Idea & Scope
In April 2020, grounded by a general lockdown to prevent the first wave of the COVID-pandemic in Austria, a team of young researchers from the Japanese Studies division at the Department of East Asian Studies, was not willing to accept the cancellation of all guest lectures they have planned and were looking forward to. Hence, they started to look at different opportunities as online formats and digital ways to interact with peers and colleagues. Thankfully supported and encouraged by Prof. Wolfram Manzenreiter they utilized the technical options given at the time and combined them with enthusiasm and intellectual curiosity to see if an online guest lecture series would be feasible and also appreciated by students and peers alike. The basic idea of the Japanese studies online lectures at the University of Vienna, now known as u:japan lectures, was born.
Team
- Wolfram Manzenreiter: patron and enabler of the u:japan lectures through his institutional and academic support as well as his positive style of leadership
- Bernhard Leitner: head of communications and the super host of the u:japan lectures, always there to help, eloquent in discussions and friendly in tone
- Florian Purkarthofer: tireless multi-talent in charge of graphics, webpage and hybrid settings at the u:japan lectures
- Christopher Kummer: online tech support and highly valued video editor of the u:japan lectures, working nightshifts to compile the finest recorded lectures, while pursuing other research projects (DÖW) during the day
- Ralf Windhab: tech experienced nice guy and email-list expert at the u:japan lectures.
- Elisabeth Semmler: handling social media and post production at the u:japan lectures and has already made her first animation film and presented it successfully at the TRICKY WOMEN film festival.
- Astrid Unger: database and informatics specialist with a soft spot for Japanese studies and cultural anthropology
The u:japan lecture team has been nominated and shortlisted for the univie awards 2022 – International Award for “outstanding achievements and special commitment of staff members in the area of international networking and cooperation within all fields of activity of the University of Vienna.”
Legacy & Further Use
While the u:japan lectures are most valued by international participants for the vivid discussions and the intellectual discourse they enable, the u:japan lectures simultaneously serve as a portal for students at the University of Vienna to get into touch with the global scientific community in times of a pandemic. But, as we have learned in the past two and a half years, the recorded lectures are also intensively used as high-quality multimedia content by educators in Austria as well as internationally to enrich remote teaching for BA students.
In an attempt to use the experience and routine gathered through organising and hosting the u:japan lectures for the whole department, the sporadic series of u:eastasian lectures was established, featuring topics that concern the broader region of East Asia or at least two countries in the region.
Sadly, the future of the u:japan lectures is put in jeopardy due to limited contracts, unstable financial support and the insufficient staffing level at the Japanese Studies division, Department of East Asian Studies, University of Vienna. We hope for the best, but even if we are forced to discontinue the series, the recorded lectures, the digital collection of contemporary research in Japanese Studies and the exchange of ideas with friends and colleagues we met on the way will remain.
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