Spotlight Tibet

The University of Colorado Boulder is one of the top research programs in the country in Tibet and Himalayan Studies

Anonymous — Mon, 11 Jul 2022 06:00:00 +0000

The University of Colorado Boulder is one of the top research programs in the country in Tibet and Himalayan Studies Anonymous (not verified) Mon, 07/11/2022 - 00:00

The University of Colorado Boulder is one of the top research programs in the country in Tibet and Himalayan Studies, but undergraduate students have been unable to pursue a directed course of study in that field—new language classes, area studies classes and the chance to earn a certificate in Tibet Himalayan Studies are changing that!

Fall 2022! ASIA 1700 (3) Introduction to Tibetan Civilization

Explores the dynamic history of Tibet from its early empire to the present. Offers interdisciplinary perspectives on Tibetan civilization, including arts and literature, religion and politics, society and culture. Topics include the role of Buddhism in Tibetan society from its early establishment up through the rule of Dalai Lamas, forms of myths and rituals to create a Tibetan past and sense of shared identity, the adaptation of Indic literary models, sectarian tensions and ecumenical projects, and modern identity, art and literature.

Additional Information: Arts Sci Gen Ed: Distribution-Arts Humanities

Fall 2022! NEPL 1110 (3) Beginning Nepali I - DILS

Introduces students to Nepali language and is designed for students with no or minimal previous background in spoken or written Nepali. �鶹��Ժ focus on learning essential vocabulary, practicing pronunciation, and understanding simple grammatical structures. �鶹��Ժ practice listening and speaking in real-life situations, learn to read and write Nepali script (Devanagari script), and examine how culture and language interact in Nepal.

Fall 2022! TBTN 1010 (4) Beginning Colloquial Tibetan 1 - DILS

Provides a thorough introduction to colloquial forms of Tibetan. Focuses on conversation practice, the acquisition of basic vocabulary and grammar in colloquial usage, learning the alphabet, and training in the skills of pronunciation, spelling and handwriting.

Additional Information: Arts Sci Gen Ed: Distribution-Arts Humanities
Departmental Category: Tibetan

TBTN 1020 (4) Beginning Colloquial Tibetan 2

Provides a thorough introduction to colloquial forms of Tibetan. Continues the development of vocabulary and grammar begun in Tibetan I and expands the range of conversation topics. While students focus on oral and aural skills, they begin to learn to read and write modern Tibetan to produce an overall knowledge of the language.

Requisites: Requires prerequisite course of TBTN 1010 (minimum grade C).
Additional Information: Arts Sci Gen Ed: Distribution-Arts Humanities
Departmental Category: Tibetan

Fall 2022! TBTN 2010 (4) Intermediate Colloquial Tibetan 1

Aims at increasing students' proficiency in colloquial forms of Tibetan. Expands knowledge of the vocabulary and grammar of spoken Tibetan and engages in more advanced conversation topics while also continuing to develop reading knowledge of modern Tibetan.

Requisites: Requires prerequisite courses of TBTN 1010 and 1020 (all minimum grade C).
Additional Information: Arts Sci Gen Ed: Distribution-Arts Humanities
Departmental Category: Tibetan

TBTN 2020 (4) Intermediate Colloquial Tibetan 2

Aims at increasing students' proficiency in colloquial forms of Tibetan. Expands knowledge of the vocabulary and grammar of colloquial Tibetan and also continues to develop knowledge of reading and writing modern Tibetan.

Requisites: Requires prerequisite course of TBTN 2010 (minimum grade C).
Additional Information: Arts Sci Gen Ed: Distribution-Arts Humanities
Departmental Category: Tibetan

TBTN 3210 (4) Beginning Literary Tibetan 1

Provides a thorough introduction to literary and colloquial forms of Tibetan. Focuses on the grammatical foundation of the language, the acquisition of basic vocabulary, and training in the skills of pronunciation, conversation, handwriting and spelling.

Requisites: Requires prerequisite course of TBTN 2020 (minimum grade C).
Additional Information: Arts Sci Gen Ed: Distribution-Arts Humanities
Departmental Category: Tibetan

TBTN 3220 (4) Beginning Literary Tibetan 2

Continuation of TBTN 3210. Provides a thorough introduction to literary and colloquial forms of Tibetan. Continues the grammar and vocabulary work begun in Tibetan 1 by studying actual Tibetan text and moving to more advanced conversation topics. �鶹��Ժ develop oral, aural and written skills to produce an overall knowledge of the language.

