The 2024 Reaching for the Stars as a Global Citizen: An Intellectual Journey of Asia and the World lecture series will be hosted at the University of Central Florida for the second time this fall. Thanks to the generous sponsorship from the Eurasia Foundation (from Asia), this year’s series will once again bring 15 national and international Asian specialists to UCF, providing a rare opportunity to learn first-hand from esteemed scholars about one of the most critical regions in the world today.
The Eurasia Foundation, headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, promotes cross-cultural dialogue and academic excellence in Asia. The 2024 Reaching for the Stars as a Global Citizen series is curated by UCF associate professor Lanlan Kuang. The series will feature esteemed international scholars representing interdisciplinary fields such as history, music, philosophy, religious studies, game studies, environmental studies, linguistics, economics and more. Open to the UCF community and beyond, attendees will develop a more comprehensive understanding of the cultural, political, and economic forces that have shaped modern Asia.
UCF’s Impact
Lanlan Kuang, the series curator and associate professor of the Philosophy Department, has been teaching UCF’s Asian Studies minor core courses for over a decade, teaching HUM 3401 Asian Humanities in the fall and HUM 3402 East Asian Folk and Popular Culture in the spring. Kuang is a U.S. Fulbright alumna and works closely with UCF Global, the Office of Prestigious Awards (OPA), and also serves on various state, national, and international councils, promoting cross-cultural dialogues and education.
In 2023, Kuang successfully launched, designed and hosted the inaugural Reaching for the Stars as a Global Citizen series. In 2024, she was awarded a prestigious grant from the Eurasia Foundation (Asia) for the second time. This funding recognizes her exceptional contributions to international relations and cultural studies and her tireless efforts to promote understanding and collaboration between Asia and the rest of the world.
Kuang expressed her excitement about continuing the Reaching for the Stars as a Global Citizen series and emphasized the value of in-person interaction, “This series offers an excellent opportunity to involve students with some of the brightest minds and most influential voices of our time. While I don’t think attending a lecture series like this will make anyone an expert overnight, creating a platform for meaningful dialogues that bridge cultures, address global challenges, and inspire innovative solutions is essential. I am looking forward to witnessing the emerging conversations and the friendly connections that arise from direct, in-person contact with various experts on global issues.”
Key Themes and Insights
The 2024 Lecture Series, sponsored by the Eurasia Foundation (from Asia), will showcase speakers from various fields, each providing distinctive insights into the complexities of our interconnected world. This interdisciplinary series will focus on important themes such as artistic traditions, environmental and sustainable development in the digital era, world intellectual history, cultural diplomacy, international trade and finance with Asian partners, and the impacts of technological innovation on society and cross-cultural communication.
Highlights:
- Global Economy and the Rise of Asian Countries
- Historical Finding and Archeological Discoveries from Asia
- Ecology, Technology, and Environmental Sustainability of Asia
- Classical and contemporary Asian Worldviews through Poetry and the Arts
- Live Performance and Lecture of Chinese zither by World-Renown Musician Dr. Han Mei
The lecture series begins on Tuesday, August 27. Lectures are held on campus on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 1:30 p.m. Find the complete schedule and register here.
About the Eurasia Foundation
The Eurasia Foundation (from Asia) is committed to enhancing connections between Asia and the global community through educational programs, research, and cultural exchange. The Foundation is critical in advancing mutual understanding and cooperation to address global challenges by backing innovative projects and facilitating dialogue.
Additional sponsors of this event include: