Louisiana Tech’s first two events of the Shaping the 21^st Century: Focus on East Asia series will take place Thursday, March 22. First, at 10:15 a.m., Dr. William M. Tsutsui, a professor of history and dean of the Dedman College of Humanities and Sciences at Southern Methodist University, will serve as the first distinguished speaker. In his lecture, “Sunrise, Sunset: American Visions of Japan from Hiroshima to Fukushima,” he will discuss Japan’s economic and social development from 1945 to the present with an emphasis on how Americans have perceived Japan’s place in the world. Tsutsui is an expert on the history of modern Japan and has written on Japanese banking, Japanese manufacturing and scientific management, and Japanese popular culture. His most recent book is “In Godzilla’s Footsteps: Japanese Pop Culture Icons on the Global Stage” (Palgrave, 2006). The lecture will take place in Wyly Tower Auditorium. At 7 p.m. that night, the 1994 Ang Lee film, “Eat Drink Man Woman,” will be screened in Wyly Tower Auditorium. The Taiwanese film follows the lives of a recently widowed master chef and his three daughters. By preparing exquisitely delicious dishes for a meal each Sunday, Chu yearns to hold onto both family and tradition. Meanwhile, his daughters struggle with the complexities of work, love and independence in a fast-moving modern world. The film will be introduced by Dr. Laurie Stoff, an assistant professor of history, and is part of the events planned for Women’s History Month. The events are free and open to the public.