Requisites: Requires prerequisite course of TBTN 3210 (minimum grade C).
Additional Information: Arts Sci Gen Ed: Distribution-Arts Humanities
Departmental Category: Tibetan

TBTN 4210 (4) Intermediate Literary Tibetan 1

Aims at increasing students' proficiency in literary and colloquial forms of Tibetan. Expands knowledge of the grammar and vocabulary of literary Tibetan through translating texts in a variety of genres and also continues to develop knowledge of spoken modern Tibetan.

Requisites: Requires prerequisite courses of TBTN 3210 and 3220 (all minimum grade C).
Additional Information: Arts Sci Gen Ed: Distribution-Arts Humanities
Departmental Category: Tibetan

ASIA 4300 Open Topics in Asian Studies

Fall 2022! Encounters: Tibet and the West

Tibet, the Himalayas and the West. Tibet and the Himalayas have long captured the imagination and fascination of the West. The land of Tibet is always perceived as an isolated and hidden realm closed behind the Himalayas. However, in reality, Tibet has had a long history of interaction and encounter with the West. This course will provide a history of European knowledge about Tibet in the early medieval period, followed by the historical accounts of various European missionaries, travelers, and merchants to Tibet from the medieval to the early modern period. We will then look at the construction of the myth of Shangri-la in the West, and discuss the complex relationship and representation of Tibet and the Tibetans in the West.

Spring 2022: Tibetan Literature and Culture
Fall 2021: Encounters: Tibet, the Himalayas, and the West

The language courses will be taught under the DILS model of language instruction. Directed Independent Language Study (DILS) provides opportunities for student-centered learning and utilizes a flipped-classroom approach, where students do grammar and vocabulary study outside of class and focus more on conversation and topics of interest in class.

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Alton C. Byers Pens an Article About Re-Forestation in Himalaya

Anonymous — Tue, 19 Jan 2021 17:59:25 +0000

Alton C. Byers Pens an Article About Re-Forestation in Himalaya Anonymous (not verified) Tue, 01/19/2021 - 10:59 Alton C. Byers

Alton Byers, who was a Visiting Scholar at CAS in 2019-2020, has written an article about the dramatic re-growth of forests in Nepal:

The greening of the Khumbu

What are the reasons for such a dramatic re-growth in trees in Nepal’s Everest region?

During the 1970s and early 1980s, it was commonly assumed by the development community that the Himalaya was approaching catastrophic levels of environmental degradation, linked primarily to growing human and livestock populations.

Landscapes throughout the mountain world were said to be experiencing unprecedented deforestation, overgrazing, and the terracing of marginal land. In turn, these phenomena were claimed to be responsible for promoting near-crisis levels of fuel-wood shortages, soil erosion, slope instability, geomorphic hazards, and siltation of water courses. Catastrophic consequences were predicted within 20 years, including the loss of all forest cover in Nepal by the year 2000.

Read the whole article here.

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CAS Event Tuesday: The History and Future of Tibet's First Khenmos

Anonymous — Mon, 26 Oct 2020 15:07:50 +0000

CAS Event Tuesday: The History and Future of Tibet's First Khenmos Anonymous (not verified) Mon, 10/26/2020 - 09:07

CAS Event
Tuesday, October 27th at 6pm MDT

The History and Future of Tibet’s First Khenmos (Scholar-Nuns)
Jue Liang & Andrew S. Taylor in Conversation with Padma 'tsho

In 1997, the first cohort of women to receive the highest degree in Buddhist philosophical training graduated from the Larung Gar monastic institute in Eastern Tibet. After graduating as khenmos or scholar nuns, they began to assume institutional power (authority?) throughout Larung Gar, and have become teachers, publishers, and even philosophical commentators. Today, similar programs bestowing these khenmo degrees are slowly expanding throughout eastern Tibet to similar results. The Larung khenmo program was founded as part of a larger effort by the institute’s founder, Khenpo Jigme Phuntsok (1933-2004), to challenge the public perception of women as incapable of advanced learning. Jue Liang and Andrew Taylor Illuminate how this public demonstration that nuns are capable of the same rigorous scholarship and religious practices as monks has helped to legitimate nuns as fields of merit for donors who had traditionally supported monasteries at the expense of nunneries. The khenmo movement has changed and is changing both women’s self-understandings of their own practice and lay attitudes toward women’s religious capacities.

