KSU’s Year of Japan will introduce students to the nation of Japan through art, lectures and events designed to foster an interest in the global community.
The Year of Japan program will feature lectures every Thursday at 12:30 p.m. during the Fall Semester that will include a variety of topics. The Year of Japan will also feature an art exhibit, performances, a conference and a convention.
“[The Year of series is] something [KSU] does every year,” said Dr. Daniel Paracka, KSU’s director of Education Abroad. “[Its purpose is] to share the culture and a broad understanding of the culture with the campus, so it is for everyone.”
According to Dr. Paracka, the Year of events are circulated to provide students with knowledge of different countries around the world across their educational experience. This is not the first Year of Japan as Japan was the country chosen 30 years ago when the program first began.
One of the highlight events this semester is J-Con, a convention similar to Dragon Con but on a smaller scale. . According to Caitlin Syfrett, who is in charge of the team organizing J-Con, there will be a cosplay contest, video game tournaments with cash prizes and various Japanese-themed panels and workshops.
According to information provided by both Syfrett and J-Con’s organizer,Brent Jones, the proceeds from the event will support the Rebuilding 10,000 Lives In Japan charity, which was set up to help those affected by the 2011 earthquake and tsunami that inflicted massive damage across Japan.
J-Con will take place Saturday, Oct. 5, in the University Rooms of the Carmichael Student Center.
A two-day conference will be held with a humanitarian response to crisis theme. The idea is to talk about how to respond to and recover from a crisis. “When there is [a natural disaster or crisis], Japan is [one of ] the first to send help,” said Dr. Paracka.
KSU will also offer special classes centered on various aspects of Japanese culture as well as a study abroad program to Japan.
With the variety of events and topics in relation to Japan, students could find new areas of interest or broaden their understanding of a current area of interest, as well as finding new forms of entertainment. Dr. Paracka said the topics this fall are mostly historical and that topics in the spring will be more contemporary. With a wide variety of topics and speakers from many different places and areas of expertise, professors have something to encourage their students to experience. Through the Year of Japan program, students can enhance their educational experience and can embrace new ideas, places, people and culture.
Most events are lectures, but there are other events that are not directly tied to Year of Japan but are related.
