Asian Languages and Cultures


Note: The Department Waitlist policy for all courses is 1 - Get on the Waitlist through Touch-Tone Registration, and then attend the first class meeting. Policies and procedures for handling the waitlist will be explained there.

Asian Studies (Division 323)


111/UC 172/Hist. 151. South Asian Civilization. (4). (HU).
See History 151. (Trautmann)

121/Hist. 121. Great Traditions of East Asia. (4). (HU).
See History 121. (Forage)

230/Buddhist Studies 230/Phil. 230/Rel. 230. Introduction to Buddhism. (4). (HU).
See Buddhist Studies 230. (Gomez)

Buddhist Studies (Division 332)


230/Asian Studies 230/Phil. 230/Rel. 230. Introduction to Buddhism. (4). (HU).
An introduction to the Buddhist religion, with attention to its moral and philosophical teachings, its modes of practice (e.g., meditation, ritual), and its social and institutional contexts. The course takes a historical approach, concentrating on the traditions that developed in India, and the transformations of those traditions in Tibet and East Asia. Students attend three hours of lecture and a one-hour discussion section each week. No previous knowledge of the subject is required. (Gomez)

Chinese (Division 339)

Language Courses

101. Beginning Chinese. (5). (LR). Laboratory fee ($10) required.
Chinese 101 is an introductory course in speaking, understanding, reading, and writing Chinese. The student is expected to achieve control of the sound system, basic sentence patterns, and basic vocabulary of Standard Mandarin Chinese. Starting the 5th week, we will learn to read and write the characters. In Chinese 101, the major emphasis is on speaking and aural comprehension. In Chinese 102, we do longer readings and question-answer sheets twice a week. Students are also required to memorize short dialogues. Toward the end of the term students have to write a skit together with other students and their performance will be video-taped and their pronunciation will be graded. We have a test or quiz each week on Thursdays. In general the workload in Chinese 102 is much heavier than in Chinese 101. For both courses, we recommend that students listen to tapes one hour per day. This is a five-credit course. We meet one hour each day. Tuesdays and Thursdays are lectures; Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays are recitations. Students are required to register for both a lecture section and a recitation section. Attendance is taken everyday and no audits are allowed. Textbooks: (a) John DeFrancis, Beginning Chinese (Yale Univ. Press) (b) John DeFrancis, Beginning Chinese Reader, Part I and II (Yale Univ. Press). Materials covered: Beginning Chinese, Lessons 1-13. Beginning Chinese Reader, Lessons 1-12. (Tao)

201. Second-Year Chinese. Chinese 102 or equivalent. (5). (LR).
This course is a continuation of work begun in Chinese 101-102. Students electing the course should have mastered the spoken language material presented in DeFrancis' Beginning Chinese or a similar introductory text and should be able to recognize and write about 400 characters and 1200 combinations. The primary goal of the course is achievement of a basic level of reading competence within a vocabulary of 900 characters and accompanying combinations. A closely integrated secondary goal is continued improvement of aural understanding and speaking competence. These goals are approached through classroom drill, out-of-class exercises, and work in the language laboratory. Daily class attendance is required. Students are graded on the basis of daily classroom attendance, and weekly quizzes or tests. The texts are Intermediate Reader of Modern Chinese (Princeton University Press, 1992) and the movie script The Great Wall. Students who are native or near-native Mandarin Chinese speakers are not eligible for this course. They should enroll in Chinese 302 which covers all of the material presented in Chinese 201/202 and is offered in the Winter Term. No visitors are allowed. (Baxter)

225. Calligraphy. Chinese 101 or equivalent, or permission of instructor. (1). (Excl). May be repeated for a total of three credits.
To explore the richness of Chinese calligraphy, this class is designed to include a series of fundamental introductions to the history of Chinese calligraphy and a brief theoretical framework for evaluation and appreciation; in addition, a practice session will be held in each class to facilitate a hands-on learning process. (Shyu)

301. Reading and Writing Chinese. Permission of instructor. No credit granted to those who have completed or are enrolled in Chinese 101, 102, or 361. (4). (LR).
This course is designed for students with native or near-native speaking ability in Chinese, but little or no reading and writing ability. Chinese 301 meets four hours per week; it focuses on reading and writing Chinese and will cover the regular 101-102 reading materials. Students will be graded on the basis of daily classroom performance, daily quizzes, periodic tests, and homework assignments. The basic text is Beginning Chinese Reader by John DeFrancis.