Join us on Tuesday, October 27 at 6pm MDT via Zoom for a dynamic conversation between Jue Liang and Andrew Taylor, based on their collaborative research and recent article, “Tilling the Fields of Merit: The Institutionalization of Feminine Enlightenment in Tibet’s First Khenmo Program” (Journal of Buddhist Ethics, 2020). Professor Padma ’tsho of Southwest University for Nationalities will offer a response, followed by time for questions.

Jue Liang is the ASIANetwork-Luce Foundation Postdoctoral Fellow in the Religion Department at Denison University. She is a scholar of women, gender, and sexuality in Buddhism, Buddhist hagiographies, and Treasure (gter ma) literature.

Andrew S. Taylor is a Ph.D. candidate in Religious Studies at the University of Virginia. Trained as a Tibetologist, his scholarship seeks to revive comparative religion as both a field and a method.

Padma 'tsho is Professor in the Tibetan Studies Department of Southwest University for Nationalities in Chengdu, China. Her areas of research and teaching include Tibetan Buddhism, ritual studies, gender issues, and the education of Buddhist nuns in Tibetan areas.

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CAS Event Wednesday: The Chinese Revolution on the Tibetan Frontier

Anonymous — Mon, 05 Oct 2020 15:16:33 +0000

CAS Event Wednesday: The Chinese Revolution on the Tibetan Frontier Anonymous (not verified) Mon, 10/05/2020 - 09:16

The Chinese Revolution on the Tibetan Frontier: Rebellion, Repression, and Remembrance on a Tibetan Borderland of Early-Maoist China

CAS Event
Part of the Tibet Himalaya Initiative
Wednesday, October 7 at 5pm MDT
Register for the ZOOM Webinar here

When in 1949 the Chinese Communist Party “liberated” the ethnocultural frontier region known to Tibetans as Amdo, its goal was not just to build a state, but to create a nation. Rather than immediately implement socialist reforms, it pursued relatively moderate “United Front” policies meant to “gradually” persuade Tibetans and Amdo’s other non-Han inhabitants of their membership in the new Chinese nation. At the outset of 1958’s Great Leap Forward, however, United Front gradualism was jettisoned in favor of rapid collectivization. This led to large-scale rebellion, overwhelming state repression, and widespread famine. Rather than a “voluntary” and “organic” transformation, Amdo was incorporated through the widespread and often indiscriminate deployment of state violence. In this talk, Dr. Weiner discusses 1958’s Amdo Rebellion and explores ways in which the violence of 1958 and its aftermath continues to cloud the state’s efforts to integrate Tibetans into the modern Chinese nation-state.

Benno Weiner is Associate Professor in the Department of History at Carnegie Mellon University. He is author of the Chinese Revolution on the Tibetan Frontier (Cornell UP) and co-editor of Contested Memories: Tibetan History under Mao Retold (Brill).

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CU Boulder to develop a new undergraduate certificate program in Tibetan and Himalayan Studies

Anonymous — Mon, 28 Sep 2020 17:14:25 +0000

CU Boulder to develop a new undergraduate certificate program in Tibetan and Himalayan Studies Anonymous (not verified) Mon, 09/28/2020 - 11:14

The Center for Asian Studies is pleased to announce that we have been selected to receive a Undergraduate International Studies and Foreign Languages (UISFL) grant from the US Department of Education for the next two years. Entitled “Creating a Certificate Program in Tibetan and Himalayan Studies,” this grant will allow us to further develop our Tibetan and Himalayan Studies offerings here on the CU Boulder campus. “CU Boulder is an internationally recognized leader in research on Tibet & Himalaya issues. This grant will help bring that expertise to our undergraduate students in the form of a new certificate program in Asian Studies,” said CAS Director Tim Oakes.

The grant has three main components:

1) Tibetan and Himalayan area studies: we plan to hire a half-time instructor who will develop and offer introductory courses on Tibetan and Himalayan civilization from traditional to contemporary times, offer course development grants to encourage CU faculty members to add Tibetan and Himalayan content to existing courses or create new courses focusing on the region, and work with our partners at the Tibet Himalaya Initiative to plan a series of events on the region. The first event, “The Chinese Revolution on the Tibetan Frontier: Rebellion, Repression, and Remembrance on a Tibetan Borderland of Early-Maoist China,” a lecture by Benno Weiner, Associate Professor of History at Carnegie Mellon University, will be held on Zoom on Wednesday, October 7.

