Institute of Asian Research
Encyclopedia
The Institute of Asian Research (IAR) at the University of British Columbia
is a research institute founded in 1978 and has been the foremost research centre in Canada for the inter-disciplinary study of Asia. With a broad geographic reach extending to China
, India
and South Asia
, Japan
, Korea
and Southeast Asia
, the Institute conducts research and teaching in policy-relevant issues informed by language and area studies
. The Institute has played a central role in building UBC's excellence in research, teaching and community liaison in matters pertaining to Asia. The Institute has pursued a rich and productive research agenda on many aspects of the human experience in Asia.
The Institute's Master of Arts Asia Pacific Policy Studies (MAAPPS) program offers graduate students advanced training in policy analysis
and research on current issues relevant to the Asia
and Pacific Rim
regions. Functioning as a "boutique policy school" the MAAPPS program combines applied learning elements with academic research to train future policy-analysts and policy-makers. The Institute also serves as a catalyst for inter-faculty and inter-departmental programs and projects on Asia, and has been a vehicle for building connections between Asia-specialist faculty at UBC and non-specialists who are working on Asia-related matters. The Institute contributes significantly to UBC's cooperation relationships with local community interests on Asia-related matters.
The Institute hosts five research centres: Centre for Chinese Research, Centre for India and South Asia Research, Centre for Japanese Research, Centre for Korean Research, Centre for Southeast Asia Research. These centres bundle the research activities on their respective countries/regions across the campus of the University of British Columbia. The Institute also hosts the Contemporary Tibetan Studies Program, and the Program on Inner Asia.
, Governance and Human Rights, and Infrastructure Policy. Students in the MAAPPS program have their own student organization, MAAPPSSA (Master of Arts Asia Pacific Policy Studies Student Organization). In 2009, a number of students in the program founded the Society for Asia Pacific Policy (SAPP) to promote student discussion on Asia Pacific policy-relevant issues through organizing and hosting the annual Asia Pacific Policy Graduate Symposium
.
Some notable editions of Asia Pacific Memo include:
Asia Pacific Memo has also categorized some editions into themes. Currently there are five:
's "flagship environmental building" in what is calls its ‘living laboratory’, the campus used to showcase "innovative approaches to conserving energy, water and materials, while striving to make positive impacts on the environment."
The building is named after Dr. Cheung-Kok Choi, a businessman and philanthropist in China, Hong Kong and Canada, and a major donor to UBC.
The building houses the Institute's five research centres which focus on China, Japan, Korea, Southeast Asia, and India and South Asia. The "daringly innovative architecture" integrates cultural expression, interior and exterior architectural presence, together with environmental features and functions. The five identical curved roof forms reflect the Institute's Asian focus, providing an identifiable focus for each research centre without giving predominance to one culture or centre over another, and provide natural light and natural ventilation to interior spaces.
University of British Columbia
The University of British Columbia is a public research university. UBC’s two main campuses are situated in Vancouver and in Kelowna in the Okanagan Valley...
is a research institute founded in 1978 and has been the foremost research centre in Canada for the inter-disciplinary study of Asia. With a broad geographic reach extending to China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
and South Asia
South Asia
South Asia, also known as Southern Asia, is the southern region of the Asian continent, which comprises the sub-Himalayan countries and, for some authorities , also includes the adjoining countries to the west and the east...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, Korea
Korea
Korea ) is an East Asian geographic region that is currently divided into two separate sovereign states — North Korea and South Korea. Located on the Korean Peninsula, Korea is bordered by the People's Republic of China to the northwest, Russia to the northeast, and is separated from Japan to the...
and Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia, South-East Asia, South East Asia or Southeastern Asia is a subregion of Asia, consisting of the countries that are geographically south of China, east of India, west of New Guinea and north of Australia. The region lies on the intersection of geological plates, with heavy seismic...
, the Institute conducts research and teaching in policy-relevant issues informed by language and area studies
Area studies
Area studies are interdisciplinary fields of research and scholarship pertaining to particular geographical, national/federal, or cultural regions. The term exists primarily as a general description for what are, in the practice of scholarship, many heterogeneous fields of research, encompassing...
. The Institute has played a central role in building UBC's excellence in research, teaching and community liaison in matters pertaining to Asia. The Institute has pursued a rich and productive research agenda on many aspects of the human experience in Asia.
The Institute's Master of Arts Asia Pacific Policy Studies (MAAPPS) program offers graduate students advanced training in policy analysis
Policy analysis
Policy analysis is "determining which of various alternative policies will most achieve a given set of goals in light of the relations between the policies and the goals". However, policy analysis can be divided into two major fields. Analysis of policy is analytical and descriptive—i.e., it...
and research on current issues relevant to the Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
and Pacific Rim
Pacific Rim
The Pacific Rim refers to places around the edge of the Pacific Ocean. The term "Pacific Basin" includes the Pacific Rim and islands in the Pacific Ocean...
regions. Functioning as a "boutique policy school" the MAAPPS program combines applied learning elements with academic research to train future policy-analysts and policy-makers. The Institute also serves as a catalyst for inter-faculty and inter-departmental programs and projects on Asia, and has been a vehicle for building connections between Asia-specialist faculty at UBC and non-specialists who are working on Asia-related matters. The Institute contributes significantly to UBC's cooperation relationships with local community interests on Asia-related matters.
