This course is an opportunity to learn about the lived experiences of women in three contemporary East Asian societies: China, Korea, and Japan. Students will explore women’s activity in the labor market, changing gender roles in the home and family, women as consumers, women in old age, sexual minorities and trans women, idol culture, and transnational marriage migration, by analyzing and discussing anthropological texts and films. This course counts as a Social Science elective for the WGSS minor/major and as an elective for the International Studies major.

An introductory interdisciplinary survey of the discipline of Asian Studies. Students will gain an understanding of Asian Studies through insights from history, philosophy, politics, religious studies, literature and culture. It will review regions and nations in contemporary Asia. Some of the themes covered in this course include the complex relationships between the individual, the family, and the state; the political, social, cultural, and economic history of selected countries in Asia; cultural nationalism; and an examination of the dynamics of popular culture in Asia in this age of globalization through media and cultural studies. See program director.

Intended for students with no prior knowledge of the Mandarin language, this course introduces the fundamental structures of Chinese, with emphases on spoken language, oral communication, pronunciation, grammatical analysis, and introductory reading and writing of Chinese characters. Students will learn to read Chinese with pinyin, acquire basic social communication skills through writing and speaking, and gain basic knowledge of Chinese culture and society. This course will include individual tutorials with the instructor and a language lab. See program director.

Students will further develop their speaking and writing skills, and focus on conversation, character writing, and comprehension, with increasing emphasis on vocabulary building and grammar. Students will continue to build knowledge of Chinese culture and society. This course will include individual tutorials with the instructor and a language lab. Prerequisite: ASIA 101 or permission of instructor. See program director.

An intermediate course that continues intensive training in listening, speaking, reading, and writing and consolidates achievements from the first year of study. Students improve oral fluency, study more complex grammatical structures, expand both reading and writing vocabulary, and start practicing composition. Students develop cultural competency and further engage in China studies as they build knowledge of Chinese culture and society. This course includes individual tutorials with the instructor and a language lab. Prerequisite: ASIA 102 or permission of instructor. See program director.

Further intermediate-level work on skills in conversation, comprehension, and grammar. Continued practice in composition. Students develop intermediate proficiency in Chinese and become more familiar with Chinese culture and society by practicing the use of basic language skills and acquisition of vocabulary on relevant and current subjects. This course will include individual tutorials with the instructor and a language lab. Prerequisite: ASIA 201 or permission of instructor. See program director.

Advanced study in speaking, listening, reading, and writing of Chinese through the use of audiovisual materials, oral presentations, and skits. Student writing assignments will be geared toward assimilating more sophisticated grammatical structures. This course will introduce students to a wide variety of written forms and styles. Students will be expected to become fluent in both writing and speaking of the language, allowing them to examine in depth Chinese culture and society. This course will include individual tutorials with the instructor and a language lab. Prerequisite: ASIA 202 or permission of instructor. See program director.

Further consolidates speaking, listening, reading, and writing of Chinese through diversified discussion topics and longer and more frequent writing assignments. Students become fluent in written and spoken Chinese. Students will use their knowledge of the Chinese language to conduct in-depth examinations of Chinese culture and society. This course will include individual tutorials with the instructor and a language lab. Prerequisite: ASIA 301 or permission of instructor. See program director.

A survey of great Chinese literary works, written in or translated into English. Students will read representative poetry, plays, fiction, and prose writings in different historical periods, and become familiar with China’s cultural traditions and literary history as they deepen their understanding of Chinese society past and present. Readings are arranged in chronological order from the ancient to contemporary, with China broadly defined to include Taiwan and Hong Kong. No prior knowledge of East Asian literature or languages is required. See program director.

An interdisciplinary approach to the study of Chinese cinema, broadly defined to include films from Mainland China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and other Chinese-language cinemas. Films are structured around different themes such as national and transnational, Chinese auteur directors, Hong Kong and the commercial cinema, and challenges of the sixth generation. Students will examine the specific political, social, economic, technological and aesthetic factors in the films that reflect changes in the cultural and political landscape of Chinese society over the last century, and enrich their understanding of Chinese history, culture, and popular media. No knowledge of Chinese language is required; all films screened for the course will have English subtitles. See program director.

An interdisciplinary course that comparatively engages East Asian cultures in the context of the immense political and cultural transformations over the past century as represented in popular cinema. It aims to critically examine questions of aesthetics and genres as they relate to these East Asian cinemas; the social, cultural and political contexts for negotiating issues ranging from history, nationalism, geopolitics, globalization to urban culture, gender and sexuality; and the contexts for the global reception of these films. No language prerequisites. Spring.

An interdisciplinary course that explores the ways in which literature has served as both a culturally determined medium for the representations and perceptions about East Asia, and a reflection of the diverse expressions of East Asian cultures. This course introduces students to East Asian literatures in translation and uses literature as a window into East Asian cultures and sensibilities. Students focus on genres, writers, and literary styles and movements that have left a lasting mark on East Asian literary history; they also focus on how East Asian aesthetics differ from the Western norms. Odd years Fall.

A survey of major philosophical ideas and traditions, both classical and contemporary, originating in India and China, and developed generally in Asia. Attention will be given to questions of metaphysics, epistemology and ethics with relation to nature of reality, self and society. Spring.

An interdisciplinary study of the interconnections between the historical, political, cultural, and social factors that have shaped the countries of both maritime and mainland Southeast Asia, as well as the relations between these countries. This course will also examine dominant intraregional forces that have shaped the Southeast Asia region, including relations between the region and outside powers such as the United States, Europe, China, and Japan. Odd years Fall.

An interdisciplinary course that examines the historical, political, strategic, cultural, social and ethical ramifications to the global order of the rise of China, India, and other newly industrialized countries in Asia. This course will focus on the ways in which the rise of Asia is shaping the interrelations between peoples, societies, cultures, and histories globally in the 21st century. Odd years Spring.

A comprehensive view and understanding of socio-political processes of ethnic identities and diversities that make Bangladesh, Nepal, India, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka an important focus of international analysis, discourse, and research. The processes of nationbuilding, politics and democratic challenges are explored. The course focus is to deliberate on strategic policies and constructive resolutions for conditions conducive to regional harmony and development. Spring.

The contemporary South Asia presents challenging social, cultural, and political issues that structure gender relations in the region. The course seeks to help students understand the interface between gender and public policy in South Asia. Issues of gender injustice, gender gaps in policy, and women’s voices and empowerment in the region are explored. Fall.