Courses in Asian Studies (Division 323)

111/Hist. 151. South Asian Civilization. (4). (HU).
A lecture survey of the civilizations of India and its neighboring countries - Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka - from earliest times to the present.

112/Hist. 152. Southeast Asian Civilization. (4). (SS).
A lecture survey of the civilizations of Southeast Asia--both the Indo-China peninsula and the islands from Indonesia to the Philippines--from earliest times to the present.

121/Hist. 121. Great Traditions of East Asia. (4). (HU).
An interdisciplinary introduction to the premodern cultures of East Asia, with special attention to the historical development, socioeconomic patterns, political traditions, and religious, philosophical, literary, and artistic accomplishments of Chinese, Japanese, Korean, and Vietnamese traditional cultures.

122/Hist. 122. Modern Transformation of East Asia. (4). (SS).
An interdisciplinary analysis of the impact of the modern world on the traditional cultures of China, Japan, Korea, Vietnam, and related areas and the consequent transformation of the societies of these countries, with an examination of their differing responses to the modern challenge.

150. First Year Seminar in Asian Studies: Civilizations of Asia. No knowledge of Asian Languages required. Only first-year students, including those with sophomore standing, may pre-register for First-Year Seminars. All others need permission of instructor. (3). (HU). May be repeated with permission of instructor.
This First-year Seminar introduces undergraduates to traditions of poetic theory and practice in times and places distant from their own. The course explores different conceptions of what poetry is, and how it transforms the ways in which people interpret their lives. A second important objective of the course is to help students develop techniques and habits of research.

220/Buddhist Studies 220/Rel. 202. Introduction to the Study of Asian Religions. (4). (HU).
An introduction to the study of Asian religions. We consider representative material drawn from some of the major Asian traditions (Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism, Taoism, Shinto, etc.) from ancient times to the present day.

230/Buddhist Studies 230/Phil. 230/Rel. 230. Introduction to Buddhism. (4). (HU).
Introductory lectures and readings on the history and literature of Buddhism in India and Tibet, followed by a discussion of the basic problems of Buddhist religion and philosophy in the light of selected Buddhist texts in translation.

250/Buddhist Studies 250. Undergraduate Seminar in Buddhist Studies. No knowledge of an Asian language required. (3). (HU). May be repeated with department permission.
This undergraduate seminar offers lower Division LS&A students a small group learning experience. Students explore a subject of particular interest in collaboration with a faculty member in the area of Buddhist Studies.

251/Chinese 250. Undergraduate Seminar in Chinese Culture. No knowledge of Chinese language is required. (3). (HU). May be repeated with department permission.
This undergraduate seminar offers lower Division LS&A students a small group learning experience. Students explore a subject of particular interest in collaboration with a faculty member in the area of Chinese culture.

252/Japanese 250. Undergraduate Seminar in Japanese Culture. No knowledge of Japanese language is required. (3). (HU). May be repeated with department permission.
This undergraduate seminar offers lower Division LS&A students a small group learning experience. Students explore a subject of particular interest in collaboration with a faculty member in the area of Japanese Culture.

253/S&SEA 250. Undergraduate Seminar in South and Southeast Asian Culture. No knowledge of any Asian language required. (3). (HU). May be repeated with department permission.
This undergraduate seminar offers lower Division LS&A students a small group learning experience. Students explore a subject of particular interest in collaboration with a faculty member in the area of South/Southeast Asia.

316/Buddhist Studies 316/Rel. 316. Religion in Modern Japan. (3). (Excl).
This course looks at dominant trends in modern Japanese religion. We pay particular attention to the "new religions" that arose after the Meiji restoration (1868), and the continued popularity of ancient religious practices (shamanism, exorcism, etc.) in a modern industrialized society.

325/Buddhist Studies 325/Rel. 323. Buddhism in Zen Perspective. (3). (HU).
An introduction to the Buddhism of the Far East, as viewed through the perspective of Zen (Ch'an) thought and institutions in China, Korea and Japan.

381. Junior/Senior Colloquium for Concentrators. Junior or senior standing and concentration in Asian Studies. (3). (Excl).
Readings, discussion, analysis, and short papers on major themes in the field.

395. Honors Seminar. Honors candidate in Asian Studies. (3). (Excl).
Directed research and the writing of an Honors essay.

399. Directed Reading. (1-3). (Excl). (INDEPENDENT).
Individual work and reading for undergraduate concentrators.

401/Japanese 401. Japanese Literature in Translation: the Premodern. A knowledge of Japanese is not required. (3). (HU).
Selected genres and works of classical Japanese literature from the earliest period (seventh century A.D.) to the end of the sixteenth century. Readings include selections from the great poetic anthology Man'yoshu; the complete Tale of Genji, Japan's supreme masterpiece of classical fiction; essays and diaries from the Court period; medieval war tales; and selected noh plays.

402/Japanese 402. Japanese Literature in Translation: Edo and Modern Periods. A knowledge of Japanese is not required. (3). (HU).
Selected works and genres of late medieval and modern Japanese literature. Readings include seventeenth-century tales of urban life, haiku and kabuki plays, and mainly fiction from the modern period by such authors as Natsume Soseki, Kawabata Yasunari, Tanizaki Junichiro, and Mishima Yukio.

428/Poli. Sci. 428/Phil. 428/Soc. 426. China's Evolution Under Communism. Upperclass standing. Not recommended for Asian Studies concentrators. (4). (Excl).
An analysis of developments in China since 1949 with particular emphasis on evolution of political control, economic development and social change, and their relationship to ideology.

440. National Cinema of Asia. (3). (HU). May be repeated for a total of six credits.
Explores the diverse cinemas of Asia, form their beginnings in one-shot actualities to today's proliferation of electronic media. Analyzing the aesthetic and narrative style of Asian films in the context of their culture and historical moment, we study everything from popular films to art cinema to animation.

