In August (2012), the Centre for Asian Studies successfully finished the international and interdisciplinary collective research project “Comparative Research of the Reception of Japanese and Korean Popular Culture in Europe“, supported by Suntory foundation (Japan) subsidy program 2010-2011. As result, the selection of articles was published.

The selection of articles discusses the acceptance of Japanese and Korean culture in Europe, which could be considered as one of the most influential factors in constructing the image of these two Asian countries. This book is composed of six articles, contributed by J. Hyun (Sogang University), K. Koma (VMU), S. Li (Pusan University), S. Linhart (Vienna University), N. Onohara (Hyogo University) and Aurelijus Zykas (VDU).

From June 1, 2012, entrance procedures to Lithuanian universities have started. This year VMU offers two programs in the field of East Asian studies: MA program (in English) “East Asia Region Studies” (EARS) and BA program (in Lithuanian) “East Asian Languages and Cultures” (“Rytų Azijos šalių kalbos ir kultūros“- RASK).
East Asian Languages and Cultures program will be launched from Fall term 2012 at the Faculty of Humanities. The duration of the program is 4 years, the contents of the program focus on Chinese, Japanese and Korean history, religion, art and folklore. The students will have an opportunity to analyze in deep the cultural specifics of these countries and study thousand year old traditions. The students will also be able to learn one of East Asian languages at the advanced level and to gain basic communication skills in a second language upon their choice.
As the student exchange opportunities with East Asian universities have expanded significantly, all students of the program (starting from the second study year) will be encouraged to study at least one semester in one of East Asian universities.
After graduation students will acquire bachelor degree in Regional Culture Studies in the field of Humanities.
The call for entrants to MA program in East Asia Region Studies (in the field of Political Science, No. 621L20007) is announced for the sixth time. Necessary documents for the entrance should be brought to the office of the Faculty of Political Science and Diplomacy (Gedimino str. 44; room 102; phone: 837 206709) till June 28. Students from other universitities than VMU need to pass English language test. The date of the test is June 29, 9:00-13:00. Please register for the test at http://ukc.vdu.lt. Entrance results will be announced on July 3 (Gedimino str. 44; room 202). More information you will find here

The public Master thesis defence of the students of East Asia region studies program , took place at the Faculty of Political Science and Diplomacy (Gedimino g. 44, 202 aud.) on May 29, 2012. (more…)

Sorry, this entry is only available in Lithuanian, Korean, Japanese and 简体中文.

VMU Centre for Asian Studies invites to the seminars of Dr. Lauri Paltemaa (Centre for East Asian Studies, Turku University, Finland) on the political situation of modern China. Lectures will be delivered on 15-18, May. The seminars are part of the course “Political development of China” of the MA East Asia Region Studies program. Everybody is invited to join the seminars.

The seminars will be held on:

• Tuesday (May 15): 11:30-13:30 at Sugihara House (Vaižganto g. 30)
• Wednesday (May 16): 9:00-13:00 (double class) at Gedimino 44-303 (The Faculty of Political Science and Diplomacy)
• Thursday (May 17): 14:00-16:00 at Gedimino 44-301
• Friday (May 18): 11:00-13:00 at Gedimino 44-203

You can find more information on Dr. L. Paltema at his homepage.

Recently, the book, “Mode et stéréotypes interculturels-Le cas des articles consacrés aux couturiers japonais dans Le Figaro et Libération (Fashion and intercultural stereotypes. The case of the articles on Japanese couturiers in Le Figaro and Libération)”, written by Dr. Kyoko Koma, research fellow of the Centre for Asian Studies, was published. More information about the book can be found at Amazon.com website.

This work presents how French newspapers represent Japanese fashion designers who create “Japanese phenomenon” in Prêt-a-porter of Paris in 1980s and their works, through the discourse analysis of French School. The author analyses how two French representative national newspapers Le Figaro and Libération, which are oppositely politicized, represent the Japanese fashion creators and their works, by means of stereotypes on Japan classified by French linguist Jean-Paul Honoré into 8 points: puissance, order, mystery, refinement, rigueur, pragmatism, past and modernity. (more…)

Sorry, this entry is only available in Lithuanian, Korean, Japanese and 简体中文.

