AST 102 Introduction to Japanese II (JPN)

Instructor: Nathan Patton
Prerequisite: AST/JPN 101 w/ C or higher or Permission of Instructor
Offered: Typically every Spring Term
Continued emphasis on Japanese oral/aural communication skills and an introduction to the Japanese written language.
1 Course

AST 104 Introduction to Japanese IV (JPN)

Instructor: Nathan Patton
Prerequisite: AST/JPN 103 w/ C or higher or Permission of Instructor
Offered: Typically every Spring Term
Completion of the two-term intermediate level of Japanese language instruction; continued practice of reading, writing, listening, and speaking, fully integrated with culture.
1 Course

AST 123 History of Japan (HIS)

Instructor: Robert Foster
Offered: Typically every Spring Term
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.
1 Course

AST 186-RF Ancient Asia (HIS)

Instructor: Robert Foster
Offered: Typically as student interest and faculty availability allow
This course introduces the traditional cultures of India, China, and Japan through classical texts and material culture. One of the key tasks is to consider how useful the concept of “Asia” is. Primarily intended for first- and second-year students. Fulfills International (Non-Western) Perspective requirement.
1 Course

AST 204 Yoga (HHP)

Instructor: Stephanie Woodie
Prerequisite: HLT/PEH 100 or Permission of Instructor
Offered: Typically every Spring Term
A study of the asanas (poses) included in the practice of Hatha Yoga. The focus will be on connecting breath with movement, developing ease and comfort in poses and developing skills in using yoga as a tool for increased self-awareness. The content will include basic history of yoga and asanas. Students will be required to purchase a yoga mat that they will keep throughout the term.
1 Course

AST 205 Tai Chi (HHP)

Instructor: Martha Beagle
Prerequisite: HLT/PEH 100 or permission of instructor
Offered: Typically every Spring Term
Because of its movement and mind/body focus, the benefits of Tai Chi on dynamic balance, relaxation, and sustained mental attention have been recognized by those who engage in all kinds of activities. Students of Tai Chi will learn the Yang (short form) style of Tai Chi as well as the mind-body connection in accordance with the principles and techniques of Tai Chi to help enrich one’s life. Tai Chi is scientifically designed to help all students maintain a healthy body through stretching, breathing and meditation.
1/4 Course

AST 206 Introduction to Asian Cinema (THR)

Instructor: Gordon T. Gray
Prerequisite: GSTR 110 or waiver
Offered: Typically every Spring Term
Asian cinematic traditions have produced some of the most famous and accomplished directors (such as Japan’s Kurosawa and Ozu or India’s Satyajit Ray), some of the largest audiences (Bollywood films have immense global audiences), as well as unique artistic visions and styles (the Chinese ‘Fifth Generation’ of filmmakers). Beyond these issues, viewing cinema also tells us much about the cultures in which those cinematic products were produced. Therefore, the films viewed also tell us much about Japan, India, China and the cultural, aesthetic, and dramaturgical traditions of those countries. To that end, students will critically view a series of Asian feature films and then provide analysis of these films via three term time 5-8 page reviews that include topics, themes, and subject matter relevant to the particular films and of relevance to their major. The work culminates in a final essay. Fulfills Arts and International (Non-Western) Perspective requirements.
1 Course

AST 249 Seminar in Asian Art: Modern Art in India (ARH)

Instructor: Eileen McKiernan González
Prerequisite: GSTR 110 or waiver
Offered: Typically as student interest and faculty availability allow
This course considers the development of twentieth century art in the Indian Subcontinent (modern day India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Nepal). The region is incredibly diverse religiously, culturally, and politically and is marked by British colonial rule. Artists have explored the interactions of modern art centered in Europe with forms indigenous to their culture and region. Issues of modernity and globalization and its effect of the development of the arts and shifts in cultural identity are central to the course. Fulfills Arts and International (Non-Western) Perspective requirements.
1 Course

AST 260 Buddhism (REL)

Instructor: Jeffrey L. Richey
Prerequisite: GSTR 110 or waiver
Offered: Typically alternate years (next offered Spring 2017)
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 International (Non-Western) and Religion Perspective requirements.
1 Course

AST 286-LM Politics and Literature in Japan (PSC)

Instructor: Lauren McKee
Prerequisite: GSTR 110 or waiver
Offered: Typically as student interest and faculty availability allow

“If you only read the books that everyone else is reading, you can only think what everyone else is thinking.”
― Haruki Murakami, Norwegian Wood

Have you ever felt that you wanted to read more good books but couldn’t find the time during the semester? Are you interested in modern Japan? Then this is the course for you! Join us as we begin our journey in the transitional Meiji period and progress through the turn of the 20th century in Japan; through a brief period of democracy into an era of nationalism and militarism; through the Pacific War and the atomic aftermath into the Occupation and experimentation with American-style democracy; into Japan’s period of “miraculous” economic growth and then sudden economic stagnation; and finally to current times, to Cool Japan and Abenomics. All of these periods will be examined through reading modern Japanese literature–fiction, memoirs, short stories, and poems. In this way, you’ll learn about political and social change in modern Japan from the writings of the authors who lived it. Fulfills International (Non-Western) Perspective requirement.
1 Course