Armstead Robinson was a pioneer in African-American studies, a historian of the Civil War and Reconstruction and the founder and director of the University of Virginia’s Carter G. Woodson Institute for African-American and African Studies. U.Va.’s Center for the Study of Race and Law and the Black Law Students Association will sponsor a panel discussion on “The Demise of the Confederacy to the Rise of African-American Studies: The Intellectual Legacy of Armstead Robinson,” tomorrow at 4:30 p.m. in Caplin Pavlion. Panelists will include Paul M. Gaston, U.Va. professor emeritus of history, and Corey D. B. Walker, assistant professor of religious studies and of African-American studies at U.Va. A reception will follow. For information, contact Kim Forde-Mazrui.

U.Va. News Services

Higher education experts predict that the already unprecedented surge of interest in East Asian languages will only intensify over the next decade. University of Virginia history professor Ron Dimberg (left), who served as the director of U.Va.’s East Asia Center from its beginning in 1975 to 1979, sees U.Va. as part of this national trend. According to Bradly Reed (right), the center’s current director, “Our knowledge of China and other parts of East Asia has been grounded in ignorance for decades. But since the Reform era [of the 1980s], China has attracted enormous interest for students who want to pursue jobs [there] in business or with the State Department.” Through U.Va.’s center, students interested in East Asia languages can choose from course offerings taught by more than 30 faculty who represent such disciplines as anthropology, history, English, politics, music, economics, religious studies, education, gender studies and architecture. In addition, the center provides students with a range of study abroad opportunities, including three University-based programs. Full story.

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