{"id":28480,"date":"2020-02-18T10:00:19","date_gmt":"2020-02-18T16:00:19","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.discoverclarksville.com\/articles\/?p=28480"},"modified":"2020-02-18T01:45:49","modified_gmt":"2020-02-18T07:45:49","slug":"apsu-professor-david-rands-selected-for-prestigious-japanese-fellowship","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.discoverclarksville.com\/articles\/2020\/02\/18\/apsu-professor-david-rands-selected-for-prestigious-japanese-fellowship\/","title":{"rendered":"APSU professor David Rands selected for prestigious Japanese fellowship"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"AustinClarksville, TN<\/strong> – An Austin Peay State University (APSU) professor is one of 13 scholars from around the world \u2013 and one of only three in the United States \u2013 chosen for an in-depth three-week fellowship in Ise, Japan. <\/p>\n

\"Austin<\/a>

Austin Peay State University associate professor Dr. David Rands. (APSU)<\/p><\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

Dr. David Rands, an associate professor in history and the director of Austin Peay State University\u2019s Asian studies program, will attend the Ise and Japan Study Program from February 17th-March 7th at Kogakkan University. <\/p>\n

While there, he\u2019ll visit a sacred forest in the Mie Prefecture to study The Ise Grand Shrine, the most important shrine to the Shinto religion in the country.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Ise Grand Shrine is the shrine to the sun goddess,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s the most important Shinto shrine in Japan. Traditionally, the emperor is seen as the descendant of the sun goddess. That\u2019s been the imperial line since at least 700. It\u2019s the longest reigning dynasty in the world. <\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a really significant shrine because every 20 years they take and move it,\u201d Rands added. \u201cThey take it down and rebuild it in a spot next to it. <\/p>\n

\u2018A perspective that only 13 people in the world have\u2019<\/h3>\n

Rands will join scholars from universities such as the Russian Scientific Academy, Warsaw University and Heidelberg University. The other two Americans are from the University of California, Santa Barbara, and the University of California, Berkeley. <\/p>\n

\u201cIt is intimidating because all these scholars are really high-end scholars,\u201d Rands said. <\/p>\n

The fellowship will offer the participants a deep understanding of Ise and Japanese culture.<\/p>\n

Kogakkan University also hopes the scholars spread what they\u2019ve learned through social media and tradition. Rands plans to incorporate it into his classes at Austin Peay State University. <\/p>\n

\u201cThis is really good for the research,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s one of the few times that you can actually see the backside of all this stuff that nobody else can really see and then come back and share it with students and have a perspective that only 13 people in the world are going to have. <\/p>\n

\u201cThe number of people who have been behind the scenes of the Ise Grand Shrine is really, really small,\u201d he added. <\/p>\n

\u2018A cool opportunity to learn in such depth\u2019 <\/h3>\n

The class schedule will be intensive. The scholars have classes every day, with only a few days off. But they\u2019ll get intimate access to the famed shrine. <\/p>\n

\u201cObviously, we\u2019re studying the history of the shrine, but then we also have classes on shrine construction,\u201d Rands said. \u201cThey don\u2019t use any nails.\u201d <\/p>\n

\u201cI think it\u2019s just a cool opportunity to learn in such depth from the leading people in the world on that shrine,\u201d he added. <\/p>\n

They\u2019ll also have classes on urban development and tradition, traditional festivals. The students have to deliver presentations about what they learn. <\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s been a long time since I\u2019ve been a student like this,\u201d Rands said. \u201cI\u2019m used to being on the other side of the desk.\u201d<\/p>\n

To learn more<\/h3>\n