2) Tibetan and Nepali language courses: beginning in fall 2021, we plan to offer credit-bearing Directed Independent Language Studies (DILS) courses in both Tibetan and Nepali languages, in partnership with the Anderson Language Technology Center (ALTEC).

3) Language study scholarships: we will offer scholarships to students who will pursue summer language programs in Tibetan and Nepali, either through study abroad or domestically, to help them build their language skills beyond the introductory level available at CU.

Information about grant activities will be posted to the CAS website as it becomes available.

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Past Visiting Scholar Alton Byers Interviewed in a New Podcast

Anonymous — Mon, 31 Aug 2020 16:55:36 +0000

Past Visiting Scholar Alton Byers Interviewed in a New Podcast Anonymous (not verified) Mon, 08/31/2020 - 10:55

New York University/Abu Dhabi is in the process of creating a new graduate level course titled "Geopolitics and ecology of Himalayan Water," and interviewed Byers in for a podcast on the topic of "A guide to GLOFs and their implications" https://www.himalayanwaterproject.org/podcast/episode/bfb76e7f/a-guide-to-glofs-and-their-implications

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Longtime supporter of CAS, Sam (Selma K.) Sonntag’s co-editeds The Politics of Language Contact in the Himalaya

Anonymous — Thu, 07 Nov 2019 16:57:26 +0000

Longtime supporter of CAS, Sam (Selma K.) Sonntag’s co-editeds The Politics of Language Contact in the Himalaya Anonymous (not verified) Thu, 11/07/2019 - 09:57

Sam (Selma K.) Sonntag’s co-edited volume on The Politics of Language Contact in the Himalaya was recently published by Open Book Publishers. The five in-depth chapters cover language politics in Tibet (China), Assam (India), and Nepal, with a comprehensive introduction by Sonntag and concluding chapter by her co-editor, Mark Turin. Open Book Publishers is a non-profit, Open Access publisher based in Cambridge (UK) and run by scholars who are committed to making high-quality research freely available to readers around the world. The Politics of Language Contact in the Himalaya can be downloaded for free at https://www.openbookpublishers.com/product/980

This highly original and timely collection brings together case studies from salient areas of the Himalayan region to explore the politics of language contact. Promoting a linguistically and historically grounded perspective, The Politics of Language Contact in the Himalaya offers nuanced insights into language and its relation to power in this geopolitically complex region.

Edited by respected scholars in the field, the collection comprises five new research contributions by established and early-career researchers who have been significantly engaged in the Himalayan region. Grounded in a commitment to theoretically informed area studies, and covering Tibet (China), Assam (India), and Nepal, each case study is situated within contemporary debates in sociolinguistics, political science, and language policy and planning. Bridging disciplines and transcending nation-states, the volume offers a unique contribution to the study of language contact and its political implications.

The Politics of Language Contact in the Himalaya is essential reading for researchers in the fields of language policy and planning, applied linguistics, and language and literary education. The detailed introduction and concluding commentary make the collection accessible to all social scientists concerned with questions of language, and the volume as a whole will be of interest to scholars in anthropology, sociolinguistics, political science and Asian studies.

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2019 Summer Tibetan Language Intensive

Anonymous — Mon, 03 Jun 2019 19:53:43 +0000

2019 Summer Tibetan Language Intensive Anonymous (not verified) Mon, 06/03/2019 - 13:53

Study Tibetan with Sarah Harding, Jules Levinson, Acharya Lama Tenpa Gyaltsen, other skilled instructors, and native Tibetan speakers in an intensive two-week course this summer.

When: August 12-23, 2019
Where: The University of Colorado, Boulder

This intensive two-week seminar will immerse students in the Tibetan language by combining methods to develop skills in both written and spoken Tibetan. The course is designed to provide aspiring scholars, translators, and practitioners of Tibetan Buddhism with a chance to deepen their connection with the language in a short period of time. An immersive experience like this can give tremendous impetus for stabilizing what students may already know and building confidence with ongoing studies, especially for working people or graduate students who can’t take more than a few weeks away from home.

The course will include textual study and translation, communication and comprehension skills, and reading practice. Tibetan language instructors and students will work together in classes while studying, sharing meals, and practicing. This approach will provide a supportive environment in which to develop students’ skills in Tibetan.

