Published: March 21, 2013

The Center for Asian Studies theme for the 2013-2014 academic year is ‘Catastrophic Asia.’ Throughout the academic year, the Center will host a series of events and activities, culminating in the Spring 2014 symposium. The theme seeks to explore Asian vulnerability to, experiences with, and recovery from natural and/or human-induced environmental disasters such as seismic events, extreme climate events, pollution events, and the broader environmental and social challenges presented by a warming planet, including economic, demographic, epidemiological, and political threats.

We solicit proposals for projects that engage the theme of ‘Catastrophic Asia.’ Projects should have two key components: academic and public.

  • The academic component might include a workshop aimed at producing a collection of published papers, a small conference and discussion on recent Asian events, or an opportunity to seed a larger research project proposal.
  • The public component will constitute the 2014 Spring Symposium, and might include a forum of lectures, panel discussions, or performances.

The Center is particularly interested in transdisciplinary projects that bring into conversation fields of study less typically associated with Asian area studies, and that will generate specific scholarly outcomes, such as a conference volume or the special issue of an academic journal. Proposals should strive to ensure the participation of CU faculty or instructors from several disciplines.

Proposal budgets should not exceed $5,000. Funds may be used to cover travel expenses for invited participants, defray publication costs, or other associated event costs. The organizer(s) of the selected proposal will also share $1,000 in research funding from CAS, and will work with the CAS Events Committee in planning the public symposium portion of the event. Deadline for proposals is September 1st, 2013.

Those interested in developing proposals are encouraged to discuss their ideas with the CAS Events Committee Chair Dennis McGilvray (Dennis.Mcgilvray@colorado.edu) or the CAS Director Tim Oakes (toakes@colorado.edu). An open information and Q&A session for those considering formulating proposals will be held on Monday April 15th at 4:00 in the CAS conference room, 1424 Broadway, Boulder.

Application procedure:

Please submit to cas@colorado.edu in a single PDF document the following

  1. Project Description (no more than 5 pages, double-spaced) consisting of:
  2. Scholarly significance and justification for the project
  3. Expected outcomes of the project, including any post-project publication plans
  4. Ways the project speaks to the CAS theme and promotes Asian Studies at CU Boulder
  5. Details on proposed public symposium event, including likely venue and date
  6. Detailed Budget and Budget Justification (no more than 2 pages total)
  7. Brief CV’s (3 pages maximum each) of all organizers and participants