Donald Keene Center

Events 2002

February 6

Lecture: Foreign Letters, the Vernacular, and Meiji Schoolgirls
Indra Levy (Assistant Professor of Japanese Literature, Department of Asian Languages and Cultures, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey)
403 Kent Hall, Columbia University (116th St. & Amsterdam Ave.)
6:30 PM

illustration from Ukigumo In July 1887, Futabatei Shimei published the first installment of Ukigumo (Drifting Clouds), and Yamada Bimyô, his rival in the creation of the modern vernacular novel, published the first installment of Fûkin shirabe no hitofushi (An air for the organ) in the women's education magazine Iratsume. Both novels attempted to forge a new literary style based on the spoken idiom (genbun-itchi); both also focused on schoolgirls as timely new subjects for fiction. The uncanny synchronicity of the Meiji schoolgirl's double debut in Japanese vernacular fiction suggests that the connection between this semi-exotic female figure and new literary media was not a matter of sheer coincidence. Professor Levy will examine the relationship between Meiji schoolgirls and the vernacular as a function of the exotic textuality of foreign letters themselves.

February 13

Lecture: Takeuchi Yoshimi, Literature, National Literature
Dr. Richard Calichman (Research/Translation Fellow at the East Asian Institute, Columbia University)
403 Kent Hall, Columbia University (116th St. & Amsterdam Ave.)
6:00 PM

Takeuchi Yoshimi, the postwar critic and Sinologist, devoted much of his thought to the question of literature. He saw in literature a site of openness to the world's materiality, and in this way sought to redefine man as less an epistemological subject than an agent of action. Nevertheless, Takeuchi's notion of literature as a site of openness comes to be greatly restricted through his elaboration of the notion of "national literature," (kokumin bungaku). Here literature is seen as subsumed by the nation, such that it functions as the privileged vehicle through which the nation comes to be expressed. In this talk Dr. Calichman will show how Takeuchi's notion of literature contradictorily leads to such a conception of national literature while at the same time opening up a path of "resistance" (teikô) to it.

April 11

Lecture: The Problem of the 47th Rônin: A New Look at the Akô Incident and the Chûshingura Legend
Henry D. Smith II (Professor of Japanese History, Columbia University)
403 Kent Hall, Columbia University (116th St. & Amsterdam Ave.)
6:00 PM

Teraoka Heiemon by Utagawa Kunisada One of the most intriguing aspects of the famous story of the 47 Rônin is the role of the lowest-ranking member of the group, Terasaka Kichiemon. His name appeared on the list of the forty-seven who signed the manifesto left at the mansion of Kira Kozuke-no-suke when they attacked it on a winter day in late 1702. But he disappeared sometime before the other forty-six rônin turned themselves into the authorities later the same morning. While the 46 were executed by seppuku two months later, Terasaka lived on another forty-five years to the age of 82. What happened to Terasaka? Did he flee the scene of the attack from cowardice, or was he sent on a secret mission to carry the news to others? How did he then re-emerge in the stage versions of Chûshingura as "Teraoka Heiemon" and what was his role there? This talk explores the riddles and paradoxes of the 47th rônin, in an effort to understand the ways in which the Akô Incident evolved into Japan's national legend.

Co-sponsored by the Ukiyo-e Society of America, Inc

April 12

Documentary Film: Sugihara: Conspiracy of Kindness
Produced by Diane Estelle Vicari
Directed by Robert Kirk
Executive Poducers: Dentsu Inc., David Rubinson and Friends, and Creative Production Group
Altschul Auditorium, 417 International Affairs Building (118th St. and Amsterdam Ave.)
6:00 PM (run time: 102 minutes)
Producer Diane Estelle Vicari will be present to introduce and answer questions about the film.
 

