The Center for Asian Studies is proud to recognize our students who are graduating tomorrow, Stanley Barnes, an Asian Studies, Chinese, and Economics major, and Son Pham, an Asian Studies and Psychology major.
As part of the Asian Studies major, both Stanley and Son completed ASIA 4830, an independent study project in which they worked with an academic advisor to write an original research paper. One of the requirements of the class is that they present their research at the end of the semester, and yesterday, both students, along with Oranoos Ghiasy, who will be graduating in the spring, offered in-depth, engaging reports of their research projects.
Stanley worked with Professor Tim Weston of the Department of History in his project in which he examined ways to encourage further stable economic growth in China. In his presentation, entitled 鈥淩aising Incomes in Rural China,鈥� Stanley demonstrated how focusing on raising rural incomes in China will help address the problem of insufficient domestic consumption, which is central to China鈥檚 future economic growth. To do this, he proposes that the Chinese government invest in effective infrastructure that connects rural areas to the larger market, energy production that both provides jobs in rural areas and supplies these areas with the energy they need to develop, and education that allows those from rural areas to compete effectively with their countrymen in urban areas.
Working with Korean language instructor Sangbok Kim on a project entitled 鈥淜orean, the Language of Dialects,鈥� Son examined differences in Korea throughout the peninsula. After educating the audience on some of the fundamentals of Korean, which was unknown to most of the attendees, Son turned to his analysis of the six distinct dialects of Korean. Noting the differences that exist in both spoken and written Korean, he also looked at language as it relates to culture. He argued that the central dialect, that spoken in Seoul, is by far the most highly regarded dialect. Not only is it the language that features prominently in Korean dramas and other cultural productions, but it is also a class and education marker within Korea.
Though she is not graduating until the spring, Oranoos Ghiasy also presented at yesterday鈥檚 event. She worked on her project, 鈥淭he Tradition of Sati in India,鈥� with Professor Mithi Mukherjee of the Department of History. Sati is the practice that used to be prominent among the Brahmins in India in which a widow would burn herself on the funeral pyre of her husband. Research on this practice is primarily focused on the 1829 British ban of the practice, but Oranoos chose instead to look at sati as it functioned prior to that time and as it was perceived by the British. She argued that even though it was likely initially away for women to protect themselves during an invasion, it became a way in which upper class Brahmin women could both demonstrate their commitment to their husbands and ensure that the couple would reach the next world together, a concern made more pressing given the belief that, upon reaching the next world, there would be many women awaiting the husband.
Offering a wide variety of topics and methodologies, these presentations were all excellent representatives of the quality of work undertaken by our Asian Studies majors.
We wish Stanley and Son the best of luck as they continue in their careers. Stanley has a position with Fisher Investments, a position he largely credits to his knowledge of Asia in general and China in particular. Son is planning on continuing his psychology studies in graduate school.