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The Omega · Volume 21, Issue 20
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Dr. Dean Chan guest lecture Michael Potestio Omega Contributor
Dr. Dean Chan of the University of Wallongong was on hand Tuesday Feb. 7 to give a guest lecture on comics and Asian culture. In his lecture, Dr. Chan looked at all types of comics from web-based to the traditional print comics, discussing how Asian diaspora, or migrant, cultures are being produced in places such as Canada, America and Australia. Chan said he is interested in his observations of how the medium of comics has facilitated intercultural communication, particularly in the last decade. Dr. Chan used the term graphic narratives as an umbrella term in describing all the different variations of comics, such as manga and graphic novels. During the lecture Chan discussed how these comics bring Asian immigrant issues such as race relations into dialogue. One American example Dr. Chan talked about was “American Born Chinese” by Gene Luen Yang. The example showed an awkward conversation between a Chinese-American boy and a Taiwanese boy. Chan said the example shows the tensions between newly arrived Asian immigrants and third or fourth generation Asian-Americans. Another example Chan discussed was the comic “Shortcomings” by Adrian Tomine.
In this example Chan showed a page from the book where a Korean woman and Japanese man are discussing meeting the Korean woman’s parents, which Chan used as an example of the topic of race relations in an Asian-American context. Chan also looked at Australian examples such as the “The Arrival” by Shaun Tan, which is a wordless comic that Chan said expects the reader to create the narrative. He also said the comic is a metaphoric re-telling of the challenges of migrating to a new land. Dr. Chan finished with a Canadian example, “The Magical Life of Long Tack Sam” by Ann Marie Fleming. Chan talked about the graphic novel, which he says describes the story of Fleming’s great grandfather, Long Tack Sam, using photos and graphic narrative to tell the story. Chan talked about Fleming’s use of archival information and old fables about her grandfather, noting Fleming’s use of larger issues such as the Canadian head tax and the U.S. Chinese Exclusion Act to provide a link between her personal family history
and the larger Asian immigrant history. Chan said this was his first trip to Canada and enjoyed being able to take in the cities of Kamloops and Vancouver as part of his first visit to the country. “I was very struck when I arrived here at TRU that there is such a notable international student presence as well as the very culturally diverse local student grouping to begin with,” Dr. Chan said. With that diversity, Dr. Chan hopes his lecture on intercultural communication had an impact on students. “I would like my talk today which was about intercultural communication and fostering intercultural communication to resonate with students here,” Dr. Chan said. Dr. Chan also works on digital gaming cultures, which has been a major focus for him since 2004. He is very interested in the phenomenon of digital gaming particularly in the Asian Pacific region and is currently working on research monographs on gaming culture in East Asia.
Colours, energy and enthusiasm for multiculturalism were in abundance on Friday Feb. 10 at the TRU Gymnasium for the International Showcase, which ran from noon to 8 p.m. Check out Rocca’s photo gallery at theomega.ca
Internationalization roundtable Sarah MacMillan Omega Contributor
Education leaders from across the world met in an open forum on Friday, Feb. 10 at TRU to discuss the importance of international students on campus. The panel, which consisted of education leaders from Canada as well as representatives from Saudi Arabia, China and Australia, focused on the benefits of the internationalization of postsecondary campuses. During the panel, TRU President Alan Shaver listed five reasons for internationalization, all of which were ref lected in the presentations of the other education leaders. The first reason for having international students on campus, said Shaver, is that it’s an
academic benefit. Challenges such as global warming require a multicultural approach and having international students on campus allow for new and different solutions. Another added benefit of increased international presence is the cultural diversity that is brought to the campus. “It takes us beyond ourselves,” said Majella Franzmann, pro vice-chancellor at Curtin University in Perth, Australia. Internationalization also aids the economy, bringing money in while increasing Canada’s opportunity to trade internationally. “International students, through their high tuition fees, help to build B.C. infrastructure,” Shaver said. Having international students
allows for universities such as TRU to offer greater numbers of courses due to the larger student population. In addition, it prevents the courses being taught from being introverted, said Franzmann. Courses focus more on the world, rather than just one specific country. Internationalization also creates what Shaver calls a ‘brain chain,’ where people are united around the world because of the contact they have made during their studies abroad. These however, are not the largest benefits of internationalization. “One of the biggest satisfactions and fulfillment I have taken from internationalization is the joy,” Shaver said, “the joy of learning.”