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East Asian Studies Current Courses

Spring 2024

Course Code Title/Instructor Meets
CHIN 102-01 Elementary Chinese
Instructor: Christopher Peacock
Course Description:
A study of the fundamentals of Mandarin Chinese, including grammar, reading, and writing using both traditional and simplified characters, pinyin romanization, pronunciation, and conversational skills.Prerequisite: 101 or the equivalent
10:30 AM-11:20 AM, MTWRF
STERN 12
CHIN 202-01 Intermediate Chinese
Instructor: Nan Ma, Li Li
Course Description:
An enhancement of the oral and written skills of elementary language study. In addition, students will learn to use dictionaries to translate original literary works. Extra conversational work will be included, geared to understanding and participating in Chinese culture. Prerequisite: 201 or the equivalent. This course fulfills the language graduation requirement.
09:30 AM-10:20 AM, MTWRF
ALTHSE 07
CHIN 202-02 Intermediate Chinese
Instructor: Nan Ma, Li Li
Course Description:
An enhancement of the oral and written skills of elementary language study. In addition, students will learn to use dictionaries to translate original literary works. Extra conversational work will be included, geared to understanding and participating in Chinese culture. Prerequisite: 201 or the equivalent. This course fulfills the language graduation requirement.
10:30 AM-11:20 AM, MTWRF
ALTHSE 07
CHIN 232-01 Advanced Chinese
Instructor: Li Li
Course Description:
Advanced reading, writing, speaking, and understanding of the Chinese language for students who have completed Chinese 202. This course aims to enhance the students' understanding of Chinese culture and introduce them to issues in contemporary China through reading and discussion. Prerequisite: 231 or the equivalent
11:30 AM-12:20 PM, MWF
STERN 103
CHIN 362-01 Advanced Chinese II
Instructor: Christopher Peacock
Course Description:
Reading of selected literary works by modern Chinese writers and articles from Chinese newspapers and magazines. These courses involve more sophisticated conversation and composition on important social, political, and economics issues in China. Prerequisite: 361 or permission of the instructor.
12:30 PM-01:20 PM, MWF
STERN 12
Courses Offered in EASN
Course Code Title/Instructor Meets
EASN 205-01 Buddhist Art in East Asia
Instructor: Wei Ren
Course Description:
Cross-listed with ARTH 205-01. This course introduces students to the study of the history of the visual culture of Buddhism in East Asia, and to the study of pre-modern visual culture more generally. Each week will be devoted to the discussion of a particular keyword in Buddhist art, beginning with the basics such as "Buddha," and "Bodhisattva," toward more specialized topics, including "transformation tableau," and "pagoda." In conjunction with the investigation of keywords in Buddhist art, we will also address theories of iconography/iconology, space, spectatorship, etc.
01:30 PM-02:45 PM, TF
WEISS 235
EASN 205-02 Programming Alternate Futures: Chinese and American Science Fiction and Sci-Fi Films
Instructor: Nan Ma
Course Description:
Cross-listed with FMST 210-04. This course explores the world of science fiction literature and its visual adaptations, focusing on renowned works by Chinese and American authors from the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, all in English. Through analyzing these literary texts and their corresponding film and TV interpretations, the students will gain insights into the two nations' societal and geopolitical dynamics. We will cover themes such as the new Cold War, power struggles within and between different political systems, environmental crises, technological rivalries, and the interplay between scientific advancements and ideological constructs. By comparing the perspectives presented in science fiction narratives, particularly those originating from the contrasting contexts of China and the U.S., learners will delve into the diverse literary and cinematic devices employed by SF writers and film directors. Ultimately, this course aims to foster a deeper understanding of SF literature and film as mass-media fields for conducting thought experiments. Those experiments question, challenge, and break through human cognitive and ethical limits toward both the outside universe and the inner psyche, while reevaluating the benefits and costs of doing so with reference to the contemporary world.
01:30 PM-02:45 PM, MR
EASTC 108
EASN 206-01 History of Medicine and the Body in East Asia
Instructor: Evan Young
Course Description:
Cross-listed with HIST 217-01. This course is an introduction to the history of medicine in East Asia. We will begin by exploring the theoretical and practical underpinnings of classical Chinese medicine, which was the foundation of healing practices in premodern China, Korea, and Japan. We will then move on to trace the introduction of modern bio-medicine and the eventual reemergence of "Traditional Chinese Medicine" as an alternative style of therapy in the 20th century. We will also consider a wide range of topics that have generated compelling intellectual dialogue, including the relationship between doctors and patients and between medicine and the state.
01:30 PM-02:45 PM, TF
DENNY 103
EASN 209-01 The Japanese Woodblock Print
Instructor: Wei Ren
Course Description:
Cross-listed with ARTH 209-01. This course provides a thorough introduction to the woodblock print Japans most celebrated artistic mediumfrom its emergence in the mid-17th century to the modern era. Technical developments, major genres, and master designers are explored within the context of the prints relationship to the urban culture of early modern and modern Japan. Topics including censorship, theatricality, the representation of war, nationalism, and Japonisme. Special emphasis is placed on an examination of habits of pictorial representation and protocols of viewing unique to the Japanese print medium. Lectures are supplemented by viewing sessions in the Trout Gallery.This course is cross-listed as ARTH 209.
10:30 AM-11:45 AM, TR
WEISS 235
EASN 259-01 Law, Politics, and Society in Asia
Instructor: Neil Diamant
Course Description:
Cross-listed with LAWP 259-01 and POSC 259-01. This course examines the interaction between law, legal institutions and citizens in China, Japan, and India. Covering history and the contemporary scene, course focuses on how law works in practice and is understood and used by ordinary people in Asia. It covers areas such as marriage and divorce, the legal profession, lost property, civil rights, the environment, sexuality, mediation, land development and property, among others. Comparisons between the United States and Asia, as well as between Asian countries, will be emphasized. This course is cross-listed as POSC 259 and LAWP 259.
10:30 AM-11:45 AM, TR
STERN 103
EASN 305-01 Topics on Modern Design in East Asia
Instructor: Wei Ren
Course Description:
Cross-listed with ARTH 305-01. Traditional Chinese and Japanese art and design served as an important source of inspiration for European modernism. But what happened to art and design within China and Japan during the modern period? Despite China's traditional stronghold in modular design and Japan's current prestige in design culture, the two countries faced incredible challenges during the late 19th and early 20th century as they struggled with their own cultures' pasts and the modern concept of art and design. This class offers a multidisciplinary approach to the study of modern East Asian art and examines how the concept of design emerged and developed in Japan and China in relation to both fine arts and industry in a broad cross-cultural nexus. While design connected modern China and Japan in ways unprecedented, the two cultures also adopted different design strategies defined by their respective cultural and historical conditions. The class is discussion based and is supplemented by a fieldtrip to Washington D.C. Prerequisite: ARTH 108 or ARTH 209 or two art history or two non-language EASN courses.
03:00 PM-04:15 PM, MR
WEISS 219
EASN 306-01 Gender and Sexuality in Modern Japanese History
Instructor: Evan Young
Course Description:
Cross-listed with HIST 317-01 and WGSS 302-03. This course is an exploration of how sexuality and gender have been continually redefined and experienced throughout modern Japanese history. We will analyze the changes Japanese society underwent from the 19th century to the present, paying particular attention to transformations as well as continuities in eroticism, same-sex love, family structure, and gender roles. A key theme of the course is the socially-constructed nature of gender norms and how women and men frequently transgressed feminine and masculine ideals, a theme that we will explore through both primary sources in translation and secondary scholarship. Building upon in-class workshops and a series of short-essay assignments, the final goal of the course will be to produce a paper that analyzes the development of this new and exciting field of history.
01:30 PM-04:30 PM, R
LIBRY ALDEN
EASN 490-01 Senior Research
Instructor: Alex Bates
Course Description:
Leading to a senior thesis and jointly supervised by at least two faculty in the program.
01:30 PM-04:30 PM, T
STERN 103
EASN 500-01 Chinese Sci-Fi and film, focus in Chinese
Instructor: Nan Ma
Course Description:

Courses Offered in JPNS
Course Code Title/Instructor Meets
JPNS 102-01 Elementary Japanese
Instructor: Akiko Meguro, Sota Takeda
Course Description:
These courses establish the basic language skills including listening, speaking, reading and writing. These courses also provide students with a brief overview of Japanese culture.Prerequisite: 101 or permission of instructor
09:30 AM-10:20 AM, MTWRF
STERN 7
JPNS 102-02 Elementary Japanese
Instructor: Akiko Meguro, Sota Takeda
Course Description:
These courses establish the basic language skills including listening, speaking, reading and writing. These courses also provide students with a brief overview of Japanese culture.Prerequisite: 101 or permission of instructor
10:30 AM-11:20 AM, MTWRF
STERN 7
JPNS 202-01 Intermediate Japanese
Instructor: Alex Bates, Sota Takeda
Course Description:
The aim of this course is the mastery of the basic structure of Japanese language and communicative skills. The student will have an opportunity to get to know more of Japanese culture. Prerequisite: 201 or permission of the instructor. This course fulfills the language graduation requirement.
09:30 AM-10:20 AM, MTWRF
EASTC 112
JPNS 202-02 Intermediate Japanese
Instructor: Sota Takeda, Alex Bates
Course Description:
The aim of this course is the mastery of the basic structure of Japanese language and communicative skills. The student will have an opportunity to get to know more of Japanese culture. Prerequisite: 201 or permission of the instructor. This course fulfills the language graduation requirement.
10:30 AM-11:20 AM, MTWRF
EASTC 112
JPNS 232-01 Advanced Japanese
Instructor: Akiko Meguro
Course Description:
The emphasis in this course is placed on enhancing the students' fluency and acquiring increasingly creative skills through composition, oral presentation and discussion. Prerequisite: 231 or permission of the instructor.
12:30 PM-01:20 PM, MWF
STERN 7
JPNS 362-01 Advanced Japanese II
Instructor: Sota Takeda
Course Description:
The emphasis in this course is placed on polishing and refining the students' language skills. Emphasis is placed on covering more sophisticated materials such as newspapers, magazine articles, film and literature. Prerequisite: 361 or permission of the instructor.
03:00 PM-04:15 PM, MR
STERN 7