Chiune and Yukiko Sugihara "Sugihara: Conspiracy of Kindness" is a celebration of the selfless humanitarian spirit and a testament to the powerful statement, "One man can make a difference." In the fall of 1939, Hitler's murderous wave was sweeping through Eastern Europe. In the face of the Nazi onslaught, Chiune Sugihara single-handedly saved more than 2,000 lives. As the Japanese Consul to Lithuania, he used his power as a diplomat to rescue Jewish refugees, risking his career, disgrace, and even his life by disobeying government orders and writing visas for these desperate refugees, allowing them to escape through Russia to a safe haven in Japan. "Sugihara: Conspiracy of Kindness" is the definitive telling of this moving story and a monument to the life and legacy of a true hero. Producer Diane Estelle Vicari is an award-winning documentary filmmaker who has produced numerous films highlighting humanitarian causes and social change. Over the course of six years, she produced "Sugihara: Conspiracy of Kindness," presented at the United Nations in New York and in Geneva in the summer of 2000. The film won BEST DOCUMENTARY 2000 at the Hollywood Film Festival and is the winner of the prestigious 2000 International Documentary Association/PARE LORENTZ Award. It was also a selection of the 2001 DOCtober Film Festival. Ms. Vicari is the founder of DOCdance Productions, a documentary company aimed at producing international independent documentaries that promote the advancement of our individuality and our global interdependence. Her credits include the Emmy Award-winning "Titanic: Death of a Dream," "The Legends Live On," the Emmy Award-nominee "The Last Days of World War II," and the NBC Special "Angels II."

April 17

Lecture: A Hundred Years of Japanese Film
Donald Richie (Author and Independent Scholar)
403 Kent Hall, Columbia University (116th St. & Amsterdam Ave.)
6:00 PM
Reception to follow
Books will be available for purchase and signing
 

For over fifty years, Donald Richie has been living in Japan and writing about Japan and its people. He has written over forty books and hundreds of articles and today is considered one of the foremost experts on Japanese culture and films. A Hundred Years of Japanese Film At this event, Donald Richie will discuss his new book A Hundred Years of Japanese Film (February 2001 by Kodansha International). From its inception in the late 1800s through the achievements of Kurosawa, Mizoguchi, Ozu, and on to the notable works of today's young filmmakers, in this book Mr. Richie gives us an incisive, detailed, and highly illustrated history of Japan's cinema. He discusses the careers of Japan's rising stars and celebrated directors, and also offers a fascinating view of the strategies and politics of the movie studios themselves.

April 18

LET THOSE WHO APPEAR: Readings and Discussion by Poet Kazuko Shiraishi
Kazuko Shiraishi (Poet)
Introduction by Poet and Translator Hiroaki Sato; Ms. Shiraishi will be joined by the translators of Let Those Who Appear, Yumiko Tsumura and Samuel Grolmes
403 Kent Hall, Columbia University (116th St. & Amsterdam Ave.)
6:00 PM
Poems will be read in both Japanese and English
Reception to follow
Books will be available for purchase and signing
 

Pic: Nobuhiko Hishinuma One of Japan's leading poets, Kazuko Shiraishi was born in Vancouver, Canada in 1931. She was taken to Japan by her family just before war broke out. Young, and independent minded, Shiraishi began her poetic career in her early teens among the turmoil and devastation of post-war Japan. Recognized by the leading poets of the time, she insisted on her artistic independence, and struck out on her own to develop a unique voice and style. Influenced by abstract art, experimental literature and avant garde jazz music, she began a career of innovation and expansion at an early age, and has followed that path throughout her life. She braved the mores of conventional Japanese society to write explicitly about sexual and spiritual freedom. She read her poetry along with jazz music, inspired by the improvisational freedom and genuine emotional expression she found there. Her books of poetry have received the highest literary awards Japan has to offer. Recognized world wide, she has been invited to poetry festivals and conferences in every continent. Her poems have been translated into more than 20 languages, and she had performed and read in over 30 countries. Let Those Who Appear Let Those Who Appear, a volume of translations by Yumiko Tsumura and Samuel Grolmes, (to be published by New Directions in March 2002), brings this unique poet's voice up to date. Her care and concern for humanity, her passionate devotion to life in all forms, here makes a giant step beyond her first sensational book in English, Seasons of Sacred Lust, which Kenneth Rexroth brought into the world more than twenty five years ago. Kazuko Shiraishi's trip to the United States, in conjunction with the publication of "Let Those Who Appear", is being sponsored by the Japan Society, New York.