We will offer three tracks this summer:
Advanced Translation and Interpretation Workshop with Sarah Harding: Reading & Translating with a choice of daily oral interpretation training or colloquial class;
Intermediate–Level Two: Reading & Translating and colloquial Tibetan with Miguel Sawaya;
Intermediate–Level One: Reading & Grammar and colloquial Tibetan with Cinthia Font.

The Advanced Translation and Interpretation Workshop students will choose between training in oral interpretation and intermediate colloquial training. Oral interpretation training presents the opportunity to hone comprehension of Tibetan and practice rendering the meaning of ཆོས་སྐད་ into English. Acharya Lama Tenpa Gyaltsen will teach in Tibetan and Sarah Harding and Jules Levinson will observe students and offer feedback. This particular class is an opportunity for those who wish to explore and improve their skills in oral interpretation without having to travel to Asia to join a longer course.
Register now!

Tsadra Foundation and other donors have significantly subsidized the cost of running the summer language intensive, keeping the costs low for everyone. Tuition is donation based and includes lunch and dinner every day of the program. Working with these instructors is an incredible opportunity and special privilege; all of your tuition will go only to meals and to pay instructors, so we encourage you to consider the tuition an offering. If you find yourself in financial need, work-study may be available.

Questions? Please contact us at tibetansummerintensive@gmail.com.

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The World’s Most Valuable Parasite Is in Trouble

Anonymous — Thu, 31 Jan 2019 18:50:30 +0000

The World’s Most Valuable Parasite Is in Trouble Anonymous (not verified) Thu, 01/31/2019 - 11:50

Emily Yeh, a CU Boulder professor associated with the Center for Asian Studies and the Tibet-Himalaya Initiative disusses some of the implications of the disappearance of the fungus in an article in The Atlantic.

“Its role in contemporary Tibetan lives and livelihoods is really very difficult to overstate,” says Emily Yeh of the University of Colorado at Boulder. “In many rural areas, it is the single most important source of cash income.” People have rearranged their lives around the harvest. Some have fought violently over access to fungus zones. Certain schools schedule vacations so that students can go collecting.

Read the full article here.

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Japan and Tibet-Related Displays at Norlin Library

Anonymous — Mon, 20 Jun 2016 20:48:45 +0000

Japan and Tibet-Related Displays at Norlin Library Anonymous (not verified) Mon, 06/20/2016 - 14:48

Adam Lisbon, Japanese Studies Librarian, curated Japan and Disaster: 1670-1995, a small exhibition of items relating to major natural disasters in Japan over the past 325 years. Japan is prone to frequent earthquakes because the island nation sits atop four tectonic plates. They had no less than seven earthquakes above 8.0 on the Richter scale between 1703 and 1968. In addition, there was the Great Kanto Earthquake of 1923, which was only a 7.9, but one of the deadliest disasters on record, claiming over 142,800 lives (more statistics). These quakes, and the tsunamis that can follow, are a tragic part of Japan’s past. However, this adversity only highlights the strength and resilience of the Japanese people.

Two works of special interest are Atlas Japonensis (1670) and Kaempfer’s History of Japan (1727). Europeans authored both of these works during the time of sakoku, literally “closed country,” or national isolation, from roughly 1640-1854, and they offer a rare view of the island nation at that time. The former is a compilation of entries from other voyagers edited by the Dutchman Albert Montanus who never actually went to Japan. The latter is an important two-volume set composed during the two years that Englebert Kaempfer, a German physician working for the Dutch, lived in Nagasaki—the one island where foreigners were permitted to do trade. There are also modern works and first-hand accounts from the time of the Great Hanshin Earthquake, which heavily damaged the city of Kobe in 1995.

When you visit Norlin, you will also find about 30 books on special display for visitors interested in learning more about the nation that has been in exile since 1959. This is in honor of His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s visit to CU-Boulder on June 23, 2016. Topics range from history and geography to religion and biographies of the Dalai Lama himself. You can still see Japan and Disaster: 1670-1995 through July 8, 2016 and Tibet, Buddhism and the Dalai Lama through July 1, 2016! Both displays are currently on display at Norlin Library.

*Please note the Special Collections Room is open Monday - Friday, 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM

Post authored by Carla Stansifer, CAS Event Coordinator

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