Center for Asian Studies at UT Dallas

04/16/2026

And that's how it's done, done, DONE!! 🌟
 
What an amazing turnout at the K-Pop 101 Dance Workshop on April 8! We had so much fun eating kimbap, learning about the cultural impact of K-Pop, dancing to a choreographed routine, and filming a group video!
 
On behalf of CAS and the Asian Studies Minor, a huge thanks to:

🌏 Intercultural Programs () for having us on board for iWeek 2026

🔥 KDNT () for creating and instructing such a fun (yet challenging!!) choreography

🥢 Baro Baro Kimbap () for supplying the delicious kimbap lunch

✨ Bass School () for always supporting our events
 
And a special thanks to our promotional partners:

🎓 Hobson Wildenthal Honors College ()

💃 Bass School Dance Department

🇰🇷 Korean International Student Association ()
 
We could not have done this without everyone's support! Be on the lookout for the official video coming soon 😎
 

02/04/2026

The second presentation of Charlie's Tech Talk is tomorrow! For more words of business wisdom like Charlie's, join us for an insightful conversation with Dr. Arun Gupta, CEO & Founder of Skyven Technologies.

📆 Wednesday, February 4 from 6:00 - 7:30 PM
📍 Crow Museum at the O'Donnell Athenaeum (APC)
🍴 Reception at 5:00 PM
🔗 FREE with registration. Link in bio for more details and RSVP

10/08/2025

The 13th Annual Anlin Ku Lecture features Dr. Denis Simon, a distinguished fellow at the Institute for China-America Studies, on “Evolving U.S.-China Relations in an Era of Geo-Political Tensions: Historical and Contemporary Perspectives.”

📆 Thursday, October 16 from 7:30 - 9:00 PM
📍 Crow Museum at the Edith and Peter O'Donnell Jr. Athenaeum (APC)
🍴 Reception at 6:30 PM
🔗 Link in bio for more details and RSVP

Over the last decade, the U.S.-China relationship has moved in a decidedly contentious direction. The tensions have largely been driven by pronounced changes in the geopolitical environment as well as changes in the trade and investment relations between the two countries. At the core of these changes has been the rapid acceleration of China’s economic and technological advance. As a result, China is being viewed as an actual or potential strategic competitor of the U.S., with some U.S. officials going as far as suggesting that the rapid rise represents an existential threat to the future prosperity of the U.S.

The significant changes in the nature and tone of the bilateral relationship have raised both short-term and long-term concerns about the future trajectory of Sino-U.S. relations. How will U.S.-China relations evolve in the future? How will current tensions affect future cooperation in the fields of higher education and student exchanges, research collaboration in science and technology, and national security affairs? Is the prospect of military conflict as real as some analysts have suggested?

Dr. Denis Simon will address these issues by providing insights from his 4+ decades of deep involvement in U.S.-China relations. Through the lens of his extensive experience and knowledge as a research scholar, a high-level corporate executive, and a senior academic administrator, he will provide guidance about what to expect from what some observers have suggested is “the most important bilateral relationship” in the world.

The Anlin Ku Lecture series is co-sponsored with the Harry W. Bass Jr. School of Arts, Humanities, & Technology and Crow Museum of Asian Art and is generously supported and endowed by Jeffrey Robinson and Stefanie Schneidler.

10/06/2025

10/01/2025

NEXT WEEK: Join CAS, the Asian Studies Minor, and the History & Philosophy Speaker Series as they proudly present, "From Bandit to Businessman: Labels and Lies in the Archives of New China" featuring Dr. Brian DeMare as speaker, Dr. Macabe Keliher as discussant, and Dr. Dennis Kratz as moderator.

📆 Tuesday, October 7 from 12-1 PM
📍 JO 4.122 (Endeavour Room)
🥟 Dim Sum Reception at 11:30 AM
🔗 Link in bio for more details and RSVP

The formal establishment of the People’s Republic of China in Beijing on October 1, 1949 heralded the arrival of what the Chinese Communist Party proudly called “New China.” But what did the establishment of New China look like at the grassroots level? This talk moves the focus of inquiry to Poyang, an overwhelmingly rural county far from Beijing. Using rare archival sources from the Poyang Public Security Bureau, Prof. DeMare brings to life the story of Merchant Zha, a hapless businessman who struggled to navigate the transition from Nationalist to Communist rule.