April 24

Lecture: Wuthering Heights and Modern Japanese Literature
Eve Zimmerman (Assistant Professor of Japanese Literature and Language, Wellesley College)
403 Kent Hall, Columbia University (116th St. & Amsterdam Ave.)
6:00 PM
 

Professor Zimmerman will discuss the relationship between Wuthering Heights and modern Japanese women's writing. Referring to three works: Wuthering Heights, the original text; Wuthering Heights, the play by Kono Taeko; and Tsushima Yuko's fictional and non-fictional writings based on this classic text, Professor Zimmerman looks at the text's initial arrival to Japan and, subsequently, how it has affected modern Japanese fiction. She then considers how Japanese authors have altered the text itself. Finally, Professor Zimmerman will discuss how the term "shojo," or girl, in modern Japanese literature might be illuminated from Wuthering Heights.

April 26

Award Ceremony and Reception for Translation Prizes
Main Reading Room, C.V. Starr East Asian Library, Kent Hall, Columbia University (116th St. & Amsterdam Ave.)
6:15 PM
Reception immediately following ceremony
RSVP REQUIRED
PLEASE E-MAIL the Donald Keene Center at donald-keene-center@columbia.edu or call 212-854-5036 by April 18th if you plan to attend
 

The Donald Keene Center of Japanese Culture will hold an award ceremony and reception honoring the winners of the 2001-2002 Japan-U.S. Friendship Commission Prizes for the Translation of Japanese Literature • Classical Category:  Mae J. Smethurst - Dramatic Representations of Filial Piety: Five Noh in Translation • Modern Category:  James Philip Gabriel - Life in the Cul-De-Sac (Gunsei) by Senji Kuroi

 

April 30 2002 Soshitsu Sen XV Distinguished Lecture on Japanese Culture: Tradition and Creative Power in Theatre Tadashi Suzuki (World-renowned Experimental Theater Director) Low Rotunda, Low Memorial Library, Columbia University (116th Street between Broadway and Amsterdam Avenues) 6:00 PM Lecture to be given in Japanese with English translation Reception to follow (Faculty Room of Low Memorial Library) RSVP REQUIRED PLEASE E-MAIL the Donald Keene Center at donald-keene-center@columbia.edu or call 212-854-5036 by April 22nd Tadashi Suzuki is a world-renowned experimental theater director and the creator of the Suzuki Method of Acting Training. He is also the founder and director of the Suzuki Company of Toga (SCOT), Chairman of the Japan Performing Arts Foundation (JPAF), and Artistic Director of the Shizuoka Performing Arts Center (SPAC). His multicultural creative vision and pioneering style have made a major impact on theater throughout the world. His works include "On the Dramatic Passions," "The Trojan Women," "Dionysus," "Lear," "Cyrano de Bergerac," "Oedipus Rex," "Electra," and the opera "Vision of Lear." The Suzuki Method is a system of exercises designed to communicate Suzuki's philosophy on performance. The cornerstone of this philosophy is a belief in the fact that human beings possess the ability to tap into the expressive power of animal energy and that theater, as a context for this expression, is crucial on both a social and spiritual level in today's global environment. Suzuki has articulated his theories in a number of books including a collection of writings in English, "The Way of Acting," published by the Theatre Communications Group of the U.S.A. Mr. Suzuki is a Visiting Fellow of the Donald Keene Center, under a program supported by the United States-Japan Foundation.

May 8

Lecture: Emperor of Japan: Meiji and His World, 1852-1912
Donald Keene (University Professor Emeritus at Columbia University and Shincho Professor of Japanese Literature Emeritus)
Asia Society and Museum (725 Park at 70th Street, New York City)
6:30 PM
Tickets: $7 Asia Society members; $10 nonmembers; free to students with valid I.D. on a first come first served basis
Book signing and reception follow
For further information about this lecture, please call the Asia Society at (212) 517-ASIA (2742) or go to www.asiasociety.org
The preeminent American authority on Japanese literature presents a vivid and engrossing biography of the Emperor Meiji, who opened Japan to the West and saw the country transformed from a land dominated by the shogun and the daimyos to a modern, industrialized state.
This lecture is in conjunction with the exhibition New Way of Tea presented simultaneously at Asia Society and Museum and Japan Society, March 6 through May 19.
Co-sponsored by Asia Society and the Japan Society