Literature Courses/Culture Courses

250. Undergraduate Seminar in Chinese Culture. No knowledge of Chinese language is required. (3). (HU). May be repeated with department permission.
Section 001 - Topics in Chinese Civilizations: Gender, Sexuality, and Identity - Women in Chinese Literature.
The representation and construction of women in China's long history has undergone many dynamic changes. Through examples of literature past to present we will examine women's place in the male-dominated Confucian system, the femme fatale in the master historical narrative, conventions of female impersonation, women as projections of male desire: erotic objects or the cause of transgression against moral order. We will consider women's strategies of accommodation and resistance and the ways they have sought to express themselves within the system's constraints. In the 20th century women are first "discovered" to have been prime victims of oppression as writers advocate social reform, then appropriated as "liberated" subjects by the communist revolution. Meanwhile women writers have been searching for their own voice; their struggle for subjectivity and identity posing powerful challenges to the Maoist hegemonic discourse. We will also explore how issues of gender and sexuality intersect with cultural identity in works by Chinese-American woman writers. Readings will include traditional and modern poetry and fiction, selections from the great 18th century novel Dream of the Red Chamber, fiction by Lu Hsun, Pa Chin, Ding Ling, Maxine Hong Kingston (The Woman Warrior), Amy Tan (The Joy Luck Club), and others. Toward the end of the course we will look at representations of women in Chinese films: Raise the Red Lantern, Army Nurse, Yellow Earth. Requirements: frequent brief written responses, four papers. No prerequisites. (Feuerwerker)

Japanese (Division 401)

Language Courses

101. Beginning Japanese. (5). (LR). Laboratory fee ($7) required.
A thorough grounding is given in all the language skills: listening, speaking, reading, and writing. The aim of the oral component is to provide the student with the speaking and comprehension skills necessary to function effectively in practical situations in a Japanese-speaking environment. Attention is given to the social and cultural differences in the use of the language. In the reading and writing component the two Kana syllabaries (Katakana and Hiragana) and elementary characters (Kanji) are introduced. The goal of this component is to develop proficient reading skills through practice reinforced by oral and written short question-answer exercises. Students are required to practice with audio/video-tapes a minimum of two hours for each class hour (10 hours per week). From the first day, recitation sessions are conducted entirely in Japanese; no English is permitted. Recitation sessions emphasize speaking/reading in Japanese contexts at normal speed with near-native pronunciation, accent, intonation, rhythm and appropriate body language. Analyses, explanations, and discussions involving the use of English are specifically reserved for lectures with a linguist. Texts: Eleanor Harz Jorden and Mari Noda, Japanese: The Spoken Language, Parts I-II; Eleanor Harz Jorden and Hamako Ito Chaplin, Reading Japanese. (Johnson)

201. Second-Year Japanese. Japanese 102 or equivalent. (5). (LR). Laboratory fee ($9) required.
Further training is given in all the language skills (listening, speaking, reading, and writing) for students who have acquired a basic language proficiency. The aim of the oral component is to provide the student with the speaking and comprehension skills necessary to function effectively in more advanced practical situations in a Japanese-speaking environment. In the reading and writing component, the emphasis is on reading elementary texts, developing an expository style, and writing short answers/essays in response to questions about these texts. Approximately 400 of the essential characters are covered. Discussions on the social and cultural use of language are provided. Students are required to attend five hours of class per week: two hours of lecture and three hours of recitation. Students are also required to practice a minimum of two hours for each class hour (12 hours per week). Recitation sessions are conducted entirely in Japanese; no English is permitted. Recitation sessions emphasize speaking/reading in Japanese contexts at normal speed with near-native pronunciation, accent, intonation, rhythm, and appropriate body language. Analyses, explanations, and discussions involving the use of English are specifically reserved for lectures with a linguist. Texts: Eleanor Harz Jorden and Mari Noda, Japanese: The Spoken Language, Parts II-III; Eleanor Harz Jorden and Hamako Ito Chaplin, Reading Japanese.