The tale of Merchant Zha, at first glance a historical nobody, sheds new light on critical moments during the first years of the People’s Republic. Through Merchant Zha’s many failures, readers are introduced to the incompetence of the Nationalists, regime change with the arrival of the Communists, bandit uprisings, and land reform. Merchant Zha’s experiences also highlight the Communists’ unique legal system, which put his very life in jeopardy. Prof. DeMare will also highlight how our understanding of these years of revolutionary upheaval are deeply complicated by the limitations of archival materials.

05/16/2025

The CAS Non-Credit Asian Language program is now open for registration for the Summer 2025 semester! All year-round, CAS offers non-credit courses to help people of all skills learn a new language and continue their education 🍎

We are offering the following courses this semester:

🇨🇳 Intensive Chinese (Beginning I & II)
🇮🇳 Introductory Hindi (I & II)
🇰🇷 Intensive Korean (Beginner's I & II)
✨️ Chinese Cultural Immersion

All courses are $598/semester, and in-person courses take place on the UTD campus. Visit our website for more details and information! We look forward to enriching your summer ☀️

04/24/2025

TONIGHT!! Join CAS and U.S.-China Chamber of Commerce Dallas (USCCC) as we tune into the 2025 CHINA Town Hall, followed by a local and virtual discussion led by Dr. Dennis Kratz, CAS Director, and Dr. Denis Simon, Visiting Professor at the Asian Pacific Studies Institution and Duke University as well as Non-Resident Fellow at the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft.

📆 Thursday, April 24, at 5:30 PM CT
📍 Microsoft Teams Webinar

The 2025 CHINA Town Hall will discuss President Trump’s China policy 100 days in, with featured speakers Ryan Hass, Director of John L. Thorton China Center at the Brookings Institution; Matthew Turpin, Visiting Fellow at the Hoover Institution; and Lingling Wei, Chief China Correspondent at The Wall Street Journal; in a conversation moderated by Stephen Orlins, president of the National Committee on U.S.-China Relations. At a critical time in the U.S.-China relationship amid numerous emerging issues of global concern, this examination of key sectors, including tech, economics, and politics, will enable Americans to discuss the issues that have an impact on their communities, institutions, and nation. Established in 1966, the National Committee on United States-China Relations is the leading American non-profit, non-partisan public affairs organization devoted to building constructive relations between the United States and Greater China.

To register, scan the QR code or visit our website!

02/28/2024

🎞 Join us for a free private movie screening of Origin, a 2023 film by Ava DuVernay at Cinemark West Plano XD (3800 Dallas Pkwy, Plano) on Thursday, Feb. 29 at 5:30 p.m.

RSVP Here! ➡️ https://bit.ly/3OZ91Jc

Inspired by the book “Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents,” by Pulitzer Prize–winning author Isabel Wilkerson, the film explores the unspoken system that has shaped America and chronicles how lives today are defined by a hierarchy of human divisions.

This event is sponsored by the Harry W. Bass Jr. School of Arts, Humanities, & Technology, with support from the Hobson Wildenthal Honors College.

The movie screening will be followed by a panel representing the Center for Asian Studies, the Ackerman Center for Holocaust Studies, and the Center for Values in Medicine, Science and Technology.

10/26/2023

We hope that everyone enjoyed the 11th annual Anlin Ku lecture last week, presented by Professor Bernard Faure.

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Contact Information
Email: [email protected]

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10/25/2023

Professor Faure led a very insightful roundtable discussion on Buddhism with UTD Honors students last week!

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Contact Information
Email: [email protected]

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10/17/2023

Thank you for an amazing lecture!

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Contact Information
Email: [email protected]

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10/16/2023

We hope that all of the Honors students enjoyed attending Jai Chakabarti’s roundtable event last week!

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Information
Email: [email protected]

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