ART 280C Topics: Asian Art Survey
4 credits
Glowski, Janice
This course surveys art of Asia, including India, China, Korea and Japan, with some attention paid to Central Asia. The art and architecture studied spans from the Neolithic to the Modern periods.
CHIN 111 01 Beginning Chinese I
5 credits
Chan, Shelley
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 Film and Fiction in Modern China
4 credits
Chan, Shelley
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 211F 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 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.
EAST 100 C Introduction to East Asia
4 credits
Oldstone-Moore, Jennifer
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 pre-modern East Asia, and also the changes and continuity of those patterns in modern East Asia. No prerequisites.
EAST 290 Topics: (Korea) in East Asian Studies
4 credits
Staff
This course is to be taught by a Luce Foundation sponsored teaching fellow with an open field (could be Korean popular culture, women, sociology, etc.).
EAST 400 Senior Seminar
4 credits
Choy, Howard
Prerequisite: EAS Senior Majors
A capstone course in which the senior East Asian Studies major integrates the major strands of East Asian history and society around a specific theme and writes an extensive research paper. Every year.
WRITING INTENSTIVE
GEOG 250C China's Geography
4 credits
Lenz, Ralph
Despite many parallels between China's physical environment and that of the USA, there are some notable contrasts. With a geographic area extending from deserts of Central Asia to the Pacific Ocean, environmental diversity within the region is pronounced. This regional course will examine environmental impacts on cultural and economic patterns. China offers a surprising amount of cultural diversity, and cultural and economic contrasts between the Han and various minority populations, a topic not covered in most East Asian Studies classes, will be emphasized. As China undergoes a tremendous economic transition, huge disparities between the interior of the country and its coast have resulted. Demographic, agricultural, and urban patterns will be examined. Evaluation will be based on exams and quizzes, a project, and an oral presentation about one of China's subregions or minority groups.
East Asian Studies majors and minors will find that this class offers perspectives on the environment and on China's minorities that are not covered in other classes, but there will also be introductory coverage of Chinese Culture.
HIST 161C 1W Pre-Modern East Asia
4 credits
Maus, Tanya
Elegant courtiers and eunuchs, ethical scholars, powerful Buddhist nuns, and impudent commoners were some of many groups that created the fabric of East Asian societies during the pre-modern period. This course looks at how such groups within China, Korea and Japan developed the foundations for powerful states and societies with flourishing economies and rich cultural diversity. In particular, we will focus on the inter-relationship of politics, religion, and culture as sources of East Asian interchange and identity. Students' work will be evaluated through in-class participation, in-class quizzes, presentations and a variety of written assignments. This course is Writing Intensive and may be taken for a C credit.
HIST 362C 1W Satire, Critique and Rebellion in Early Modern Japan
4 credits
Maus, Tanya
Prerequisites: One course in history or EAS 100 or permission of instructor.
Can a samurai exchanging the sword for a pen serve as a metaphor for social change? How did various groups of commoners, peasants, and outcastes in early modern Japan find their political voices? This course examines popular dissent in early modern Japan (1600-1868) through samurai critiques of the government and society, popular art such as ukiyoe (Japanese woodblock prints), literary genres such as gesaku (satirical stories), as well as peasant rebellions. Student's work will be evaluated through written assignments, in-class presentations and focused discussion. WRITING INTENSIVE
JAPN 111 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 130A/C Screening Japan: An Introduction to Japanese Film
4 credits
Quimby, Joanne
Taught in English
Through viewing and discussing a variety of Japanese films representing over 100 years of Japanese cinema, students will learn to appreciate how Japan has been presented as a nation and a culture by generations of Japanese directors and by current film critics, both Japanese and western. Topics include the history of the Japanese film industry, major genres in Japanese cinema, issues of cultural hegemony, as well as cinematic constructions of gender, nationhood, and individuality. Students will also learn the technical terms necessary to discuss film in an academic context and will also become conversant with methods of reading a filmic text.
JAPN 211F 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 230A/C The Body in Japanese Women's Literature
4 credits
Quimby, Joanne
Taught in English
This course offers a survey and critical reading of poetry, short fiction and novels by women from Japan's modern period (1868-present). We will discuss the historical background and contribution of these writers to the development of modern Japanese literature. In addition to our primary thematic consideration of representations and experiences of the body in the assigned texts, we will also consider the self-representation of women, their changing roles in Japanese society, and their relationships with themselves and others. However, we will also examine the particular demands that form and style place on our reading: why are some texts more emotionally accessible than others? What sort of subject position is expressed in different narratives? We will consider these questions, and more.
JAPN 311 Advanced Japanese I
4 credits
Quimby, Joanne
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 Advanced Study of Japanese I
4 credits
Imai, Terumi
Prerequisite: Japanese 312 with a C- or higher
This course is designed to further develop culturally and socially appropriate proficiency in the four language skills: reading, writing, listening, and speaking beyond the intermediate level.
RELI 134 C/R Chinese and Japanese Religious Traditions
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, and Shinto; 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.
RELI 300R/C1W Tibetan Buddhism: Art, Theory and Practice
4 credits
Glowski, Janice
This course explores Tibetan Buddhism by looking at the relationship between Tibetan Buddhist teachings, ritual, practices and artistic traditions in the Tibetan cultural regions. The course focuses primarily on the Xizang province and neighboring regions in China, but also examines the foundations of Buddhism in South Asia (India, Pakistan, Bangladesh) and the more recent Tibetan diaspora to the West (Europe and the United States). As visual culture, the art and architecture are examined for their role in articulating Buddhist theories and practices within historical and cultural contexts.
SOCI 201S Culture in the Classroom
4 credits
Moskowitz, Nona
What is culture and how do we see it in the classroom? How does society shape schools, how do schools shape society? Examining different school systems in cross-cultural contexts, this course explores how schools reflect and embody the culture of the society in which they are found. We will look at schools in different parts of the world, with a particular focus on schools in East Asia. In this exploration, we reflect not only on how schools embody culture, but how they come to institutionalize certain societal values and perspectives. We will further examine the culture of young people, asking what voices and identities young people exhibit in schools. There are no prerequisites for this course.
THDN 013P TaiChi Chuan and Sword
1 credit
Li Chang, Shih-Ming
This course is an introduction to the simplified TaiChi Chuan 24 forms competition routine and the WuDang TaiChi Sword routine. Students will gain basic knowledge of Tai Chi Chuan's history and principles, while practicing throughout the first half of the course. The second half of the course will be devoted to learning the WuDang TaiChi Sword routine.