May 8

Panel Discussion : Cross-Cultural Influences in Theater
Room 301, Uris Hall, Columbia University (116th Street between Broadway and Amsterdam Avenues)
7:00 PM-8:30 PM
• Tadashi Suzuki (Artistic Director of the Shizuoka Performing Arts Center & Visiting Fellow of the Keene Center)
• Ming Cho Lee (Theatrical Set Designer)
• Mel Gussow (The New York Times Drama Critic and Cultural Writer)
• Ben Cameron (Executive Director of the Theatre Communications)
• Arnold Aronson - Panel Moderator (Professor of Theatre Arts Division, School of the Arts, Columbia University )
Introduction by Paul Anderer (Professor of Japanese Literature, East Asian Languages and Cultures Dept., Columbia University)
Co-sponsored by the Theatre Arts Division, School of the Arts and supported by the Center on Japanese Economy and Business
Mr. Suzuki is a Visiting Fellow of the Donald Keene Center, under a program supported by the United States-Japan Foundation.

300 Years of The 47 Ronin: A Chushingura Retrospective

October 3 & 4 (Thursday & Friday)

Workshop: New Perspectives in the Study of Shinto
Coordinated by Professor Ryuichi Abe (Kao Associate Professor of Religion & Department Chair, Columbia University)
403 Kent Hall, Columbia University (116th St. & Amsterdam Ave.)
October 3: 2:00 PM-6:00 PM; October 4: 9:00 AM-5:30 PM
International workshop with scholars from Japan, Europe, and the U.S.
 

This two-day workshop will be sponsored jointly by the Donald Keene Center of Japanese Culture, the International Shinto Foundation (ISF), and the Institute for Medieval Japanese Studies at Columbia University. The workshop simultaneously serves as ISF's 7th International Symposium. The goal of this workshop is twofold. One is to stimulate further exchange on Shinto and Shinto-related issues among scholars working in diversified, interdisciplinary fields of Japanese and religious studies. The other is to historicize Shinto in its political, social, and cultural contexts. This workshop will encourage the participating scholars to look at new fields of study and develop new research methods in wide-ranging academic disciplines. RSVP required (limited seating) Call 212-854-5036 or e-mail donald-keene-center@columbia.edu by September 30th if you plan to attend. Please note that parts of this workshop will be conducted in Japanese.

October 16

Lecture: Modern Japanese Literature: One Hundred Years of Solitude
Genichiro Takahashi (Novelist)
403 Kent Hall, Columbia University (116th St. & Amsterdam Ave.)
6:30 PM
Lecture to be given in Japanese with English translation
Reception to follow

  Genichiro Takahashi is one of Japan's leading postmodern writers. He has published numerous novels, short stories, and essays over the past two decades. His first novel, Sayonara, Gyangutachi (Sayonara, Gangsters, 1982), won the Gunzo Literary Award for First Novels. In addition, his Yuga de kansho-teki na Nippon-yakyuu (Japanese Baseball: Elegant and Sentimental) won the Mishima Yukio Award in 1988, and his Nihon bungaku seisui shi recently received the Itoh Sei Literature Award. His other works include Pengin mura ni hi wa ochite (Sunset in Penguin Village, 1989), Wakusei P-13 no himitsu (The Secret of Planet 13, 1990), and Gosutobasutazu (Ghostbusters, 1997).

In this talk, Mr. Takahashi will be reading from his first published novel, Sayonara, Gyangutachi. He will also be commenting on Japanese literature from the turn of the 20th century to the present.


Mr. Takahashi is a Visiting Fellow of the Donald Keene Center, under a program supported by the United States-Japan Foundation.
 

October 21

Screening of Lily Festival (Yurisai) and Q&A Session with the Film's Award-winning director Hamano Sachi
Roone Arledge Cinema, Lerner Hall, Columbia University (115th St. & Broadway)
7:00 PM

