Calendar - Shorenstein Asia-Pacific Research Center (APARC)

Apr 20, 2026: Constructing Utopias: China’s New Town Movement in the 21st Century at Encina Hall

Mon, 20 Apr 2026 12:00:00 -0700

Amid groundbreaking political reforms and the largest mass migration in human history, China created over 3,800 new towns to house its burgeoning urban population and sustain rapid economic growth. Driven by marketization, global trade, inter-city competition, and an exponentially growing real estate industry, this continuous urban expansion represents the most extensive urbanization initiative in history. Contemporary Chinese new towns have emerged as a national campaign to reimagine the Chinese city and reshape the global geo-economic landscape. This talk examines four decades of Chinese urbanization through the lens of urbanism and utopianism. Case studies—including the Suzhou Industrial Park, Shanghai's One City and Nine Towns, and prototypical eco-cities—illuminates fundamental issues of economic vitality, cultural identity, environmental sustainability, and socio-spatial dynamics. Ultimately, the talk explores the complex interplay between space production and social transformation within the context of neoliberalism and globalization.

Speaker: Zhongjie “Jeffrey” Lin is Benjamin Lin Presidential Professor of Urban Design at the University of Pennsylvania Weitzman School of Design, where he serves as Head of the Urban Design program and directs the Future Cities Initiative. An internationally renowned expert in urban planning and design, Dr. Lin has published numerous books on Asian architecture and cities, including Kenzo Tange and the Metabolist Movement: Urban Utopias of Modern Japan (2010/2023), Vertical Urbanism: Designing Compact Cities in China (2018), and Constructing Utopias: China’s New Town Movement in the 21st Century (2025). He was the recipient of the Woodrow Wilson Fellowship, the Guggenheim Fellowship, the Abe Fellowship, and three Graham Foundation awards.

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Apr 22, 2026: Fellowships for Research in Japan (JSPS) Information Session at Encina Hall

Wed, 22 Apr 2026 14:00:00 -0700

Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS) is the largest funding agency for academic research in Japan. Fellowships are offered for masters' and Ph.D. students, post-doctorate scholars, researchers, and faculty members in all research fields. If you are interested in conducting your research in Japan, please join us for a lively in-person information session to find out more.

Application Link for Short-term (PE) and Standard Program:

https://www.jsps.go.jp/english/e-fellow/application.html

Application Link for Invitational Program:
https://www.jsps.go.jp/english/e-inv/application/guideline.html

For questions regarding the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science and JSPS fellowship opportunities, contact (510) 665-1890 or sfo-info@overseas.jsps.go.jp

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Apr 27, 2026: U.S.-China Relations in a New Era of Competition, Interdependence, and Geopolitical Risk at Encina Hall

Mon, 27 Apr 2026 12:00:00 -0700

Drawing on nearly three decades of diplomatic experience and her current work at Yale, Susan Thornton will assess the current trajectory of U.S.–China relations at a moment of renewed geopolitical tension. Based on long-standing official leadership and unofficial engagement via “Track II” dialogues, Thornton will outline prospects for limited cooperation on global challenges – from combatting pandemics to nuclear security – and describe strategic choices the two powers face in light of competition and continued interdependence. Thornton will also explore how Asian partners interpret recent U.S. policy shifts, at times balancing security concerns with economic ties abroad. This talk will invite the audience to consider whether a pragmatic, interest-based framework for engagement remains possible—and necessary—in the current era.

Speaker: Susan A. Thornton is a retired senior U.S. diplomat with almost three decades of experience with the U.S. State Department in Eurasia and East Asia. She is currently a Visiting Lecturer in Law and Senior Fellow at the Yale Law School Paul Tsai China Center. She is also the director of the Forum on Asia-Pacific Security at the National Committee on American Foreign Policy and a nonresident senior fellow at the Brookings Institution. Until July 2018, Thornton was Acting Assistant Secretary for East Asian and Pacific Affairs at the Department of State and led East Asia policymaking amid crises with North Korea, escalating trade tensions with China, and a fast-changing international environment. In previous State Department roles, she worked on U.S. policy toward China, Korea and the former Soviet Union and served in leadership positions at U.S. embassies in Central Asia, Russia, the Caucasus and China. Thornton received her M.A. in International Relations from the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies and her B.A. from Bowdoin College in Economics and Russian. She serves on several nonprofit boards and speaks Mandarin and Russian.

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Apr 28, 2026: The Power of Ideas: The Evolution of Public Administration Knowledge and Its Impact on Development in South Korea during the 1940-1960s at Encina Hall

Tue, 28 Apr 2026 12:00:00 -0700

The legacies of colonialism, the Cold War, and U.S. policies significantly shaped state-building and economic growth in post-World War II Asia, including South Korea. While these factors have been extensively studied, one crucial aspect has been underexplored: the power of ideas. This talk will cover the historical changes and continuity of ideas and knowledge on public administration in South Korea during the 1940-1960s. The presenter will focus on the dissemination and transformation of American administrative knowledge in this period, addressing how the original American knowledge was disseminated to South Korea, and why and how it was sought to be ‘Koreanized’ by public administration scholars in South Korea.

About the speaker:

Seok Jin Eom is a professor of the Graduate School of Public Administration at Seoul National University in Korea. He is a Fulbright scholar and a 2025-26 visiting scholar at Stanford's Shorenstein Asia-Pacific Research Center. His current research interests include the intellectual history of Korean public administration, the changes and continuity of public governance in Korea, and the digital transformation of government in the AI era. He has published numerous academic papers and books including The Intellectual History of Korean Public Administration Research and Education (2026, Seoul National University Press), Enabling Data-Driven Innovation and AI Government in Korea (2026, Springer), and The Changes and Continuity of Japanese State Apparatus (2015, Seoul National University Press).

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Apr 30, 2026: Visions of Taiwan’s Future: Navigating Paths through Democracy, Technology, and Culture at Jen-Hsun Huang Building (School of Engineering)

Thu, 30 Apr 2026 09:30:00 -0700

Taiwan stands at the crossroads of some of the most pressing transformations of the twenty-first century. As democratic societies confront polarization and disinformation, as technological innovation and AI reshape global production and geopolitical competition, and as cultural industries become increasingly central to international visibility and influence, Taiwan offers a uniquely rich vantage point for thinking about how societies navigate uncertainty and change. Far from being shaped only by external pressures, Taiwan is also actively contributing to global conversations through its democratic experience, its pivotal role in high-tech and semiconductor industries, and its growing cultural presence in film, media, and storytelling.

This conference brings together scholars, practitioners, and cultural leaders to examine Taiwan’s evolving place in the world through three interconnected lenses: democratic resilience, technological transformation, and cultural production. Taken together, the panels ask a shared set of questions: What does democratic resilience look like under conditions of polarization, disinformation, and external pressure? How can Taiwan maintain its technological edge while navigating the opportunities and risks posed by AI, tariffs, and global economic restructuring? And in what ways are cultural production and global storytelling shaping how Taiwan is understood, represented, and remembered beyond its borders? By bringing these questions into conversation, the conference highlights how politics, industry, and culture are mutually constitutive domains through which Taiwan is responding to contemporary challenges and imagining its future.

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