The Department of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies (AMES) welcomes Reut Ben-Yaakov, postdoctoral associate in Israeli culture, to its faculty for the academic year. Ben-Yaakov holds a Ph.D. in Hebrew literature from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Along with teaching three courses, she will take part in scholarly events and activities, conduct research and work on her publication portfolio. “Ben-Yaakov brings an expertise in contemporary Israeli-Hebrew poetry and fiction to AMES that complements our faculty research… read more about AMES Postdoc Brings Expertise in Contemporary Israeli-Hebrew Poetry and Fiction »
I am a student in Kusum Ji’s Hindi Intermediate 203 class in the fall 2022 semester. As part of this Hindi class, we learn grammar, vocabulary, and diction. But we also immerse ourselves in the culture of India and Hindi. This has included watching Bollywood scenes, learning about Indian dance and art, and learning phrases that will help us flourish in a Hindi-speaking country. A big part of this class is the NGO experience. More specifically, we talked to people in the Delhi Young Artist Forum. The Delhi Young Artist Forum… read more about Conversing with Confidence in Hindi with Delhi NGO Students »
No matter the age, poetry can open our hearts and minds. In addition to helping us to express our feelings, poetry can also serve as a doorway to our emotions. In Hindi 101 class, Professor Knapczyk incorporated and organized various real-life scenarios to implement our understanding from the class. From Bollywood dance workshops to working with NGOs, one of these events included a poetry writing workshop with Mr. Jagdish Vyom, where we submerged ourselves in a foreign language in a creative and fun way while learning… read more about Broadening Perspectives Through Poetry Writing Workshops With Poet Jagdish Vyom »
ACTFL has announced the 2022 recipients of the ACTFL Professional Awards, an annual program in recognition of outstanding contributions to the field of language education. 2022 marked the return to an in-person awards ceremony, following two years of virtual celebrations. These awards were presented in Boston on Saturday, November 19, as part of the ACTFL 2022 Annual Convention & World Languages Expo. In addition to the in-person event, all award presentations will be accessible to the public… read more about Knapczyk awarded for excellence in world language instruction using technology »
While her class focuses on the study of an Indian language, Kusumji also educates us about Indian culture and society. Each semester, there are always a few activities we do that surprise me in the best way. In one such class, we learned about the indigenous Warli tribe and their art. Warli folk art is recognized for its simple shapes and detailed patterns. It is an art style that felt accessible, even for people without strong artistic talents. For this class, we began by making a story together in Hindi, where each… read more about Expressing Feelings, Emotions, and Ideas Through Warli Art »
On October 21st, a festive mood was in the air. Diwali was coming up on the following Monday, and everyone in Kusum Ji’s Hindi 203 class was excited to get the weekend started. Our cooking class was the perfect way to kick off the Festival of Lights and brought together the whole class with something beyond academics. As we arrived one by one into the kitchen of the John Hope Franklin Center, Kusum Ji gave everyone a different task. Some people were responsible for arranging paper decorations and banners outside for the… read more about Eat, Pray, Cook »
When Kusum ji delivered our next job, everyone immediately began exchanging looks with one another. We were to divide up into teams of four, then travel to Duke Gardens to take pictures of the many things we saw there. Due to the fact that the weather was relatively pleasant and warm, we did not have to worry about the falling leaves, incessant rain, and fog that typically accompany the beginning of November. My other teammate Shloka served as the primary instructional leader for our group. I took pictures… read more about A Novel Exploration of Duke Gardens »
Ivy Sun, a third-year Japanese major student (Class of 2024) in AMES, participated in this year's Japanese Learning Inspired Vision and Engagement Talk (J.LIVE Talk) at George Washington University on November 13th, 2022. This Japanese-language speaking competition was sponsored by the Embassy of Japan in Washington, D.C., the Japan Foundation, and Nanzan University, among others. After two rounds of competitions, Ivy was selected as a contestant for the final field and won second place in the most advanced… read more about AMES Student Takes Second Place in 2022 J.LIVE Talk »
Long winter nights make for good reads. Duke publications from the fall and winter include attractions for readers of many interests. For history buffs, there's new history of the American West and a timely assessment of economic sanctions. For politicos, there's a blueprint for protecting democracy and a study of the contributions of migrants to various cultures. Movie fans can read about the history of Asians in theater and cinema and a surprising look at the politics of Marvel movies. Many of the books,… read more about Warm Up With Winter Books From Duke Authors »
I am a student in Kusum ji’s intermediate Hindi class (Hindi 203), where we have the joy of learning not only the Hindi language, but also the beautiful culture it is intertwined with. In September, we had a virtual Bollywood dance class with the multi-talented, fit, and inspiring instructor Vidya Nahar. We were to learn the dance steps of the immensely popular song “Ghungroo,” whose catchiest lyric (in my opinion) goes like this: Chod ke saare sharam aur laaj Main aise zor se naachi aaj… read more about When You Dance So Hard That The Anklets Around Your Legs Break »
The Department of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies (AMES) welcomes Linda Galvane, postdoctoral associate in Japanese and East Asian cultural studies, to its faculty for the academic year. Galvane, who hails from Riga, Latvia, holds both a Ph.D. in Japanese literature from Stanford University and a Ph.D. in comparative literature from Osaka University. She studies the underbelly of culture, quite literally, focusing on excrement in Japanese literature. Along with teaching three courses, she will take part in… read more about AMES Postdoc Studies the Cultural Underbelly of Japanese Literature »