Directed by HAMANO Sachi Starring Yoshiyuki Kazuko, Mickey Curtis, Shoji Utae, Shirakawa Kazuko Japan 2001. 100 min. In Japanese with English subtitles The novel this movie is based on is Lily Festival (Yurisai), a caustic and brightly humorous portrayal of the sexuality of elderly women. Written by MOMOTANI Hoko, a resident of Hokkaido, it won the Hokkaido Newspaper Literary Prize in 1999, and was published in book form by Kodansha in 2000. The heroines of the story are seven women who range in age from 69 to 91. When an elderly ladies' man moves into their old-fashioned apartment building, a tremendous commotion ensues. Utterly unlike a typically reticent Japanese man, this old fellow charms the women with graceful gestures and eloquent rhetoric. That these ladies are all taken in by this smooth-talking old fellow is due to the special circumstances of the elderly, which are different from the environment in which they fell in love in their youth: "The men die earlier, so when you get to this age, there are hardly any left." "It's not enough that they just be alive; they should be sexy too." The women of this film are bold and overflowing with energy. In Japan, desexualized 'cute old ladies' sometimes appear as an ideal representation of the aged, but the residents of Lily Festival's apartment building are not pent up by the image of the 'old lady.' Once the gray-haired dandy has shown them the possibilities of sexuality, they dauntlessly break out of their shells and begin to act. This film portrays the lively reawakening of the sexual energies of old women who had been shackled by both oppression of women and discrimination against the elderly. HAMANO Sachi had always wanted to work as a director. But in the 1960s, when she tried to get into the world of film-making, the Japanese movie business was a male-dominated society, and there were almost no studios willing to hire women as potential directors. However, in 1968 Hamano succeeded in finding work as an assistant director in independent production companies, and in 1971 she debuted as a director. In 1984 she founded her own production company, Tantansha. Since then, working as both producer and director, she has released over 300 low-budget adult films portraying sexuality from women's perspectives, becoming one of the most popular and respected filmmakers in this genre. Throughout her career Hamano has maintained her philosophy of celebrating the sexuality of her heroines but not degrading their images, and her recent independent films have been widely supported in Japan by women's and grass-roots groups. In 1998 she produced In Search of a Lost Writer (Dainanakankai hoko: Ozaki Midori o sagashite) which depicted the life and work of the forgotten female writer OZAKI Midori (1896-1971). Funding for this film was provided in part by donations from over 12,000 women from all over Japan. Hamano was awarded Japan's 4th Women's Culture Prize for Lost Writer in 2000; that same year she encountered MOMOTANI Hoko's novel on elderly sexuality, Lily Festival (Yurisai), and determined to adapt it for the screen. The resulting feature film, completed in 2001, has been screened throughout Japan, and by invitation at film festivals elsewhere in Asia, North America, and Europe, including the International Tokyo Women's Film Festival, the Montreal International Film Festival, and the International Women's Film Festival in Turin, Italy, where it was awarded Second Prize in the Dramatic Features category.

November 12

Lecture - demonstration: Aizome
Ken'ichi Utsuki (of Aizenkobo, a leading establishment of traditional indigo dyeing in Kyoto)
403 Kent Hall, Columbia University (116th St. & Amsterdam Ave.)
6:00 PM
 

Kenichi Utsuki was born and raised in Kyoto, Japan. He took an early interest in fabrics, influenced by his grandfather who was a textile merchant and amateur painter. Early on he also learned the art of tea ceremony from his grandmother. Mr. Utsuki studied mathematics at Nihon University, and earned a bachelor's degree in English from Kyoto Sangyo University. He learned the skill of Japanese indigo dyeing with natural dyes from his father, and has gone on to promote this traditional craft with his own improvements. His works have been displayed in museums, including the following works in the permanent collection at the Victoria & Albert Museum in London: Stencil dye of Japanese pure indigo Noren "Momokuri Sannnen Kaki Hachinen" (2/1995); Stencil dye of Japanese pure indigo Noren "Haru mata Kaeru" (10/1996); Japanese pure indigo paper with pure gold scroll "Setsugetsuka" (6/1997). Aizenkobo is an indigo-dyeing workshop that has been in operation for three generations. Aizenkobo produces and promotes indigo handicraft work using the traditional Japanese method. Its "eggplant" blue is impossible to reproduce with artificial chemical pigments. Various items, from clothing to tapestries, are displayed in the shop. Natural indigo has been considered a valuable blue dyeing material for centuries. It can be extracted from the fiber of several different plants. In Japan, the only useable indigo plant is polygonum, which is well-known for its outstanding deep color. Fermented polygonum, the dye pigment, is called "sukumo." In addition to the "sukumo," wheat husk powder, limestone powder, lye ash, and sake are also mixed into the vats to complete the liquid dye. Then for approximately a week, the dye naturally begins to ferment until it reaches its usable state. Indigo threads and materials—specifically cotton and linen—are generally soaked and dried 15 to 20 times. Silk, on the other hand, must be soaked and dried 40 to 45 times. This is the only way to deepen the color. The dyed thread and materials are sun-dried, which is when the deep indigo blue appears most strongly on the fiber surface. Indigo also strengthens the material. Indigo dyeing is considered one of the most beautiful dyeing techniques known to man. Indigo dyed materials soften with use, and the quality of the color's richness increases with time. (Text from http://web.kyoto-inet.or.jp/people/utsuki/index.html) Mr. Utsuki will also participate in the following activities in the Princeton, NJ area: 1) Japanese Indigo Dyeing (Aizome) Lecture-demonstration Place: Princeton University, 202 Jones Hall (phone: 609-258-5722 for more information) Date & Time: Friday, November 15th, 2:00p.m.-5:00pm 2) All-day indigo workshop Place: Montgomery Center for the Arts, 124 Montgomery Road, Skillman, NJ Date & Time: Saturday, November 16th, 2002, from 10:00 a.m. Fee $150.00. To register, phone 609-921-3272.

