APSI Annual Report 2025–2026

Our faculty continue to do great work. Simon Partner received the 2026 Modern Japan History Association Book Prize, and Gennifer Weisenfeld’s book The Fine Art of Persuasion was recognized with the SEC AAS Best Book Prize this year. Dr. Yan Liu was awarded the Klett Award from the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages.

It’s been especially rewarding to see the growing numbers of APSI MA students who have been presenting their research in professional conferences not only in regional conferences of the AAS, but also national events. Two of the MA students also received the 2025-26 Dean’s Research Award to conduct research for completion of their projects or conference travel.

In the Environmental Studies program, we were happy to bring on Dr. Xingming Wang as a postdoctoral associate. Xingming is a literary scholar and cultural historian who specializes in environmental humanities. He has already readied the program for the third meeting of APSI’s Environmental Futures in Asia Network (EFAN) on Green Transitions to be held at Duke Kunshan University with over 30 participating international researchers.

And of course, a big thank you to our staff, Alex Nickley and Renate Kwon. They’ve played a huge role in keeping everything running smoothly this year and in organizing EFAN—we really appreciate all their hard work.

Our graduating cohort arrived at Duke in the fall of 2024, and experienced, alongside the rest of us, the dramatic shifts in the U.S. higher education landscape; rapidly altering work paradigms brought about by increasing ubiquity of AI-use; and not to mention, the global recalibrations of travel plans, visa statuses, and academic research especially faced by international students and scholars. I am inordinately proud of the quality of research and writing our students achieved, even as they had to navigate the unique changes and challenges of the past two years.

One of the great strengths of APSI’s EAS MA program is its full embrace of multi- and inter-disciplinarity. A glimpse of the thesis projects and research papers produced by the Class of 2026 reveals the range of disciplinary and methodological approaches, not to mention, the breadth of language, region, and time-periods covered.

It was such an honor to serve as their Director of Graduate Studies and their teacher, and to share in their community these past two years.

APSI's core program, the MA in East Asian Studies, provides rigorous training for students seeking careers in academia or professional fields that require regional specialization. The program introduces key methodological approaches applicable to area studies while providing flexibility for students to specialize in specific modes of inquiry.

Students enrolled in any of Duke’s graduate degree programs may document their specialization by completing a certificate in East Asian Studies, showcasing their understanding of the region and ability to apply this knowledge to their primary studies. Certificate students are essential members of our scholarly community.

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Social Snapshots

Each year, APSI organizes social events for students, scholars, and faculty to interact and celebrate culturally significant festivals. These family-friendly gatherings feature activities and, of course, food!

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APSI collaborates with Duke departments and programs to sponsor screenings of films ranging from cinematic blockbusters to thought-provoking documentaries. Members of the APSI faculty often introduce the films and periodically moderate Q&A with individuals involved in making the film or professionals who provide additional context and insight.

This year, multiple film screenings included an opportunity to speak with the director or producers. Several of these conversations were held in the speaker's native tongue, facilitated by English translation, offering audience members the chance to utilize their language skills in a real-world setting.

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scholars who joined APSI in 2025–26

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