Junior Emily Miller is majoring in Biology with double minors in Theater Studies and Chinese — and can’t remember a point in her life when she wasn’t fascinated by the sciences.Her specific passion for biology began in middle school, when a science teacher’s enthusiasm for chemistry sparked Emily’s scientific interest. A year later, she dissected a cow’s heart in her eighth-grade biology class, and that hands-on experience was all it took to kick start her career path in the sciences.“I found it so fascinating that we could… read more about Theater Studies Gives This Medical Researcher the Creativity She Needs to Discover New Solutions »
Observations from an Asian American & Diaspora Studies Program Student Photos by John West, Trinity Communications It’s easy to let something momentous wash soundlessly into a current of small logistics: the shoes that tape won’t hold, the baby quiet in a corner, the caterers folding black tablecloths and the blue folders waiting to be filled. Still, it was impossible to miss the waves of newness at the inaugural Southeast Conference on Asian American Studies – the… read more about Speakers, Panelist Discuss Goals and Future of Asian American Pedagogy »
The Department of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies (AMES) welcomed Mohamed Wajdi ben Hammed, postdoctoral associate in Arabic Cultural Studies, to its faculty this year. Along with teaching three courses for the academic year, he will also take part in scholarly events and activities, conduct research and work on his publication portfolio. “Ben Hammed brings his thorough knowledge of Arabic literature and thought to Duke," says Shai Ginsburg, chair and associate professor of the department. "He has deep… read more about AMES Postdoc Juxtaposes Muslim and European Thinkers to Explore Modern Arabic Literature »
The Arts & Sciences Council’s Committee on Undergraduate Teaching has announced this year’s recipients of awards for excellence in undergraduate teaching. Each recipient was recognized at the council’s Sept. 8 meeting, where Committee Chair Connel Fullenkamp expressed appreciation for the many nominations across all three Trinity divisions that included “creative and inspiring” portfolios. “It made our decision very difficult because there are so many varieties of excellence that we see in our community at Duke,” he… read more about Four Trinity Faculty Honored with 2022 Undergraduate Teaching Awards »
AMES started 2021-22 with an in-person concert exploring the music of mid-20th century Korea. Titled “Korean Music Meets European Avant-Garde,” the Korean Forum concert paid tribute to Korean composers whose careers coincided with some of the most turbulent moments in the country’s history. After World War II, Korean composers faced a twofold problem: the desire to assert their own cultural heritage and the need to respond to the recent developments in what was perceived as the musical center at the time—Western Europe.… read more about Korean Music Meets European Avant-Garde »
The mere mention of public speaking reduces many to tears: sweaty palms and dry mouth, anxiety levels off the charts and the deafening silence that soon follows when the brain refuses to cooperate. Cue the panic attack.Now, imagine not just public speaking, but debating.Now, imagine debating in Arabic and at your first international competition against teams of native speakers in front of an audience of hundreds.Oh, and you are on a team that formed less than a year ago. This is what the Duke-UNC Arabic debate team… read more about No Arguments: Arabic Debate Team Among the Top Eight »
When Judah Goldin was named Duke’s first chair of Jewish Studies in 1943, the program was housed in the Graduate School. Twenty-nine years later, the Center for Jewish Studies was established—thanks to two visionaries, two universities and a host of generous donors. Today, as the Center for Jewish Studies celebrates its golden anniversary, it has become a world-renowned interdisciplinary program offering an undergraduate certificate in Jewish Studies and supporting master’s and doctoral candidates across Duke. Looking… read more about For 50 Years, the Center for Jewish Studies Has Delivered Interdisciplinary Insight »
On a typical Friday afternoon, my Hindi class gathered to engage with some artists in India. Thanks to the wonders of technology, we were able to practice our Hindi and were challenged out of our comfort zones in the context of acting. I never thought of myself as quite an actor or even an artistic person. These sessions with Kaivalya plays allowed me to challenge myself. What made this experience so welcoming was how engaging the leader Varoon Ji was as we each entered the zoom room. He would ask each one of us how… read more about Acting Across the World »
Even now, we could hardly say where in the COVID story we find ourselves, but the academic year that began in August 2021 felt definitively “mid-pandemic” – the vast majority of us transitioning back to campus life and in-person classes and meetings, albeit masked and wary. Some online teaching practices from the previous year bridged over in helpful ways – including allowing those in quarantine for COVID, or those who were still abroad, to be able to join virtually as necessary, and also, for special guest speakers to pop… read more about "The Chinatown Game" »
AY 2021-22 Duke Islamic Studies Center/Jewish Studies/Duke Middle East Studies Center/Asian and Middle East Studies/Romance Studies The “Convivencia” lecture series over the course in Fall 2021 explored the interaction between Jewish, Muslim, and Christian communities in the Iberian peninsula and across the diaspora. The lecture series featured the most prominent scholars working on the topic—but doing so through an interdisciplinary perspective that explored the intersection, overlap, and… read more about Convivencia Lecture Series »
During this pandemic, all educationists became creative and innovative in their teaching pedagogy; they not only connected themselves with the world virtually, but also took their classes to the next level. Online international conferences and networking, along with guest experts talking to students in the classroom, were made possible with Zoom and other technologies. In the field of teaching, we all took a long-jump that will inform our approach for years. To take the advantage of the momentum of the 'online… read more about When Covid gives you lemons, make lemonade: Adapting service-learning to an online language course »
