The course listing represents a sampling of courses taught by the faculty in this department in the 2009-10 academic year. To select courses for Fall 2009, see the catalog listing; similarly, for Spring 2010 refer to the relevant catalog.
FYSP-162 - Cold War in Asia
Offered: First SemesterCredit Hours: 4 hours
The collapse of the Soviet Union brought the Cold War to an abrupt end. This course investigates the cultural, social, and political history of the Cold War in Asia. While we will be examining the ideological and security dimensions of U.S.-Soviet relations in detail, the emphasis will also be to explore the political, economic and ideological impact of the Cold War on Asian societies, with a particular focus on China, Japan, and the two Koreas.
CHIN-101 - Elementary Chinese I
Offered: First SemesterCredit Hours: 5 hours
First-year Chinese. Pronunciation and grammar of modern standard Chinese and an introduction to the writing system. Within the first year of study, students will be introduced to approximately 500 characters and the reading of simple texts in the vernacular style.
CHIN-102 - Elementary Chinese II
Offered: Second SemesterCredit Hours: 5 hours
First-year Chinese. Continuation of Chinese 101. Pronunciation and grammar of modern standard Chinese and an introduction to the writing system. Within the first year of study, students will be introduced to approximately 500 characters and the reading of simple texts in the vernacular style.
Prerequisite: CHIN 101 or consent of instructor.
CHIN-201 - Intermediate Chinese I
Offered: First SemesterCredit Hours: 5 hours
Second-year Chinese. Development of skills in the vernacular language through oral recitation and reading of texts, with drills on special features of grammar and emphasis on vocabulary in the vernacular idiom. Students will be introduced to approximately 600 additional characters.
Prerequisite: CHIN 102 or consent of instructor.
CHIN-202 - Intermediate Chinese II
Offered: Second SemesterCredit Hours: 5 hours
Second-year Chinese. Continuation of Chinese 201. Development of skills in the vernacular language through oral recitation and reading of texts, with drills on special features of grammar and emphasis on vocabulary in the vernacular idiom. Students will be introduced to approximately 600 additional characters.
Prerequisite: CHIN 201 or consent of instructor.
CHIN-301 - Advanced Chinese I
Offered: First SemesterCredit Hours: 3 hours
Third-year Chinese. This course aims to develop skills in reading, aural comprehension, speech, and writing. Vocabulary expansion and control of grammatical patterns are emphasized. Materials to be used include movies and screenplays, newspapers, and readings in expository prose. Conducted in Chinese.
Prerequisite: CHIN 202 or consent of instructor.
CHIN-302 - Advanced Chinese II
Offered: Second SemesterCredit Hours: 3 hours
Third-year Chinese. Continuation of Chinese 301. This course aims to develop skills in reading, aural comprehension, speech, and writing. Vocabulary expansion and control of grammatical patterns are emphasized. Materials to be used include movies and screenplays, newspapers, and readings in expository prose. Conducted in Chinese.
Prerequisite: CHIN 301 or consent of instructor.
CHIN-401 - Readings in Chinese Literature
Offered: First SemesterCredit Hours: 3 hours
Fourth-year Chinese. Readings from contemporary Chinese literature, discussions, and writing assignments will further develop advanced skills in Chinese. Conducted in Chinese.
Prerequisite: CHIN 302 or consent of instructor.
CHIN-402 - Readings in Society, History and Contemporary Events
Offered: Second SemesterCredit Hours: 3 hours
Fourth-year Chinese. Advanced skills in reading, writing, speaking and aural comprehension will be developed in this course through readings in expository prose, discussions and writing assignments. Conducted in Chinese.
Prerequisite: CHIN 401 or consent of instructor.
CHIN-451 - Topics in Chinese Sources I
Offered: First SemesterCredit Hours: 3 hours
Fifth-year Chinese. This advanced language course is designed for students who have completed 4th-year Chinese or the equivalent. It focuses particularly on reading and writing proficiency. Course materials are slected from authentic literature or historical/political essays with emphasis on deepening students' comprehension of Chinese language, culture and society. Conducted in Chinese.
Prerequisite: CHIN 402 or consent of instructor.
CHIN-452 - Topics in Chinese Sources II
Offered: Second SemesterCredit Hours: 3 hours
Fifth-year Chinese. This advanced language course is designed for students who have completed 4th-year Chinese or the equivalent. It focuses particularly on reading and writing proficiency. Course materials are selected from authentic literature or historical/political essays with emphasis on deepening students' comprehension of Chinese language, culture and society. Conducted in Chinese.
Prerequisite: CHIN 451 or consent of instructor.
