Amrutha Kunapulli's landmark book offers a bold reimagining of Tamil cinema in the twenty-first century, moving beyond the limits of "Indian" cinema to reveal its deep entanglements with global histories and transnational audiences. By tracing the industry's narrative traditions and their already global past, it shows how the star system, comedy track, and song sequence have been transformed in the age of digital media and global circulation. At once a history and a theoretical intervention, the book redefines world cinema through the process of "worlding," and illuminates how Tamil cinema continues to negotiate questions of state, nationhood, and cultural identity while asserting itself as world cinema today.

This event is co-sponsored by MSU Film Studies, English Department, and Asian Studies Center.

Joao Vicente Melo (Universidad Pablo de Olavide Seville), Portugese Encounters with the Indo-Persian Islamicate World: The Mughals and Safavids. 

Looking for a great resume builder that demonstrates your passion for service and cross-cultural connections?

In more than 60 countries worldwide, Peace Corps Volunteers are putting their purpose, passion, and skills to work in partnership with welcoming host communities - growing, teaching, learning, and making change. Together.

Join MSU's Peace Corps Prep Program Coordinator to learn about how Spartans can prepare for and serve in the Peace Corps.

Participants in the undergraduate Peace Corps Prep certificate program work throughout their studies to fulfil requirements in four competencies: sector-specific skills, foreign language proficiency, intercultural competence, and professional development. Upon completion of the requirements, program participants receive a certificate directly from the Peace Corps that makes them more competitive in the application process to serve in the Peace Corps.

Join us in person or via Zoom (must log in using MSU NetID): 

   Topic: Build Your Resume with the Peace Corps Prep Program
   Time: Oct 16, 2025 04:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
   Join Zoom Meeting: https://msu.zoom.us/j/91209613887

   Meeting ID: 912 0961 3887

Explore the Peace Corps Prep program and Peace Corps Recruitment Office websites for more information!

Join us for an engaging discussion on the translation of popular comics inspired by Classical Chinese thought, examining how cultural and philosophical ideas are conveyed across languages and media. The talk will be led by Professor Brian Bruya of Eastern Michigan University and is hosted by Professor Jon Keune.

The Korean Traditional Music Orchestra for the Blind (KTMOB) is a professional ensemble of visually impaired musicians founded in 2011 through a partnership between Korea's Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism and the Siloam Center. Known for performances around the world, KTMOB blends traditional Korean instruments with a range of musical styles. Their program offers a moving message of resilience and hope, showcasing the unifying power of music across cultures and abilities. Click here to learn more.

Join us for a compelling lecture that examines the complex interplay between gender, sin, and salvation in premodern Japanese Buddhism. While the tradition promises that anyone who recalls Amida Buddha at the moment of death may enter his Pure Land, numerous narratives suggest that women and sinful men face overwhelming karmic obstacles, making descent into hell seem inevitable regardless of their devotion. This talk explores how these individuals were portrayed in Buddhist hell paintings of the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries and the spiritual journeys they undertook to escape damnation. Through visual analysis and historical context, the lecture reveals how such artworks shaped and challenged doctrinal frameworks, offering insight into how ritual practice and artistic production contributed to evolving discourses on salvation.

Dr. Mimi Chusid, assistant professor of Japanese art history at the University of Washington, Seattle, will lead the discussion. Her scholarship focuses on Japanese Buddhist visual culture, particularly in the premodern period, with research interests that include the intersection of art, ritual, and text; the role of women in religious image-making and reception; Buddhist materialities; and the implications of conservation in art historical inquiry. Her forthcoming book, The Ill-Fated Afterlife: Painting the Buddhist Cosmos in Premodern Japan, will be published by the University of Washington Press in 2026.

This event, hosted by Professors Michael Toole and Ethan Segal, is made possible by the Japan Council Endowment administered by the MSU Asian Studies Center.

Shayan Rajani, "Leaving Legacies: The Individual in Early Modern South Asia"

Join us for a special in-person event with Louisa Wei of City University of Hong Kong, hosted by Professor Tze-lan Sang. The event schedule is as follows: 

1:00-2:50 pm: "Hong Kong Independent Documentary: Discovering Its Traditions"

4:00-6:45 pm: Havana Divas (2018), film screening and discussion with Director Louisa Wei 

7:00 pm: Dinner

Join the Dr. Verghese Kurien Memorial Lecture featuring Mr. Samir Somaiya, Chancellor of Somaiya Vidyavihar University in Mumbai, India. Mr. Somaiya is also Chairman and Managing Director of Godavari Biorefineries, Ltd., and Past President of the Indian Chamber of Commerce. His lecture, "Building a Beautiful and Sustainable World", will explore pathways toward a more sustainable future.

Click here to register!

Join Director Jiang Nengjie and Producter Xu Xin for a film screening and discussion of the 2024 film Fen (Points, or Separation)