225. Calligraphy. Japanese 101 or equivalent, or permission of instructor. (1). (Excl). May be repeated for a total of three credits.
In this course students will learn the art of Japanese Calligraphy. The goals of the course are to help you learn how to practice Japanese calligraphy and cultivate your mind through the practice. In this course, we will practice six subjects, including Kanji and Hiragana. We will focus on basic skills such as the way of using brushes, how to keep characters' balance, and so forth. In order to master the basic skills, we will practice a character Ei as a warm up each session. Throughout the course, we will work on cultivating our minds by writing characters in peace and quiet. We will also concentrate on keeping right posture and behavior, for our bodies are closely connected to our minds.

Literature Courses/Culture Courses

250. Undergraduate Seminar in Japanese Culture. No knowledge of Japanese language is required. (3). (HU). May be repeated with department permission.
Section 001 - Reiterations: Filming Fiction in Japan.
Well before Merchant Ivory came on the scene, Japanese film directors made a living turning well-loved novels into movies. Name a classic Japanese film, and you are likely to be dealing with an adaptation. This course examines the dynamics of reiteration in a culture known for its repeated adaptations of cultural materials. What are we saying when we designate one version as "original" and another as "adaptation"? What does "originality" mean in a culture that seems to be constantly rehashing old material? How does the change in medium affect the nature of what is told? In what ways do versions of a story reflect the ideologies of the times in which they are produced? These are the questions we will be asking in reference to the prior texts appropriated by such well-known directors as Kurosawa and Mizoguchi, and the films that resulted. (Ito)

Korean (Division 409)

101. Beginning Korean. (5). (LR).
This is an introductory course in spoken and written Korean. It will emphasize the aural/oral skill, but attention will also be given to grammatical structure. Class regularly meets five times a week - two hours of lecture and three hours of aural/oral practice - and daily attendance is expected. In addition, students are required to do additional hours of work for listening practice on their own in the language lab. Through lectures, students will learn Korean characters, be able to read sentences with considerable fluency, and understand the basic grammatical structures of Korean. Based on the knowledge obtained through lectures, recitation classes will help the students develop an ability to use basic conversational expressions freely. The checkpoints for evaluation include homework assignments, weekly quizzes, reading aloud, and oral interviews. The textbook for the course is Myongdo's Korean 1 by A.V. Vandesande. Those who successfully finish the course will gain sustained control of basic conversation. Those interested in taking this course are recommended to see the instructor before registration. (Cho)

201. Second Year Korean. Korean 102 or equivalent. (5). (LR).
This is an intermediate course in spoken and written Korean. It will emphasize the aural/oral skill, but attention will also be given to grammatical structure. Class regularly meets five times a week - two hours of lectures and three hours of aural/oral practice - and daily attendance is expected. In addition, students are required to do additional hours of work for listening practice on their own in the language lab. Through lectures, students will learn relatively complex structural patterns of Korean, build up their vocabulary, and get acquainted with various aspects of Korean culture and society. Based on the knowledge obtained through lectures, recitation classes will help the students develop an ability to carry on survival level of conversation. In evaluation, weight will be placed on homework assignments, biweekly quizzes, and oral interviews. Those interested in taking this course are recommended to see the instructor before registration. (Cho)

South and Southeast Asia (S&SEA) (Division 483)

S&SEA Language Courses

101. Beginning Thai. (5). (LR).
Standard Thai, the language of Thailand, is typical of several Asian languages in its grammar and tonal pronunciation. Focus of the course is the use of language in everyday situations. Upon successful completion of the two-term sequence, students will be able to conduct conversation dealing with several survival concerns, e.g., introduction, ordering food, transportation, banking, post-office trip, shopping, etc. From the first day of class, students will learn Thai scripts and will be able to read course materials and short passages in Thai at the end of the term. Writing assignments are also assigned. Thai cultures, history, geography, etc. will be offered both in the content of the language lessons and supplementary presentations. Placement test required before registration. (Brown)