November 14

Lecture and slide presentation: Against the Grain: An Aesthetics of Japanese Popular Prints, 1915-1960
Kendall Brown (Professor of Art History, California State University, Long Beach)
403 Kent Hall, Columbia University (116th St. & Amsterdam Ave.)
6:00 PM

Eyebrow Pencil by Ito Shinsui, 1928 Most studies of modern Japanese art privilege the avant-garde and marginalize that which is too overtly commercial, sentimental or traditional. Those few examinations of conservative modern artistic movements tend to focus on biography or social context, thus avoiding the presumably dubious issue of aesthetics. This talk will attempt to elucidate and account for the concepts of beauty active in the modern prints known collectively as Shin hanga. Co-sponsored by the Ukiyo-e Society of America, Inc.

November 20

Lecture: The Iconography of Ships and the Problem of 'Isolation' in the Later Edo Period
Timon Screech (School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London and Sainsbury Institute; Visiting Professor, New York University)
612 Schermerhorn Hall, Columbia University (118th St. & Amsterdam Ave.)
6:00 PM

Drawing of Japanese boat with the mast down (from Kaempfer's Japan: Tokugawa Culture Observed) The Tokugawa regime foreswore ocean-going ships early in the 17th century. International trade was thus entirely in the hands of foreigners, mostly Chinese and Dutch, but these merchants were of course working for their own, not the shogunate's, advantage. In the 1780s, the Tokugawa therefore determined to construct a fleet. This is a forgotten but fascinating moment. Their huge dilemma was how these ships should look. They could not be too visibly outlandish, but at the same time a Japanese-style vessel would not stay afloat in high seas. They compromised and produced a prototype, the 'Ship of the Three Countries' (Sangoku-maru). It sank.

Co-sponsored by the Department of Art History and Archaeology

December 6

Workshop: Buddhist Literature and Emaki
Organized by Professor Shunsho Manabe (President & Professor of Esoteric Buddhist Art, Hosen Gakuen College; Visiting Fellow of the Donald Keene Center*)
403 Kent Hall, Columbia University (116th St. & Amsterdam Ave.)
10:00 AM - 5:30 PM

This workshop will explore a broad range of issues related to works of literature, emaki (picture scrolls), and other forms of art that emerged in Japan from Buddhist influences from the Heian and Kamakura periods. Professor Shunsho Manabe and leading scholars from Columbia and other academic and art institutions will participate.

Workshop Schedule
Each participant will give a 30-min. presentation, which will be followed by a 15-min. discussion. (presentation titles TBA)

Morning Session (Moderator: Prof. Ryuichi Abe)
• 10:00 am-10:45 am: Shunsho Manabe (Hosen Gakuen College)
• 10:45 am-11:30 am: TBA
• 11:30 am-12:15 pm: Yukiko Shirahara (Seattle Asian Art Museum)
• 12:15 pm-1:00 pm: Melissa McCormick (Columbia University)

• 1:00 pm-2:30 pm:  Lunch Break

Afternoon Session (Moderator: Prof. Melissa McCormick)
• 2:30 pm-3:15 pm:  Ryuichi Abe (Columbia University)
• 3:15 pm-4:00 pm: Masako Watanabe (Metropolitan Museum of Art)
• 4:00 pm-4:45 pm: Samuel Morse (Amherst College)
• 4:45 pm-5:30 pm: Concluding Discussion