Organizer: Philip West, University of Montana
Chair: Van J. Symons, Augustana College
Discussants: Gerrit Gong, Center for Strategic and International Studies; Jacqueline
Hiltz, University of Montana; Steven I. Levine, Boulder Run Research; Larry
Penrose, Hope College; Van J. Symons, Augustana College; Philip West,
University of Montana
This roundtable builds on the success of the NEH Institute, "American Wars in Asia: A Cultural Approach," held at the University of Montana, June-July 1995. The Institute studied three of the American wars in Asia-with Japan, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War. Prominent attention was also given to China. Within the familiar context of wars as battles and as political and international events within the American experience, the roundtable, echoing the work of the Institute, is distinguished by its emphasis on the human dimensions of war, with particular attention to Asian memories and interpretations. The materials discussed will focus on Asian novels and films that are now available to American teachers and students and that have received international acclaim through English translation and subtitles. The roundtable will explore the conceptual and pedagogical challenges posed by widely different memories and interpretations of war. Also available at the roundtable is a CD-ROM prototype, completed August 1, 1996, for a multi-media course or module to be used in the college classroom, in high schools, and in public and private seminars. Both the roundtable and the multi-media course will explore the continuing impact of the experiences of war on American-Asian relations.