103. Beginning Indonesian. (5). (LR).
Indonesian is the national language of Indonesia, a country noted for its rich and deep cultural heritage as well as for its remarkable cultural diversity. With its 180 million speakers, Indonesian is the sixth most prevalently spoken of the world languages. The relatively simple syntactic and grammatical structures which characterize Indonesian make it an accessible language for native speakers of English. The elementary course comprises a two-term sequence designed to provide the student with a basic working knowledge of the Indonesian language. The course aims at the acquisition of the four basic language skills - listening, speaking, reading, and writing - in modern Indonesian. The class emphasizes aural-oral exercises and practice and the learning of culture throughout the course. The text used is keyed to a set of tapes for use in the language lab and concentrates on practical knowledge of the language. Evaluation is based on classroom performance, homework assignments, tests, and a final exam. (Sudarsih)

105. Elementary Hindi-Urdu. No credit granted to those who have completed or are enrolled in S&SEA 315 or 365. (4). (LR).
South and Southeast Asia 105-106 is the first year in the sequence of Hindi-Urdu courses offered by the Department of Asian Languages and Cultures. Hindi and Urdu are the respective national languages of India and Pakistan. The course meets four hours per week in four sessions. If enrollments warrant, there will be a separate two credit course during the Fall term intended for students who have some knowledge of the spoken language but do not know the writing system. In the first year only the Devanagari writing system (for Hindi) is introduced. Nastaliq (for Urdu) comes in the second year. The course concentrates on developing skills in reading, writing, speaking, and aural comprehension. Evaluation is based on attendance, written homework assignments, quizzes, dictations, and examinations. There are no prerequisites (no previous knowledge of Hindi is required). (Siddiqi)

113. Elementary Tamil. No credit granted to those who have completed or are enrolled in S&SEA 373. (4). (LR).
This course offers an introduction to spoken and written Tamil, the major Dravidian language spoken in Tamil Nadu, the largest state in southern India, and by the largest minority in Sri Lanka, Singapore, and Malaysia. It is one of the oldest languages of the world with a literary tradition beginning in 3 BC. All major language skills - listening, speaking, reading, and writing - are covered. The aim of achieving proficiency in speaking comprehension is to enable the student to function effectively in different everyday situations in a native environment. Class meets in a computer lab once or twice a week to practice listening and reading using a multimedia HyperCard software implemented for Tamil. Public access to a section of this software is possible in the computers at the Modern Language Building. A standard textbook is used, supplemented by reference grammars and additional materials selected or specially prepared by the instructor. Recitation sections emphasize speaking and listening in native contexts at normal speed with near-native pronunciation, intonation, rhythm, and appropriate body language. Students learn to handle the script in which Tamil is written. Reading materials introduce the students to the culture and the religion of Tamil speaking people. Evaluation is based on classroom performance, homework assignments, tests, and a final exam. (Renganathan)

115. Beginning Vietnamese. (5). (LR).
Vietnamese 115-116 is the introductory course in reading, listening, speaking and writing the only language of more than 74 million speakers, from the South to the utmost northern part of Vietnam. This country now adopts the free market economy and needs foreign capital and know-how. With the normalization of U.S.-Vietnamese relations, a knowledge of the Vietnamese language and culture will be a crucial asset in enabling one to participate in many opportunities. This first half of the two-term sequence course is designed to accommodate students with no knowledge of the Vietnamese language, as well those with some knowledge who want to develop the four basic language skills (listening, speaking, reading, and writing) and to improve their knowledge in Vietnamese history and culture. The format will be as follows: four class hours a week will be focused on the aural-oral approach in reading, dialoguing, translating, and responding to the content of the texts using a question-and-answer format. One class hour a week will be devoted to quizzes and tests. In addition, there will be written assignments and works in the language lab. Throughout the course, students will be encouraged to communicate in Vietnamese, and classes will be largely conducted in Vietnamese to develop the students' ability to acquire sufficient automaticity and fluency in spoken Vietnamese. Students will be graded on classroom performance, class attendance, homework assignments, and a final examination. (Nguyen)