The Beginning
In 1987 Dr. Alvin Coox, a renowned Japanese historian, established a 4-week summer institute at San Diego State University funded by the American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU). The institute was for American state college teachers, who had no background in Japanese studies but who had a desire to infuse some aspect of Japan into their varied disciplines.
Several participants in the 1987 and 1988 classes were interested in building on the knowledge gained from the institute. After attending several National Social Science Conferences and spending six weeks in Japan with Dr. Coox on a Fulbright grant in 1990, some of the former participants of the institute decided to establish a permanent educational association focused primarily on Japan studies.
JSA's Founding
In the spring of 1994, the Japan Studies Association's founders met in San Diego to draw up constitutional by-laws in order to establish the Japan Studies Association and plan for future annual national conferences beginning in 1995. In addition, the group then obtained federal tax exempt 501(c)3 status for the Association. In the second half of the 1990s JSA conducted, in cooperation with the East-West Center and the Japan Foundation, several study tours to Japan.
These founding alumni were Thomas Carneal (Northwest Missouri State University), Joseph L. Overton (Morgan State University), Philip Reichel (Northern Colorado State University) Earl Schrock (Arkansas Tech University), Peter Krawutschke (Western Michigan University), and Hisako Coox.
Recent and Present Activities
From 1995 to the present, the JSA has held its annual national conferences in San Diego, Honolulu, La Jolla, New Orleans, San Antonio, and San Francisco. Every other year the annual conference is held in Hawai'i. Participants come from not only the U.S., but also from Canada, Europe, Japan and the entire Asia Pacific region.
In 2002, JSA hosted a 3-week level 2 Japan Institute at Honolulu Tokai International University funded by the Japan-United States Friendship Commission titled Integrating Japanese Studies into the U.S. Curriculum.
With the death of Dr. Coox, the Japan Studies Association took up where he left off. Between 2003 and 2016, the JSA, with generous support from the Freeman Foundation, offered 3-week Summer Institutes on Japan. In addition, these Institutes were possible because of the generous logistical and institutional support provided by Hawai'i Tokai International College in Honolulu.
Unlike Dr. Coox's program which was open only to AASCU member institutions, JSA's Summer Institutes were open to college teachers at America's two- and four-year institutions, both public and private. The continuous financial support from the Freeman Foundation allowed JSA to offer the Institutes for fourteen years.
Recognizing the need for JSA members to acquire first-hand knowledge about Japan, the Association conducted five study seminars in Japan:
JSA workshops pair experiential learning in Japan with professional development workshops on the U.S. mainland. Since 2013, JSA has organized five such workshops:
Since its inception, one of JSA's main goals has been to publish annually a quality, refereed journal: the Japan Studies Association Journal (JSAJ) is currently edited by Maggie Ivanova, Flinders University.
JSA Funding
The Japan Studies Association is grateful for the funding received for its various programs from the following organizations:
In 1987 Dr. Alvin Coox, a renowned Japanese historian, established a 4-week summer institute at San Diego State University funded by the American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU). The institute was for American state college teachers, who had no background in Japanese studies but who had a desire to infuse some aspect of Japan into their varied disciplines.
Several participants in the 1987 and 1988 classes were interested in building on the knowledge gained from the institute. After attending several National Social Science Conferences and spending six weeks in Japan with Dr. Coox on a Fulbright grant in 1990, some of the former participants of the institute decided to establish a permanent educational association focused primarily on Japan studies.
JSA's Founding
In the spring of 1994, the Japan Studies Association's founders met in San Diego to draw up constitutional by-laws in order to establish the Japan Studies Association and plan for future annual national conferences beginning in 1995. In addition, the group then obtained federal tax exempt 501(c)3 status for the Association. In the second half of the 1990s JSA conducted, in cooperation with the East-West Center and the Japan Foundation, several study tours to Japan.
These founding alumni were Thomas Carneal (Northwest Missouri State University), Joseph L. Overton (Morgan State University), Philip Reichel (Northern Colorado State University) Earl Schrock (Arkansas Tech University), Peter Krawutschke (Western Michigan University), and Hisako Coox.
Recent and Present Activities
From 1995 to the present, the JSA has held its annual national conferences in San Diego, Honolulu, La Jolla, New Orleans, San Antonio, and San Francisco. Every other year the annual conference is held in Hawai'i. Participants come from not only the U.S., but also from Canada, Europe, Japan and the entire Asia Pacific region.
In 2002, JSA hosted a 3-week level 2 Japan Institute at Honolulu Tokai International University funded by the Japan-United States Friendship Commission titled Integrating Japanese Studies into the U.S. Curriculum.
With the death of Dr. Coox, the Japan Studies Association took up where he left off. Between 2003 and 2016, the JSA, with generous support from the Freeman Foundation, offered 3-week Summer Institutes on Japan. In addition, these Institutes were possible because of the generous logistical and institutional support provided by Hawai'i Tokai International College in Honolulu.
Unlike Dr. Coox's program which was open only to AASCU member institutions, JSA's Summer Institutes were open to college teachers at America's two- and four-year institutions, both public and private. The continuous financial support from the Freeman Foundation allowed JSA to offer the Institutes for fourteen years.
Recognizing the need for JSA members to acquire first-hand knowledge about Japan, the Association conducted five study seminars in Japan:
- 2003, Hiroshima: "Reconsidering Hiroshima/Nagasaki,"
- 2008, Fukuoka and Nagasaki: "International Crossroads at Fukuoka, Japan: East-Asian-Western Connections Past and Present."
- 2014, Kyoto: "Creating Kyoto: An Interdisciplinary Study of Pre-Modern Japanese History." The Kyoto seminar was followed by a short study tour to Koya-san.
- 2015, Hiroshima and Nagasaki: "Remembering Hiroshima-Nagasaki, 1945-2015"
- 2017, Okinawa: "Workshop on Okinawa: Identity, History and Culture"
JSA workshops pair experiential learning in Japan with professional development workshops on the U.S. mainland. Since 2013, JSA has organized five such workshops:
- 2013, Wichita Workshop: "Japan and East Asian Relations in the 20th and 21st Centuries"
- 2014, Belmont Workshop
- 2018, Hendrix Workshop: "Living with Godzilla: Challenge, Tribulation, Resiliance, and Transformation in Heisei Japan"
- 2018, Jonhson CCC Workshop: "History, Culture, and Society: Japan Moving into the 21st Century"
- 2019, Philadelphia Community College and University of Pennsylvania's Center for East Asian Studies: "Japan's Cultural Pivots."
Since its inception, one of JSA's main goals has been to publish annually a quality, refereed journal: the Japan Studies Association Journal (JSAJ) is currently edited by Maggie Ivanova, Flinders University.
JSA Funding
The Japan Studies Association is grateful for the funding received for its various programs from the following organizations:
- The Freeman Foundation
- The Japan Foundation
- Japan-United States Friendship Commission