2025 Asian Studies Student Symposium

9:30 am

Opening Remarks: Professor Scott Sanders (B092 JFSB)

9:45-11:05 am

Session 1

A. Literature: Trauma, Identity, and Immigration (JFSB B105)

Moderator: Professor Kirk Larsen

• Dallyn Edmunds, “Individuals, Communities, and Nations: Trauma as Impetus in “A Real Durwan””
• Olivia Kano, “Grassroots of Revolution: The rise of the Chinese Communist Party as captured by Helen Foster Snow”
• Sophie West, “Psychological Haunting: Comparing the Paranormal Motif in Maxine Hong Kingston’s “No Name Woman” and Toni Morrison’s “Beloved””
• Isaac Workman and Wirujana Headlee, “Reading Americanness: The Image of America in the Thai Novel Prissana (1953)”

B. Buddhism, Hinduism, and LDS Beliefs in Asia (JFSB B103)

Moderator: Professor Richard McBride

• Alexandra Jefferies, “Embodied Mindfulness in Korean Buddhist Ritual”
• EuiJeong Son, “Labor Missions in Asia”
• Jared Johnson, “One Family Under Kim: Depictions of the Family Unit in North Korean Propaganda”

C. Language and Identity Through Film (JFSB B101)

Moderator: Professor Jon Felt

• George Dibble, “Blue Spring (2002): Transnational Modernism and the Legacy of Lost”
• Ella Jorgensen, “What is in a language?”
• Katherine Linton, “The Hallyu Hexagon: A Deductive Content Analysis of Nation Branding Techniques in the Korean Drama Crash Landing On You”
• Victoria Ho, “Adapting Sherlock Holmes: Detecting Crime in a Japanese Society”

D. The Mind and Ideology in Asia (JFSB B099)

Moderator: Professor Timothy Davis

• Sarai Brown, “The Cycle of Giving: Food as a Vehicle of Obligation and Connection in Taiwan
• Michelle Parada-Gonzalez, “Made for War, Abandoned in Peace: The Soldier’s Struggle in Golden Kamuy”
• Raven Skousen, “Classical Fast East Remedies for Modern Neuroticism”

E. Women, Motherhood, and Memory in Asia (JFSB B094)

Moderator: Professor Diana Duan

• Grace Truett King, ““A Quiet Smile”: Revisioning the Maternal through Jamini Roy’s Mother and Child (c. 1931)”
• Charlotte Hancock, “Hierarchical Jeong: The Formulation of Bonds with South Korean Young Women”
• Becca DeWitt, “Motherhood in K-Drama: Cultural Memory and Modern Representation”
• Karlee Hoyal, “Indian Women’s Power & Agency in Colonial India Through the Lens of “A Passage to India””

11:10-12:30 pm

Session 2

A. Art and Music (JFSB B105)

Moderator: Professor Val Sederholm

• Caroline Elliott, “The Gayageum: an Ambassador of Korean Musical Tradition”
• Ellowyn Gang, “K-Pop’s Forgotten Influence: The Impact of Korean Trot on Modern Korean Popular Music”
• Eleanor Hancock, “Jamini Roy & the Art of Primeval Pigmentation”
• Courtney Welch, “Bridging the Gap: How Art Connects Cultures and Confronts Injustice”

B. Governance, Identity, and Politics (JFSB B103)

Moderator: Professor Greg Thompson

• Rozlyn NeVille Sun, “Contested Statehood and National Identity: Taiwan and Hong Kong”
• Quinci Rasband, “Choco Pies, Economic Gains, and the Opening of North Korea: South Korea’s Public Opinions on the Effectiveness of the Kaesong Industrial Complex”
• Kathryn Douglas, “Martial Law in South Korea: How the History of Martial Law Affected the Speed of Martial Law Repeal on December 3rd, 2024”
• Kate Bowers, “The Big Brother of South Korea”

C. Education and Language (JFSB B101)

Moderator: Professor Jonathan Jarvis

• Margaret Jeppesen, “Mandatory AI Training in Schools”
• Brooke Gonzales, “Sign Language and Deaf Culture in Asia: Recognition, Education, and Inclusion”
• Kelsey Powell, “Reflections on Soft Power as a Study Abroad Student to Taiwan”
• Madison Sommers, “Teaching Korean from an English-speaking Perspective”

D. Finance, Trade, and Investment (JFSB B099)

Moderator: Professor Eric Hyer

• Wyatt Bailey, “Japanese Current Venture Capital Landscape”
• Jacob Henry Gilbert, “Memories of the Low-Income Elderly of South Korea”
• Xander Moore, "The Missing Thread in the New Silk Road: What the Silk Road’s soft diplomacy can teach China’s Belt & Road Initiative"
• Jacob Bayles, “Reshoring Resilience: Japan’s Manufacturing Strategy in an Era of Global Disruption”

E. From Colonization to Modernization (JFSB B094)

Moderator: Professor Marc Yamada

• Nina Harris, “Colonial Legacy and National Identity: The Impact of Japanese Colonial Rule on Taiwan”
• Olivia Hamblin, "History as Catalyst: Japanese Colonialism and the Birth of Modern Korea”
• Bridget Eddy, “Harmony in Transit: The Cultural Fabric of Japan’s Transportation System”
• Zhuoya Hua, “Asian Teens and High-End Consumption"

12:30-1:15 pm

Lunch

1:15-1:45 pm

Alumni Presentation: Kathryn Blau, Closing Remarks and Awards: Scott Sanders (B092 JFSB)

1:45-2:45 pm

Graduate School Application Tips Panel (B092 JFSB)