AST 104 Introduction to Japanese IV (JPN)

Instructor: Nobuko Patton

Prerequisite: AST/JPN 103 with a grade of C or higher or permission of instructor.

Completion of the two-term intermediate level of Japanese language instruction; continued practice of reading, writing, listening, and speaking, fully integrated with culture.

Also listed as: JPN 104

AST 123 History of Japan (HIS)

Instructor: Robert Foster

Japan has developed from an isolated chain of islands at the edge of East Asia into a modern economic giant. Through close reading of documents, focused analytical writing, open discussion and lecture, we will examine the complexity of the culture that gave rise to Zen Buddhism, the samurai, and Japan’s current position as one of the world’s most powerful economies. Fulfills International (Non-Western) Perspective requirement.

AST 229 Modern Imperialism (HIS)

Instructor: Rebecca Bates

Prerequisite: HIS 102, AST/HIS 122, AST/HIS 123, OR GSTR 210

This course is a selective exploration of imperialism using a comparative historical perspective. Beginning with a reflection on the meanings of “empire,” the course explores the rise of European empires during the “high colonialism” of the 19th and 20th centuries. This course then will explore the expansion of European colonialism and regional responses–including local resistance, national revolutions, and the development of the Soviet and Japanese Empires. After examining the dynamics of imperial decline between 1919 and 1945, the course will conclude by considering the status of empires in the post-World War II period. Fulfills International (Non-Western) Perspective requirement.

AST 260 Buddhism (REL)

Instructor: Jeffrey L. Richey

Prerequisite: GSTR 110

A study of the history and diversity of Buddhist traditions, from the time of the Buddha in 5th-century BCE India to contemporary Buddhist communities in Asia and the West. Special attention will be given to the problems and prospects of Buddhism in relation to contemporary issues, such as gender and sexuality, ecological change, and the relationship between religion and politics. Fulfills Religion Perspective and World Culture (Non-Western) component of the International Perspective requirements.

AST 308 Themes in Asian Traditions: “Religion in Chinese Literature and Film” (REL)

Instructor: Jeffrey L. Richey

Prerequisite: 1 previous AST course, or permission of instructor

Taking his position at the hub of things, the writer contemplates the mystery of the universe…. Moving along with the four seasons… gazing at the myriad objects, he thinks of the complexity of the world….

So wrote Lu Ji (261-303 CE), an early medieval Chinese poet who won literary fame but ultimately was executed by those jealous of his accomplishments. From earliest times to the present, Chinese literature (and, more recently, film) has enabled authors and their audience to explore the complexities of the universe and examine their place within it, sometimes at great personal risk. Each time that it is offered, AST/REL 308 entails the close study of selected texts, practices, or experiences of one or more Asian religious traditions. This term’s section is devoted to the ways in which various relationships take on religious significance in Chinese literature and film: the relationships between individuals and society, humans and nature, humans and the sacred, men and women, and tradition and modernity. Fulfills Arts Perspective requirement.

AST 323 Seminar in Japanese History (HIS)

Instructor: Robert Foster

Prerequisite: AST/HIS 122 or 123 or permission of instructor

The goal of this course is two-fold. Through examining a key period in Japanese history students will develop both a deeper appreciation for Japanese culture and a better understanding for the various methodologies that historians employ in analyzing complex societies. By reading key primary documents and secondary material from important historians, students will develop a picture of the way social, economic, political, and cultural issues interact and shape the period. May be repeated for credit, provided the topic differs from those studied previously. Fulfills World Culture (Non-Western) component of the International Perspective requirements.

Also listed as: HIS 323

CHI 102 Introduction to Chinese II

Instructor: Vanessa Chi-Jung Lee

Prerequisite: CHI 101 with a grade of C or higher, or permission of instructor

Continued emphasis on Chinese oral/aural and written communication skills.

CHI 104 Intermediate Chinese II

Instructor: Vanessa Chi-Jung Lee

Prerequisite: CHI 103 with a grade of C or higher, or permission of instructor, Completion of the two-term intermediate level of Chinese language instruction.

Continued development of Chinese oral/aural and written communication, fully integrated with culture.