CSEA

Japanese Culture Classes with Professor Narumi Yoshino
2025-03-03 - 2025-03-14 | West University of Timisoara, Bd. Vasile Pârvan 4, Timișoara, Timis, 300223, Romania
Professor Narumi Yoshino from Kindai University, Japan visited the West University of Timisoara’s Center for East Asian Studies, lending us her knowledge for two weeks, between March 3rd and March 14th, 2025. During this time, she held classes for 1st and 2nd year students pursuing degrees in Japanese language and literature, organising various cultural activities to their benefit.
Students had the opportunity to deepen their understanding of kanji by using traditional brushes, paper and ink in the writing of yojijukugo or four-character idioms. Additionally, they explored Japanese proverbs and their meaning by playing the traditional card game karuta, and, led by the Professor, learned and sung a popular tune, often performed at graduation ceremonies in Japan.

East Asian Studies Student Symposium
2025-05-16 08:00 - 2025-05-17 17:00 UTC | Center for East Asian Studies (CSEA), Str. Paris nr. 1, Str. Paris nr. 1, Timisoara, Timis, 300003, Romania
The Center for East Asian Studies at the West University of Timișoara invites presentations for its first East Asian Studies Student Symposium to take place in hybrid format on May 16, 2025. Abstracts are invited in all research areas and periods for undergraduate and graduate students pursuing degrees and research topics in East Asian studies (China, Japan, Korea, Taiwan). Abstracts are expected to be submitted in English or Romanian, be no longer than 250 words, and be received by April 10th at email address: csea@e-uvt.ro
Presentations are invited in person, as well as virtually, depending on the presenter’s availability. The Center for East Asian Studies will cover accommodation for one to two nights for participants who are able to attend in person.
For any other inquiries related to the Symposium, students and their coordinating professors are encouraged to contact the organizers at the email address of The Center for East Asian Studies (csea@e-uvt.ro).
Final Schedule
Online streaming link

On May 16th-17th the East Asian Studies Center of the Faculty of Letters, History, Philosophy and Theology hosted the first International East Asian Studies Symposium.
This year, we received students from the West University of Timisoara from the English-Japanese and Romanian-Japanese language and literature specialties, as well as from other cities such as Bucharest, Alba-Iulia, and from outside the country, originating from Serbia and Armenia. The participants were given the choice of presenting in person or online, with hybrid panels at WUT streamed on Google Meet.
The interest has exceeded expectations, with over 30 participants, most of them attending in person, which contributed to an invaluable exchange between students. The panels were varied in topics, approaching literature, religion, history, culture, media and others in Japan, Korea and China, as well as in the language used, with panels in Romanian and in English.
The symposium itself was launched at the request and with the help of our 2nd year students from the English-Japanese specialty, who have dedicated their time ensuring its success in terms of logistics, selecting papers and communicating with participants among other tasks.
Our team:
Bobiț Arintina
Busuioc Ana
Chira Alexandra
Cvașa Anamaria
Demian Miruna
Faur Alexia
Ilban “Nate” Andrei
Rus Andreea
Șerban Mihaela
Tănase Teodora
Török Daria
Last but not least, this event would have been impossible without the coordination and support of the CSEA founder, George T. Sipos, PhD.
This is but the first of many editions so stay tuned to find out about next year’s symposium!

Event Gallery

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CSAM meets CSEA
2025-11-21 10:00 - 12:00
On November 21st, the Center for American Studies (CSAM) organized a comparative workshop, moderated by PhD Candidate Derya Alim, a Teaching Assistant in the Japanese Language and Literature Program. During DRAMA! Theater between America and Asia: A Comparative Workshop, both Japanese and English majors discussed the two types of theater, brought up their favorite Japanese and American plays, compared Japanese adaptations of American plays and American adaptations of Japanese plays, debated the influences the two cultures had on each other and the translation of both classical and traditional plays and delved into similarities and differences of Japanese and American plays, both as texts and stage performances.

The Japanese Language Club of the Center for East Asian Studies - first university-wide activity on December 15 2025
2025-12-15 08:00 - 17:00
The Japanese Language Club of the Center for East Asian Studies met for its first university-wide activity on December 15. The club members invited all West University of Timisoara students to watch together a classic of anime, director Miyazaki Hayao’s Sen to Chihiro no kamikakushi (Spirited Away). Club members, the students of the Japanese Language and Literature Program of the Faculty of Letters, History, Philosophy, and Theology, were joined by students from other faculties who were eager to rewatch the beloved Miyazaki masterpiece and gained a different perspective on it. The movie and the discussion that followed turned into a wonderful opportunity for everyone to delve deeper into Japanese society and animation, especially cultural topics and elements that make the work a commentary on contemporary Japan.