CHIN-500 - Capstone Project
Offered: First Semester, Second SemesterCredit Hours: 0 hours
Normally completed in the senior year, the capstone project may be done in one of three ways: 1) as a research project in an upper-level seminar taught by an EAS faculty member, 2) as a project in a 400-level Chinese or Japanese language course, or 3) as a Winter Term project overseen by an EAS faculty member. Students must consult with their mentor before the start of the term.
Note: P/NP or CR/NE grading only.
CHIN-995 - Private Reading
Offered: First Semester, Second SemesterCredit Hours: 0.5-3 hours
Independent study of a Chinese subject beyond the range of catalog course offerings.
To register for a private reading: obtain a private reading card from the Office of the Registrar; complete the card; obtain the required signatures of the faculty member and department chair; and return the card to the Office of the Registrar.
JAPN-101 - Elementary Japanese I
Offered: First SemesterCredit Hours: 5 hours
First-year Japanese. An introduction to basic grammar, sentence patterns and vocabulary of the modern language. Attention to the written component of modern Japanese will include the hiragana and katakana syllabaries, as well as kanji. This course is designed for students with no previous knowledge of Japanese.
See instructor for correct placement. No auditors.
JAPN-102 - Elementary Japanese II
Offered: Second SemesterCredit Hours: 5 hours
First-year Japanese. Contiinuation of JAPN 101. An introduction to basic grammar, sentence patterns, and vocabulary of the modern language. Attention to the written component of modern Japanese will include the hiragana and katakana syllabaries, as well as kanji.
Prerequisite: JAPN 101 or consent of instructor. See instructor for correct placement. No auditors.
JAPN-201 - Intermediate Japanese I
Offered: First SemesterCredit Hours: 5 hours
Second-year Japanese. Primary emphasis on the development of oral skills and secondary emphasis on reading skills. Students will continue to learn basic grammatical patterns, expand vocabulary and improve communicative skills in modern Japanese through oral-aural drills and exercises.
Prerequisite: JAPN l02 or consent of instructor.
JAPN-202 - Intermediate Japanese II
Offered: Second SemesterCredit Hours: 5 hours
Second-year Japanese. Continuation of JAPN 201. Emphasis on the development of oral and reading skills. Students will continue to learn basic grammatical patterns, expand vocabulary, and improve communicative skills in modern Japanese through oral-aural drills and exercises.
Prerequisite: JAPN 201 or consent of instructor.
JAPN-301 - Japanese Reading and Conversation I
Offered: First SemesterCredit Hours: 3 hours
Third-year Japanese. This course seeks to reinforce the vocabulary and grammatical patterns learned in the first two years and to improve speaking and reading skills through task-oriented conversational practices, reading practices and group discussion. Conducted in Japanese.
Prerequisite: JAPN 202 or consent of instructor.
JAPN-302 - Japanese Reading and Conversation II
Offered: Second SemesterCredit Hours: 3 hours
Third-year Japanese. Continution of JAPN 301. This course seeks to reinforce the vocabulary and grammatical patterns learned in the first two years and to improve speaking and reading skills through task-oriented conversational practices, reading practices, and group discussion. Conducted in Japanese.
Prerequisite: JAPN 301 or consent of instructor.
JAPN-401 - Advanced Japanese I
Offered: First SemesterCredit Hours: 3 hours
Fourth-year Japanese. This course is intended primarily for students who have completed a period of study in Japan. It seeks to further improve speaking, reading, and writing skills through the use of authentic reading materials, group discussion, and writing exercises. Readings are taken from newspapers, magazines, and other media. Conducted in Japanese.
Prerequisite: JAPN 302 or consent of instructor.
JAPN-402 - Advanced Japanese II
Offered: Second SemesterCredit Hours: 3 hours
Fourth-year Japanese. This course is intended primarily for students who have completed a period of study in Japan. It seeks to further improve speaking, reading, and writing skills through the use of authentic reading materials, group discussions, and writing exercises. Materials are taken from modern literary works. Conducted in Japanese.
Prerequisite: JAPN 401 or consent of instructor.
JAPN-451 - Readings in Japanese Sources I
Offered: First SemesterCredit Hours: 1.5 hours
Fifth-year Japanese. This course is designed for students who have completed four levels of Japanese language or the equivalent. Conducted in Japanese.
Prerequisite: JAPN 402 or consent of instructor.
JAPN-500 - Capstone Project
Offered: First Semester, Second SemesterCredit Hours: 0 hours
Normally completed in the senior year, the capstone project may be done in one of three ways: 1) as a research project in an upper-level seminar taught by an EAS faculty member, 2) as a project in a 400-level Chinese or Japanese language course, or 3) as a Winter Term project overseen by an EAS faculty member. Students must consult with their mentor before the start of the term.