441. Asia Through Fiction. (3). (Excl).
Asian and Western perspectives on Asia as seen through selected works of fiction by Asian and Western authors dealing with similar themes in similar Asian settings.

444. The Southeast Asian Village. (3). (Excl).
Daily life, religion, customs, ceremonies, music, drama, arts, and crafts are examined to provide a view of Southeast Asian village life. An analysis of the village economy, society, and political organization relates the peasant village tradition to the greater urban traditions of Southeast Asia.

468/Chinese 468/Phil. 468. Classical Chinese Thought (To A.D. 220). Upperclass standing; no knowledge of Chinese required. (3). (HU).
Focuses on the major philosophical schools of the Chou-Han period. Special consideration is given to the Confucian and Taoist schools since doctrines associated with them were the sources of the two major philosophical traditions in China for the next 2000 years.

469/Chinese 469/Phil. 469. Later Chinese Thought (A.D. 220-1849). Upperclass standing; no knowledge of Chinese required. (3). (HU).
Examines the poetic, philosophical, and religious aspects of the Taoist revival of the third century A.D., Chinese Buddhism, and Neo-Confucianism that dominates Chinese thought from the twelfth through the nineteenth centuries.

471/Chinese 471. Classical Chinese Literature in Translation. No knowledge of Chinese required. (3). (HU).
A general survey of the highlights of early Chinese literature covering the various forms of poetry, fiction, and philosophical and historical prose from the beginning to the 13th century. Includes close analysis of selected masterpieces and general discussion of their cultural background. Can be elected by non-concentrators.

472/Chinese 472. Traditional Chinese Drama and Fiction in Translation. No knowledge of Chinese required. (3). (HU).
A survey concentrating on fiction and drama of the thirteenth to nineteenth centuries, with reference to their origins in ancient legend and oral tradition. Readings include a selection of China's great classical novels, e.g., Dream of the Red Chamber and the operatic drama of the Yüan Dynasty. Can be elected by non-concentrators.

475/Chinese 475/Hist. of Art 487/RC Hums. 475/Phil. 475. The Arts and Letters of China. (4). (HU).
An interdisciplinary introduction to Chinese civilization through the study of significant and representative works from philosophy, art, drama, and literature. Taught jointly by a team of faculty specialists.

476/Chinese 476/RC Hums. 476. Writer and Society in Modern China. No knowledge of Chinese is required. (4). (HU).
A course examining the role and self-conception of the writer in relation to the changing historical context of modern China, through the study of works of narrative fiction, criticism, and literary theory.

481/Buddhist Studies 481/Rel. 483. Ch'an and Zen Buddhism. (3). (Excl).
An introduction to the history, rhetoric and institutions of Zen Buddhism in light of modern scholarship; traces the development of Sino-Indic techniques of dhyana from Upanishadic yoga, through Taoist nei-tan, to Zen koans. Lectures and discussions concentrate on the analysis of selected texts from the Sino-Japanese literature of Zen.

482/Chinese 480. Upperclass Seminar in Chinese Humanities. Two of Chinese 471, 472, 473. Knowledge of Chinese is not required. (3). (Excl). May be repeated for a total of six credits.
Enables upperclass students to study in-depth aspects of Chinese humanities in a seminar setting. Readings (in translation) vary from year to year.

485/Buddhist Studies 485. Chinese Buddhism. Buddhist Studies 230. (3). (Excl).
A study of the transformation of Indian thought, practice, and literature in Chinese Buddhism. Historical events surrounding Buddhism's entry and growth in China as well as study of important texts of Chinese Buddhism.

487/Buddhist Studies 487. Buddhism in India: Its Doctrines and History. Buddhist Studies 230. (3). (Excl).
This course is intended as an introduction to the history, doctrines, and institutions of Buddhism in India, from its origins in the fifth century B.C. to its revival in the second half of the twentieth century.

488/Buddhist Studies 488. Tibetan Buddhism. Buddhist Studies 230. (3). (Excl).
A survey of the development of Buddhism in Tibet from the eighth century to the present. The course examines the process of transmission of Buddhism from India to Tibet and considers the rise of the major sects of Tibetan Buddhism, comparing their approaches to a wide range of issues of Buddhist philosophy and practice.

490. Topics in Japanese Studies. (3). (Excl).
Selected topics in the Anthropology, Economics, Demography, Geography History, Sociology of Japan and East Asia. Students are required to write papers based on original research taken from primary/secondary sources. Special attention is given to current topics on Japan.

491. Topics in Japanese Studies. (1). (Excl).
Selected topics in the Anthropology, Economics, Demography, Geography History, Sociology of Japan and East Asia. Students are required to write papers based on original research taken from primary/secondary sources. Special attention is given to current topics on Japan.

499. Independent Study-Directed Readings. (1-4). (Excl). (INDEPENDENT). May be repeated for a total of eight credits.
Directed readings or research in consultation with a member of the Asian Studies faculty.

505/Chinese 505/Phil. 505. Modern Chinese Thought. Permission of instructor. (3). (Excl).
The philosophical foundations of Chinese views of man and society, with special attention to values. The historical period selected varies. Material in this course is accessible and of interest to both upperclass and graduate students who have had some previous introduction to China. The seminar format encourages debate on controversial interpretations of trends in Chinese thought.

527/Buddhist Studies 527. History of Buddhist Studies. Buddhist Studies 230. (3). (Excl).
This seminar traces the history of the study of Buddhism in the West, beginning with early contacts between Europeans and Buddhists in the 13th century and proceeding to the present, focusing especially on the late 19th and 20th centuries.

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