Center Profiles & Contacts
Carolina Asia Center
Established in 2002 the Carolina Asia Center (CAC) is a unit of the College of Arts & Sciences and is a core element of UNC-Chapel Hill’s initiative to strengthen its position as a world-class international university. The Carolina Asia Center currently covers a world area west to east from Iran to Japan and north to south from Mongolia to Indonesia.
The CAC has three sets of activity: promoting cutting-edge research; enhancing teaching and learning; and developing strategic partnerships. The Center works with partner organizations to coordinate Carolina's broad Asian studies agenda, facilitating multidisciplinary approaches to Asian Studies, embedding Asian languages and area studies in the curriculum, and enhancing the Carolina student's experience of Asia.
Asian studies at UNC-Chapel Hill has a long history, with the first Asia-related courses offered in the late 1950s. Chinese language was first offered in 1966 and Japanese language in 1976. Since then, a range of Asian languages have been added to the curriculum. The Department of Asian Studies was established in 2004, having been the Curriculum in Asian Studies since 1979. Currently Asia-related courses are offered in 20 of UNC’s departments and professional schools.
The CAC seeks to promote interdisciplinary research of Asian history, languages, societies, and cultures in areas such as Asian modernities, the environment, urban studies, regionalization and nationalism, history and memory, media, arts and culture, gender, production, migration and work, intercultural communication, economic development, and human rights discourses.
Research
- Research Grants: To promote and develop Asia-related research working groups amongst faculty and individual research projects by faculty.
- Faculty Travel Grants: Available for faculty for travel in South, South-east and East Asia to broaden and deepen their expertise and to contribute to curriculum development or research.
- The Grier/Woods Presbyterian China Initiative: Support for two faculty research leaves each year.
Teaching and Academic Enhancement
- The Grier/Woods Presbyterian China Initiative: Support for Chinese studies through faculty support, language instruction, faculty travel grants and study abroad opportunities.
- Support to student organizations for Asia-focused activities.
- Academic Enrichment Programs: Support to faculty for visiting speakers, film festivals, performances and other events to raise awareness of Asian issues.
Strategic Partnerships
- The North Carolina Center for South Asia Studies: The CAC partners with this Title VI National Resource Center and administers the FLAS awards for UNC-Chapel Hill students.
- The Center and associated faculty co-operate with the Asian/Pacific Studies Institute (APSI) at Duke University and the Triangle East Asia Colloquium founded in 1972. The CAC last hosted the Colloquium in 2007.
- The CAC interfaces with research centers, government departments and NGOs, foundations, private industry, and foreign representatives.
- The CAC also cooperates with community and governmental organizations in providing lectures and talks about Asia. For example, the Center has worked with the Royal Thai Embassy, Radio WXYC, the Korea Economic Institute, the UN Association, Worldview, Peer Learning of Chapel Hill and the United States-Indonesia Society.
- The Mahatma Gandhi Fellowship: Organized with UNC student organization Sangam, fellowships promote service and learning projects designed to benefit South Asians that are initiated and implemented by UNC students.
- Visiting Scholars: The Center regularly accepts visiting scholars from Asia for one or two semesters.
- Study Abroad: The Center works closely with the Study Abroad Office to promote opportunities for students to study in Asia.