December 2, 2023, 8:00 AM-12:00 PM
University Memorial Center, CU Boulder
This is the inaugural workshop of the relaunched South, Southeast, and West Asia (SSEWA) Outreach Program of the Center for Asian Studies at CU Boulder. The half-day professional development workshop for secondary social studies teachers explored “Barbie” and other films that became controversial in Asia for territorial disputes, among other reasons. The workshop sought to increase participants’ knowledge of the history and geography of Southeast Asia and learn how to use pop culture as a jumping-off point for a broader discussion on race, culture, geography, and history. Speakers: J. Richard Stevens is the Associate Dean of Undergraduate Education and an Associate Professor in Media Studies at the College of Media, Communication and Information at CU Boulder. He is the author of Captain America, Masculinity, and Violence: The Evolution of a National Icon (2015) and is currently working on his second book, Transforming Culture: Hasbro, Marvel, and the Rise of Hypercommercial Media Franchising. Dr. Stevens’ research delves into the intersection of ideological formation and media message dissemination, comprising studies such as how cultural messages are formed and passed through popular culture, and how sites of popular culture struggle are changing American public discourse. Vincent Piturro is a Professor of Film and Media Studies at MSU Denver and holds a PhD in Comparative Literature from CU Boulder. Dr. Piturro’s areas of study include Westerns, science fiction, documentaries, Italian cinema, and TV history. He hosts a yearly Science Fiction Film Series in conjunction with the Museum of Nature and Science, and his recent book, The Science of Sci-Fi Cinema, was co-written with several scientists from the Museum. Dr. Piturro writes a monthly review column for the community newspaper, The Front Porch, and is a regular host and lecturer at the Denver International Film Festival. Timothy Oakes is a Professor of Geography at CU Boulder, where he currently teaches a class on the geography of China. His research work focuses on social and cultural transformation in contemporary China and the uses and reinventions of local culture as a resource for economic development and governance objectives. Dr. Oakes is the author of The Belt and Road method: geopolitics, technopolitics and power though an infrastructure lens and From creation city to infrastructural urbanism: the Chinese National New Area as an infrastructure space. He is also the project director for “China Made,” funded by the Henry Luce Foundation. China Made explores the domestic and international dimensions of China’s infrastructure development. To learn more about SSEWA topics and resources, visit https://bit.ly/ssewaoutreach. To be updated on future professional development opportunities, send an email to the SSEWA Outreach Coordinator at Hannah.Palustre@colorado.edu. This professional development workshop is funded by the Title VI National Resource Center (NRC) grant from the U.S. Department of Education.