Note: P/NP or CR/NE grading only.
JAPN-995 - Private Reading
Offered: First Semester, Second SemesterCredit Hours: 0.5-3 hours
Independent study of a Japanese subject beyond the range of catalog course offerings. Consent of instructor required.
To register for a private reading: obtain a private reading card from the Office of the Registrar; complete the card; obtain the required signatures of the faculty member and department chair; and return the card to the Office of the Registrar.
EAST-120 - Chinese Calligraphy
Offered: Second SemesterCredit Hours: 2 hours
This course is an introduction to Chinese calligraphy, focusing on the mastery of the standard script kaishu. It will also cover the historical development and aesthetics of Chinese calligraphy.
Prerequisite: Some knowledge of Chinese characters.
EAST-121 - Chinese Civilization
Offered: First SemesterCredit Hours: 3 hours
An introduction to the history of China from the archaeological origins of Chinese civilization to the period of the mature imperial state in the 17th century. The diverse origins of China's civilization are stressed as topics in political, social, and economic history are explored, as well as developments in religion and thought, language and literature, and art. This course is the normal introduction to further study of Chinese history and culture and, in particular, provides a valuable context for themes treated in Modern China.
EAST-122 - Modern China
Offered: Second SemesterCredit Hours: 3 hours
This history of China from the founding of the Manchu Qing (Ch'ing) dynasty in 1644 takes a China-centered perspective. Along with political and institutional developments, long-term changes in the society and economy of China are stressed, and the indigenous bases for those changes are explored so that China's 20th century revolutionary upheaval will be seen to be more than a 'response to the Western impact' or an 'emergence into modernity.'
EAST-131 - Japan from Earliest Times to 1868
Offered: First SemesterCredit Hours: 3 hours
This course examines the origins of Japanese civilization and surveys the classical, medieval, and early modern periods. From the emergence of a court-centered state through the rise and fall of a warrior-dominated society, Japan's pre-modern history is explored by focusing on political, social, cultural, and intellectual developments. Early interactions with Asia and the West will be considered as a means of questioning the 'opening' of Japan in the mid-nineteenth century.
EAST-132 - Modern Japan
Offered: Second SemesterCredit Hours: 3 hours
This course surveys Japan's modern transformation from the Meiji Restoration of 1868 to the present. It examines how political, social, and economic modernization were simultaneous projects while considering their impact on the lives of citizens at home and imperial subjects abroad. We focus on how economic volatility, popular struggles for representative democracy, war, and colonization represent aspects of Japan's twentieth century experience as well as widely shared dilemmas of modernity.
EAST-135 - Masculinity in Modern Japanese Fiction and Film
Offered: First SemesterCredit Hours: 3 Hours
In this course, we will consider the representation of masculine gender and sexuality in works of modern Japanese fiction and film. We will examine historical and cultural constructions of masculinity in various guises, whether normative, transgressive, or gratuitously extreme. Topics will include adolescence, romance, success, sexuality, violence, class background, homosociality, and repression, and interplay with the constructions of femininity. Taught in English.
EAST-141 - Approaches to Chinese Art
Offered: First SemesterCredit Hours: 3 hours
This introduction to the arts of China focuses on artistic production from three perspectives: the artisan, artist, and the art market. We will explore art and architecture across a broad geographic and temporal frame (Neolithic-20th century), but focus on smaller contexts and themes within the larger framework, e.g. tombs, cave-temples, imperial courts, literati and avant-garde circles, and the religious or socio-political networks that informed these contexts. An underlying aim is to develop visually literacy in speech and writing using the terminology of the discipline.
EAST-142 - Approaches to Japanese Art
Offered: Second SemesterCredit Hours: 3 hours
This survey of Japan will highlight a range of artistic media from ancient times to the modern day. We will examine the art and architecture of religious and secular traditions, with an emphasis on painted traditions (narrative handscrolls, prints, and screens). Primary themes will include the contexts of artistic production (as informed by gender or socio-political circumstances), the spatial or social networks of their use, cultural exchange with China, and tensions between court-sponsored traditions and other artistic practices.
EAST-145 - Screening Modern China: Chinese Film and Culture
Offered: First SemesterCredit Hours: 3 Hours
From shadow plays in 1896 to the transnational glamour of the fifth and sixth generations of filmmakers, the history of Chinese cinema bridges two fin-de-siecle. The project of screening China mediates those crisis points of history and relates a number of topics such as revolution, nationhood, identity, colonialism, and Chinese diaspora. The course explores Chinese cinema as an art of engagement, for which the subject and style matter equally.