In March (2012), the Centre for Asian Studies successfully finished the research project “Japanology within Asian Studies in Lithuania: Historical Perspective and Present Situation”, supported by Japan Foundation. As result, the selection of articles “East Asian Studies in Lithuania” was published. This selection is based mainly on the results of the fifth international conference organised by the Centre for Asian studies at Vytautas Magnus University. The volume presents the development of East Asian (Japanese, Chinese and Korean) studies in Lithuania, with a special emphasis paid to Japanese studies.

The Centre for Asian Studies invites everybody interested in studying Asian countries in Lithuania, to a half-day seminar on the internationalization of East Asian studies in Lithuania. The seminar will take place on May 4 (Friday) at “Kaunas” Hotel, Kaunas. During the Seminar, the project of the new MA Joint Degree Program of East Asian Studies will be presented. The participants will be informed about the expanding possibilities to study in Asian countries and about the new BA program Cultures and Languages of East Asian Countries, launched since this September. Finally, H.E. ambassador of Japan to Lithuania, Ms. Kazuko Shiraishi will deliver a lecture.

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Asian Studies Centre invites to a lecture Impact and challenges of bullying (ijime) in Japanese education and society, which will be delivered by Dr. Toshio Ohsako. Lecture will be held on April 25 (Wednesday) at the Centre for Asian Studies (Vaižganto 30), 13:00-14:30. The lecture is part of the MA course “Postwar Japan’s Society and Politics”, but everybody is invited to participate.

The lecture will focus on the nature of Japanese ijime (bullying) prevailing in Japanese schools with a particular emphasis on its conceptual issues, three historical phases of Ijime since 1980s, orientation of intervention programs and policies, and individual, educational and social impacts and challenges. The results of cross-national research on bullying will also be discussed. (more…)

We are happy to announce a call for papers for the 5th annual international students’ conference on Asia. The conference will take place on April 9 at Vytautas Magnus University (V. Putvinskio 23, Kaunas).

If you are interested in East Asian cultures, languages, arts, economics or other areas, this event is just for you. The conference, organized by VMU East Asian Languages ​​and Cultures students, together with the Centre for Asian Studies and the Department of Cultural Studies, is a great opportunity to share your accumulated knowledge, work or research with colleagues in this field and not only, to gain experience and improve your public speaking skills, or even get some inspirations. (more…)

We are sharing the invitation to submit abstracts for the 4th annual Student academic Conference, focusing on Asia. The conference will be held on April 24, 11:00-14:00, V. Putvinskio 23-310 in Kaunas, Lithuania.

This event, which has become an integral part of VMU Asian Week, is organized by VMU Regional Studies Asian specialization students and VMU Center for Asian Studies together with the Department of Cultural Studies. As every year, students from various fields whose work and research touch on the topic of Asia are welcome, both from the humanities, social sciences, arts and other disciplines. (more…)

The National Taiwan Library announced “Guidelines to the National Taiwan Library Fellowship for International Visiting Scholars and Students”.
The library provides Fellowship for experts and scholars to pursue their academic goals in Taiwan studies or Southeast Asia studies. Please click here to read more.

Sorry, this entry is only available in Lithuanian.

It is time for all who are interested in East Asian cultures, languages, economics, politics and more to come together for what has become an annual student research conference, organised by the VMU East Asia Cultures and Languages students.
This conference is a great opportunity to share your knowledge, work and research with colleagues in the field, to try and improve your public speaking skills, to gain experience and to listen to presentations by like-minded people. (more…)

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Are you interested in politics of Japan? Maybe you are interested in economy of China? Maybe you are fascinated in Korean art and traditions? It does not matter in which field you are interested in, as long as it is related to East Asia we have a very interesting proposition to you. (more…)

VMU Department of International Relations informs about ongoing studies exchange and internship contests as well as “Erasmus Days’21” which are going to take place on February 17th, 18th, and 19th, during which students will be able to learn more about exchange opportunities. (more…)

Beijing Normal University entrusts the European Federation of Overseas Chinese and Chinese Associations to recruit 100 candidates for MBA and MPA studies (conducted fully in English) from all over the world. Appropriate students are welcome to sign up. (more…)

Applications for scholarships for studies in China in 2021-2022 are open. Persons who are nationals of Lithuania, EU or persons from the third countries having the right to live in Lithuania are welcome to apply.

Applications may be submitted by representatives of various fields of Lithuanian science and studies institutions/ representatives of science fields – Bachelor, Masters and PhD students. (more…)