psujapan

Center for East Asian Studies Launches at PSU

The PSU Academic Council has made a decision to launch a Center for East Asian Studies, as a part of the Faculty of Philology, PSU. The Center will be led by Dr. Boris Kondakov, a known researcher of Chinese literature and culture, and a Professor at Perm State University.

The Center will perform research in linguistics, literary criticism and cultural studies of East Asian region,  as a part of the Faculty of Philology; it will also run educational activity in those fields. The Center staff, who come from the Department of Theoretical and Applied Linguistics, and the Department of Russian Literature, PSU, have been already teaching Chinese and Japanese languages, and Eastern Oriental literature and culture. The Center plans to employ post-graduate students from Japan and China studying in Perm, as well as promote cooperation with Chinese and related Russian universities.

“The Center will focus primarily on the study of Chinese and Japanese languages, culture and literature. There will be several new master’s programs in Philology and Pedagogical Education. For masters’ we will also offer several programs which incorporate studying Chinese. This year, we are planning to open admissions for the new program “Chinese and Japanese Languages” within the core course in Linguistics. We are also about to obtain a license for running the “Oriental and African Studies” program, shares Dr. Boris Kondakov, Head of the Center for East Asian Studies.

The Center will continue teaching two popular bachelors’ programs in Pedagogical Education – “Russian as a Foreign Language and Chinese language” (available for Russian and other students in Russian), and “Management in Education” (for Chinese students in English). Preparations for the master’s program “Pedagogical Education”, implemented with universities from Anhui and Shandong provinces (China), are also being made.

A series of meetings and workshops by teachers and partners of the Center addressing both applicants and students from PSU and other universities, will start in February, 2023.

Learn Japanese Painting at PSU

The Faculty of Pedagogy at Regional Institute for Continuing Education, PSU invites those interested in traditional oriental painting for a workshop on traditional Japanese paining of sumi-e.

Sumi-e is a type of Asian ink brush painting which uses black ink typical of Asian calligraphy. Typically monochrome, it uses only shades of black, with a great emphasis on virtuoso brushwork and conveying the perceived “spirit” or “essence” of a subject over direct imitation. Emerging during the Tang dynasty of China (618–907), the art of sumi-e flourished from the Song dynasty in China (960–1279) onwards, and was brought to Japan by Zen Buddhist monks in the 14th century.

The art of sumi-e is believed to calm the mind and bring harmony. The workshop participants will get acquainted with the history, philosophy and principles of sumi-e, as well as Japanese painting tradition in general. The participants will practice drawing techniques while depicting particular objects, such as grass and bamboo, birds, butterflies, fish, mice. For drawing, traditional sets used by artists and calligraphers of Japan will be provided – the ink, inkstands, brushes and paper lining.

The workshop is run by Sergey Bolkhovitin, a coach and an artist, who has been practicing the art of sumi-e for 20 years. Sergei is a frequent host for related sumi-e events in St. Petersburg and Perm, to mention the Day of Japanese Culture at PSU Academic Library and educational ‘green’ venues by PSU Botanical Garden. Sergey will start his workshop with an extra bonus, an introduction to the ikebana, the traditional Japanese art of arranging flowers and plants on dedicated plates.

Teachers, schoolchildren and students from Perm and Perm territories region are invited to participate in the workshop, no prior specific knowledge of Japanese arts is required. To participate, please register at https://forms.yandex.ru/cloud/62ac408b9bab4ee1caea2af8/. Campus-based classes will be held on 18-19 August, accompanied by a live stream at Yandex.Telebridge. Please, address any further questions to the Faculty of Pedagogy at Regional Institute for Continuing Education, PSU: +7 (908) 272 10 34, pedagogika-psu@mail.ru

The Regional Institute for Continuing Education, established in 2004, remains one of the largest centers for additional education and professional orientation in the Perm territory – providing courses for all kinds of audiences, from college and university students to civil servants and practicing professionals. The institute is based at Perm State University campus and draws qualified teachers for its educational projects.

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