CHIN 111 01/02 Beginning Chinese I
5 credits
Staff
Ninety minutes per week of independent lab time 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.
CHIN 151A/C 01 Film and Fiction in Modern China
4 credits
Choy, Howard
Taught in English
We will watch and discuss representative films from the major waves of movie making in China, and we will read representative fiction from the four main literary periods in 20th century China; in two cases, the readings will be the original stories used to make the movies. We will focus on both the aesthetics of the short stories and movies as well as the cultural values they express. All readings, discussions, and lectures will be in English, and the films will have English subtitles. The Chinese have written magnificent stories and made great films so it will be an interesting and entertaining course. The course can be used to meet either the “A” or “C” General Education requirements.
CHIN 211 01 Intermediate Chinese I
5 credits
Choy, Howard
Prerequisite: Chinese 112 or the equivalent
Ninety minutes per week of independent lab time required
We will focus on continuing to build both your reading and speaking abilities in modern Chinese. There will be an emphasis on reviewing the grammar we previously studied and mastering additional structures. We will, of course, be learning new vocabulary and developing greater skill with the writing system of the language. There will be many different activities aimed at improving both your speaking, listening, and reading skills in Chinese.
CHIN 311 01 Directed Readings in Chinese Newspapers
4 credits
Choy, Howard
Prerequisite: Chinese 212
This is a third year course in advanced Chinese. It aims at developing competence in the language with an emphasis on strategies and tactics of reading Chinese newspapers to enable students to acquaint themselves with recent developments in China. To accommodate the rapid changes in Chinese life and language today, we will supplement each lesson of the textbook with authentic news articles from the Internet. Students should expect a steady expansion of their vocabulary and speak the language in all classroom activities.
HIST 101C 1W Modern China
4 credits
Maus, Tanya
Using primary sources (first-hand accounts), visual media, and scholarly essays, this course examines the sweeping historical changes that have shaped modern China. In particular, we will examine the ways in which individuals interacted with larger internal and external forces to create dynastic and revolutionary change, from the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), to Republican Nationalism (1912-1949), and into the Mao Era (1949-1976). We will conclude by exploring how this history of change and competing voices has translated into China in the present. Students’ work will be evaluated through in-class participation, in-class quizzes, presentations and a variety of written assignments.
Writing Intensive
HIST 202C 2W Hiroshima’s Shadows
4 credits
Maus, Tanya
Prerequisite: Sophomore standing
The course explores how historians write and interpret history by examining the historical debates and historical memory of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Japan from 1945 to the present. We will consider how the understanding of the atomic bombings and the reasons for the bombings have changed over time in Japanese public discourse by focusing on primary and secondary sources written by Japanese scientists, artists, and literary figures from 1945 to the present. The understanding of Japanese atomic bomb discourse will be deepened by also pursuing the changing historical memory of the atomic bombings in the United States, since the national narratives of the atomic bombing in the US and Japan are deeply intertwined. This course will engage students in the study of the diverse perspectives within Japan regarding the atomic bombing. In particular, the course will look at differing atomic bomb narratives (for example, those of Korean victims of the bombing and current cancer victims that continue trace their illness to the atomic bombings) in Japan that have been often excluded from public memory and that struggle to survive in the face of erasure from the political center. Students’ work will be evaluated through in-class participation, in-class quizzes, presentations and a variety of written assignments.
WRITING INTENSTIVE
JAPN 111 01/02 Beginning Japanese I
5 credits
Imai, Terumi
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.
JAPN 150A/C 01 Survey of Japanese Literature
4 credits
Staff
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. Taught in English, readings in English.
JAPN 211 01 Intermediate Japanese I
5 credits
Imai, Terumi
Prerequisite: Japanese 112 with a C- or higher or placement
Ninety minutes per week of independent lab time required
Further development of the fundamental communication skills of listening, speaking, reading, and writing, as well as the sociolinguistic information necessary for effective communication with Japanese natives.
JAPN 311 01 Advanced Japanese I
4 credits
Staff
Prerequisite: Japanese 212 with a C- or higher or placement
The goal of the course is to develop culturally and socially appropriate proficiency in the four language skills: reading, writing, listening, and speaking.
JAPN 430 01 Topics in Japanese Language and Literature
4 credits
Staff
Prerequisite: Japanese 312
This course is designed to meet the needs of Japanese language students who have surpassed the highest levels of Japanese language study available in existing courses at the university. Course design will vary in accordance with student need, and may include select readings and conversation activities.
POLI 210C/S 01 East Asian Politics
4 credits
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).
Cultures and Languages Across the Curriculum: CLAC
The course allows students with intermediate level Chinese and Japanese language skills—completed two credits beyond 112 or to be currently enrolled in a course beyond 112—to earn extra 1 credit connected to this course. Your work will be guided by your Language instructor.
To register for the CLAC component, students must also register for a one-credit LANG 230 CLAC module listed among the Language Department’s offerings. Meeting times and location will be arranged at the beginning of the semester. Credit for CLAC modules may be counted toward the requirements for International Studies and as elective credit in the Language department. 02/11
PSYC 280 01 Psychology & Culture
4 credits
Crane, Lauren
Prerequisite: Sophomore standing (or higher)
People cannot speak without having an accent from somewhere. In much the same way, people's psychological functioning is not accent-free. This course highlights the extent to which all levels of psychological functioning, even "basic" ones, are grounded in culture-specific assumptions about what matters, what is "good”, and how the world works. Students are expected to emerge from this class with a sharpened ability to critique generalizations made about human psychology, a greater appreciation of interpersonal diversity, and a richer understanding of how their own ways of thinking and being derive from culture-bound experiences. Course requirements include exams, research projects, and class participation. This course contains substantial East Asian content and counts toward the East Asian Studies major/minor. This course also includes an optional "Cultures and Languages across the Curriculum" (CLAC) component.
RELI 100R/C 02 TOPICS: Religions of the Silk Road
4 credits
Oldstone-Moore, Jennifer
By the second century BCE the Silk Road connected diverse and powerful civilizations across the Eurasian landmass. The civilizations of China, Iran, Iraq, India, the Mediterranean world and numerous nomadic tribes were a part of a movement that integrated regional systems into an early world system. This was a time of tremendous religious ferment, growth and change. Taking the starting place of the Chinese empire and its role in this global trading network, this course will focus on the religions found on the Silk Road through time (second century BCE to the fourteenth century CE, and in the modern era) and space (central and eastern Eurasia). In addition to an overview of major traditions of the premodern era, including Zoroastrianism, Manichaeism, Nestorian Christianity, Islam, Judaism, many schools of Buddhism, and indigenous Chinese religion, we will spend part of our semester focusing on the movement of Buddhist pilgrims responding to the religious growth of Buddhism on the Silk Road including Xuanzang and Fa Xian. We will finish with a look at the modern Silk Road, especially in China’s Muslim Xinjiang province.
RELI 134C/R 01 Chinese and Japanese ReligiousTraditions
4 credits
Oldstone-Moore, Jennifer
This course examines several religious traditions which have shaped East Asian civilizations. We will study the formal traditions of Taoism, Confucianism, Buddhism, Shinto and the New Religions; we will also consider the popular religious traditions of China and Japan. Classes include both lecture and discussion; students will be evaluated through essay exams, short papers and analysis of scripture and other texts.
