100 C. Introduction to East Asia
4 Hours
Smith, Stephen
Pre-requisite: None
This course introduces the three major civilizations and cultures of East Asia: China, Japan and Korea. These civilizations are approached through their history, literature, government, religion, social structures, and medical traditions, using a variety of materials. The course examines the patterns established in premodern East Asia, and also the changes and continuity of those patterns in modern East Asia.
301. Topics: East Asian Medical Cultures
4 Hours
Smith, Stephen
Prerequisities: None
This course is a survey of the medical concepts, practices and problems of East Asia. After introducing traditional East Asian medical concepts, the course will deal with the interaction of plural medical systems and social institutions in the People's Republic of China, Taiwan, Japan and Korea. Consideration will be given to such issues as shamanism and magical healing, culturally specific syndromes and therapies, alcoholism and drug dependency, and systems of health care delivery.
Chinese 111: Beginning Chinese I
5 Hours
Staff
Ninety minutes a week of independent lab time is required. Chinese is a fascinating language. It does not have Western style grammatical features such as tense, gender, number, agreement, etc. Instead, grammatical values are defined by markers and position, with the result that where elements are in sentences determines meaning. Chinese has a relatively simple phonetic structure and uses tones (voice pitches) to differentiate between words. The character writing system operates on the basis of representing concepts and sounds in a way that is fundamentally different from English alphabetic writing. These differences make Chinese an entrancing language and a window on a very different way of talking and thinking about the world. This year we will continue to use a textbook that concentrates on communicating in Chinese.
Mastering the dialogues and conversations it contains will give you the ability to interact with Chinese people on topics from everyday life. We will also begin our study of the specifics of the Chinese writing system, and over the semester you will learn to read and write 250 characters and compounds.
Chinese 130A/C: Chinese Women Writers, Ancient and Modern (In English)
4 Hours
Staff
Prerequisites: None
This course is a general introduction to Chinese women writers in different historical periods, namely, pre-modern, modern, and contemporary. To help students understand the gender issue, it provides them with a cultural background from the Confucian patriarchy to the Maoist "equality" between the sexes, as well as a background on cultural norms toward Chinese women. It discovers women's voice in a traditionally male-centered society and literature, examines the feminine/masculine opposition, studies how Chinese women writers have not only formed their own voice, but also often led the way in the literary development of the post-Mao period. It is hoped that participants come away from this course having acquired an understanding of Chinese women writings after having explored the complex thoughts of women writers from ancient to modern China and that students will have learned how to appreciate literary texts and the different ways readers may interpret these texts. Taught in English.
Japanese 111: Beginning Japanese I
5 Hours
Christiansen, A.
Ninety minutes per week of independent lab time required. Introduces the fundamental communication skills of listening, speaking, reading, and writing, as well as the sociolinguistic information necessary for effective communication with Japanese natives.
Japanese 150A/C: Survey of Japanese Literature
4 Hours
Christiansen, A.
No prerequisite. Taught in English. Introduction to major literary works written in Japan between the year 900 and the present. Designed to be of interest to the entire campus community.
ECON 275: Economies in Transition
4 Hours
Frost, Marcia
Prerequisite: Econ 190
Transition economics, a new field since the early 1990s, explores the process and results of the decisions of the nation states of the former Soviet Union, Eastern Europe and East Asia to move from centrally-planned toward market and from socialist toward capitalist economies. A central focus of the course will be the examination of the strategies pursued and progress of transition in these countries at the macro and sectoral levels, the institutions that have evolved, and the human welfare consequences of the transition process. This course meets the non-Western goal (C) and is cross-listed with Russian Area Studies; offered every 3rd semester.
POLI 210S/C East Asian Politics
4 hours
Yu, Bin
The course introduces students to the political structure and dynamics of three major countries, or group of countries, in East Asia: Japan, China, and Korea (South Korea and North Korea) The role of the United States in regional politics is also discussed. The major objective is to make students familiar with their history, politics, and economy, their relationships with each other, and the impact of East Asia as whole on global affairs. There will be one mid-term exam, one final exam, and a take-home essay (7-9 pages).