EAST-151 - Chinese Thought and Religion
Offered: First SemesterCredit Hours: 3 hours
A historical survey of the three major religious and philosophical traditions of China: Confucianism, Taoism and Buddhism. Attention is given to how each comprehends the universe, and translates its ideal into philosophical thought, religious practice, and social and moral imperative. Interaction and mutual borrowing among the three will be examined to show how each was changed or inspired by the others and matured under their influence.
EAST-152 - Japanese Thought and Religion
Offered: Second SemesterCredit Hours: 3 hours
A historical survey of the development of Shinto and Buddhism in Japan and the roles they play in Japanese culture and society. Among the topics to be discussed are the ancient myths of Shinto, the transmission of Buddhism to Japan, the emergence of native forms of Buddhism (i.e., Zen, Pure Land, and Nichiren), and the use of Shinto as a nationalistic ideology.
EAST-163 - Korea: Past, Present and Future
Offered: First SemesterCredit Hours: 3 hours
This course is designed to introduce students to a broad survey of Korea's history, both ancient and modern. It will examine various interpretive approaches to the political, social, cultural, and diplomatic history of Korea. We will also investigate contemporary nationalist theories of Korean development, including Japanese imperial legacies of colonial conquest, and how they have informed Koreans' view of their ancient past as well as influenced current debates about the two Koreas' reunified future.
EAST-220 - Classical Chinese Poetry in Translation
Offered: First SemesterCredit Hours: 3 Hours
This course follows the evolution of the major genres and forms of Chinese poetry from the earliest book of songs compiled about the sixth-century BCE, through the Song Dynasty. Major themes addressed will be the negotiation of literati identity through poetic writing, the interaction of popular and elite forms, and women's writing in a poetic tradition where men frequently assume female personae.
EAST-245 - Avant Garde: Japan Film, Literature
Offered: Second Semester, 2011-2012Credit Hours: 3 Hours
This course explores the notion of the avant-garde in Japan’s literary and visual cultures (19th century to the present). What was considered aesthetic and ideological innovation in cultural production in times of radical change and of relative stability? We will also examine the role of avant-garde art and political activism in elite and mass culture, and in nation building. Taught in English.
Previous coursework in literature, film, East Asian history, art history is strongly encouraged.
EAST-265 - The Politics of Memory
Offered: Second SemesterCredit Hours: 3 hours
The aim of this course is to explore the complexities of war and memory from a comparative, regional perspective, with particular emphasis on East Asia. By comparing different histories and memories of war, this course will explore how public memory of wars are formed, produced, commemorated and transformed. It will also explore the political relevance of war memories on contemporary East Asian politics.
Prerequisite: Any 100-level East Asian history course.
EAST-330 - NGO's and Civil Society in East Asia
Offered: Second Semester, 2011-2012Credit Hours: 3 hours
This seminar examines the development of the nonprofit sector and civil society in East Asian countries in the context of globalization and the global associational revolution since the 1970's. It introduces the theoretical discourse on civil society, and contrasts modernization efforts and state-civil society relationships in China, Korea and Japan, with an emphasis on China.
Prerequisite: Coursework in East Asian history or politics.
EAST-362 - The Korean War
Offered: Second SemesterCredit Hours: 3 hours
This seminar is designed to explore the cultural, social and political history of the Korean War in the context of the recent debate about the 'origins' of the Cold War, Cold War ideology, American-Korean relationship in the context of the war, memory of the Korean War in South Korea and the United States, as well as specific battles, key players and contested memories about the war, among other issues.
EAST-401 - Honors Program
Offered: First Semester, Second SemesterCredit Hours: 3 hours
Consent of program director required.
Note: Registration limited to seniors. Admission to the Honors Program is subject to the approval of the East Asian Studies faculty during the student's junior year.
EAST-500 - Capstone Project
Offered: First Semester, Second SemesterCredit Hours: 0 hours
Normally completed in the senior year, the capstone project may be done in one of three ways: 1) as a research project in an upper-level seminar taught by an EAS faculty member, 2) as a project in a 400-level Chinese or Japanese language course, or 3) as a Winter Term project overseen by an EAS faculty member. Students must consult with their mentor before the start of the term.
Note: P/NP or CR/NE grading only.
EAST-995 - Private Reading
Offered: First Semester, Second SemesterCredit Hours: 0.5-3 hours
Independent study of an East Asian Studies subject beyond the range of catalog course offerings.
To register, students must obtain a private reading card from the Office of the Registrar. Students should complete the card, obtain the signature of the faculty member and department chair and return the card to the Office of the Registrar.
