While on sabbatical this semester, Asian Studies Program Director and History Professor Constantine Vaporis recently presented a lecture at Leiden University in the Netherlands on the Samurai in Japanese and world history. A description of the event can be found below:
“It would be difficult to find any aspect of Japanese culture that has had as long and strong a hold on the popular imagination, both in Japan and abroad, than the samurai and the code of ethics and conventions associated with them, known asbushidô. Using literary works, print images, museum exhibitions, film and other elements of popular culture as sources, this lecture will focus on the theme of the samurai as metaphor or trope for Japan, as a symbol of national identity, and explore the uses to which the symbol has been put, in Japan and abroad.”
Vaporis has received numerous fellowships for research in Japanese history including a Fulbright Scholar’s Award and an NEH Fellowship for College Teachers. Earlier this year, Vaporis was named a Smithsonian Journeys expert for tours of Japan. As a director, the Smithsonian Journeys program will periodically ask Vaporis to lead tours in Japan, with the first one set for 2015.
For more information on the lecture at Leiden University, click here.
The American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU) released a new monograph entitled Becoming a Steward of Place: Four Areas of Institutional Focus. A section of the publication focuses on civic learning and engagement and uses UMBC’s BreakingGround as a model for creating seamless learning environments.
