mostly a higher social class. The students surprised to learn this, after they had been told that America was a ��л��Ĺ�� (a country with opportunity). A fallacy I realized that I possessed was my personal belief that Chinese people weren��t very social. Though their work life certainly prohibits them, you will very often see a group of friends sitting around chatting on the street. When we were in Beijing, it was shocking to see so many people playing Chinese hacky sack by the drum and bell towers. Furthermore, when we would eat dinner at less-busy restaurants, the workers would usually go back to conversing together after serving us. Now, I realize that it was short-sighted to view any culture as particularly reserved, being social is just a human trait. These misunderstandings between cultures can happen between any two countries, but I believe that The Great Firewall helps perpetrate a lack of cultural knowledge. Even though I��ve traveled to other Asian countries, China has still been the first time I have felt the most culture shock (in a good way).

From Luis Carale:

Chinese companies stress the importance of interpersonal relationships, and this emphasis is reflected in a company��s values as well as their management style. On our visit to E-Plus 3D, we learned a lot about the company��s products and operations, but I found their perceived importance of interpersonal relationships to be the most striking. Throughout the workplace, they had signage displaying the company��s mission and values. A quick Google translation revealed to me that they are customer oriented and strive for win-win results. This makes logical sense to me because customers buying their product is what directly results in sales, so they would want to do their best to make the customer happy. However, the value of interpersonal relationships goes beyond company-client relationships. The manager we spoke to explained that a good manager maintains 4 types of relationships: 1)self to boss, 2)self to colleague, 3)self to employees and 4)self to self. He explained that if a worker is able to keep good relations among the 4, they are more likely to succeed. While these relationships do exist in US companies, I think the Chinese place more importance in them compared to Americans, who have a strong sense of individualism. The core values plastered on the workplace walls and the manager��s philosophy reinforce the importance of interpersonal relationships in Chinese companies. Since this was our first company visit, I am unsure if my observation holds true with other companies. I will be interested in discovering if the values of other Chinese companies place emphasis on interpersonal relationships.

Guizhou Provence

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Welcome to the 2026-2027 academic year!

Elizabeth Williams — Thu, 20 Aug 2026 17:46:10 +0000

Welcome to the 2026-2027 academic year! Elizabeth Williams Thu, 08/20/2026 - 11:46

Dear Students, Faculty, and Staff,

Welcome to the 2026-2027 academic year!

The Center for Asian Studies is CU �Ǹ�Թϡ�s interdisciplinary hub for Asia-related teaching and research. We offer the Asian Studies major and minor, scholarships and resources for students, and we sponsor Asia-related events throughout the year. Our theme for the 2026-2027 academic year is Global Asias (/cas/2026-2027-global-asias). Check our website regularly for details of our events and programs!

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CAS Faculty Dan Hirshberg's Zen Garden is a finalist in the City of �Ǹ�Թϡ�s first Climate Resilient Landscape Showcase

Elizabeth Williams — Mon, 17 Aug 2026 21:10:03 +0000

CAS Faculty Dan Hirshberg's Zen Garden is a finalist in the City of �Ǹ�Թϡ�s first Climate Resilient Landscape Showcase Elizabeth Williams Mon, 08/17/2026 - 15:10

Congratulations to Prof. Dan Hirshberg, whose Japanese-style garden is a finalist in the City of �Ǹ�Թϡ�s first Climate Resilient Landscape Showcase. As inspiration for the design concept, Dan drew from Japan��s "pure land" pond gardens, one of the earliest historical subtypes, and infused it with an Indo-Tibetan take on the three buddha bodies. In the "Pure Realm Garden of Mount Potala" (Fudarakusan-en), the bodhisattva of compassion bears witness across the ocean of existence. A red stone stands in for the Potala Palace of the Dalai Lamas, and keen-eyed viewers might discover an emanation of that bodhisattva (and the foremost subject of Dan��s research, Padmasambhava) meditating in his drup-puk or ��accomplishment cave.�� The garden uses only Colorado-native, drought-tolerant plants. Finalist gardens are open to the public from 9am�C1pm on Saturday, August 22 - please find full details here.

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Japanese Language Proficiency Test registration opens beginning August 18th

Elizabeth Williams — Mon, 10 Aug 2026 19:34:41 +0000

Japanese Language Proficiency Test registration opens beginning August 18th Elizabeth Williams Mon, 08/10/2026 - 13:34

The next JLPT in the U.S. will be held on Sunday, December 6, 2026.

Registration will open of a rolling basis beginning August 18th.

For more information and registration schedule, please visit the AATJ Website.

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