The Institute hosts five research centres: Centre for Chinese Research, Centre for India and South Asia Research, Centre for Japanese Research, Centre for Korean Research, Centre for Southeast Asia Research. These centres bundle the research activities on their respective countries/regions across the campus of the University of British Columbia. The Institute also hosts the Contemporary Tibetan Studies Program, and the Program on Inner Asia.
Institute of Asian Research Faculty
Faculty members at the Institute of Asian Research include some of the foremost experts on their area and region of expertise.- Timothy Brook, Republic of China, Chair in Chinese Research
- Timothy Cheek, Louis Cha Chair in Chinese Research
- Julian Dierkes, Assistant Professor and Keidanren Chair in Japanese Research
- Paul M. Evans, Director of the Institute of Asian Research
- Abidin Kusno, CRC Chair in Asian Urbanism and Culture
- Hyung Gu Lynn, AECL/KEPCO Chair in Korean Research
- Jessica Main,Tung Lin Kok Yuen Canada Foundation Chair in Buddhism and Contempory Society
- Masao Nakamura, Professor and Konwakai Japan Research Chair
- Kyung-Ae Park, Korea Foundation Chair in Korean Research
- Pitman B. Potter, Hong Kong Bank Chair in Asian Research
- Tsering ShakyaTsering ShakyaTsering Wangdu Shakya is a historian and widely cited expert on Tibetan literature and modern Tibet and its relationship with China...
, CRC Chair in Religion and Contemporary Society of Asia - Ilan Vertinsky
Master of Arts Asia Pacific Policy Studies (MAAPPS) program
The MAAPPS program is organized into six thematic streams: Economic and Social Change, Security, Media, Gender and DevelopmentGender and Development
The Gender and Development approach is a way of determining how best to structure development projects and programs based on analysis of gender relationships...
, Governance and Human Rights, and Infrastructure Policy. Students in the MAAPPS program have their own student organization, MAAPPSSA (Master of Arts Asia Pacific Policy Studies Student Organization). In 2009, a number of students in the program founded the Society for Asia Pacific Policy (SAPP) to promote student discussion on Asia Pacific policy-relevant issues through organizing and hosting the annual Asia Pacific Policy Graduate Symposium
Asia Pacific Policy Graduate Symposium
The Institute of Asian Research Graduate Conference at the University of British Columbia is an annual graduate conference organized by the IAR Conference Committee, and co-hosted by the University's Institute of Asian Research...
.
Asia Pacific Memo
Asia Pacific Memo is a communications initiative led by the Institute of Asian Research (IAR). Distributed twice-weekly, it features 350 word essays or video interviews that address compelling issues framed by accessible academic research. As of September 2011, more than 100 Memos have been published. Each edition is delivered by email to over 2,400 subscribers, and www.asiapacificmemo.ca also attracts thousands of visitors each month. In addition to its website, Asia Pacific Memo is also on YouTube, Twitter, and Facebook.Some notable editions of Asia Pacific Memo include:
- Nelson Rand, a Canadian journalist wounded in Bangkok analyzes the Thailand conflict (Memo #14, Video)
- China's Directed Public Received Nobel Peace Prize (Memo #28, Video Interview with Timothy Cheek)
- Former Canadian Ambassador to Japan on the Crisis (Video Interview) (Memo #66, Video interview with Mr. Joseph Caron)
- Dr. Amartya Sen on Tagore’s Significance (Video Interview) (Memo #79)
Asia Pacific Memo has also categorized some editions into themes. Currently there are five:
- Origins of Social Protests in China
- 2011 Japan Earthquake and Tsunami
- Celebrating 150 Years of Tagore
- Chinese Literature
- 2010 Thailand Conflict
C. K. Choi Building
The Institute is housed in the purpose-built C. K. Choi Building in the northwest quadrant of the UBC campus. Designed by Matsuzaki Wright Architects of Vancouver, B.C., and completed in 1995, the building has been recognized for its leading-edge sustainable design. It is the University of British ColumbiaUniversity of British Columbia
The University of British Columbia is a public research university. UBC’s two main campuses are situated in Vancouver and in Kelowna in the Okanagan Valley...
's "flagship environmental building" in what is calls its ‘living laboratory’, the campus used to showcase "innovative approaches to conserving energy, water and materials, while striving to make positive impacts on the environment."
The building is named after Dr. Cheung-Kok Choi, a businessman and philanthropist in China, Hong Kong and Canada, and a major donor to UBC.
The building houses the Institute's five research centres which focus on China, Japan, Korea, Southeast Asia, and India and South Asia. The "daringly innovative architecture" integrates cultural expression, interior and exterior architectural presence, together with environmental features and functions. The five identical curved roof forms reflect the Institute's Asian focus, providing an identifiable focus for each research centre without giving predominance to one culture or centre over another, and provide natural light and natural ventilation to interior spaces.