Asian Studies

Asian Studies Option, Professor Bradley Clough, Advisor:

The Asian Studies Option offers opportunities for those students who wish to focus on the diverse societies of the Asian continent through the study of literature, geography, history, peoples, religious and other cultural traditions, and languages. 

Interested students must major in Liberal Studies with an option in Asian Studies. In addition to select Liberal Studies courses, students will choose from specified courses offered in many departments and areas in the College of Humanities and Sciences, such as History, Japanese Studies, Chinese Studies, Anthropology, Sociology, Geography, and Religious Studies.

Students who choose the Asian Studies option must meet with the Asian studies faculty advisor.

Bachelor of Arts - Liberal Studies; Asian Studies Option

College Humanities & Sciences

Catalog Year: 2016-2017

Degree Specific Credits: 41

Required Cumulative GPA: 2.0

Note: Two years (or equivalent proficiency) in an Asian language appropriate to the student's academic goals and approved by the academic advisor. Students who plan to pursue graduate work are strongly advised to complete three years, including at least one study abroad in Asia experience.

Asian Studies Option Lower Division Core

Rule: 20 credits.

Note: Please see academic advisor for questions regarding course availability or course substitutions.

Minimum Required Grade: C-
20 Total Credits Required

Introduction to the Humanities

Rule: Take both of the following courses (8 credits).

Note: WRIT 101 is a pre-requisite or co-requisite. General Education fulfillment: LSH 151L and 152L satisfy both the "approved writing course" and "Literary & Artistic Studies".

Show All Course Descriptions Course Credits
Show Description LSH 151L - IntrHumanities:Greek,Bible,Rom
Offered autumn. Prereq., eligibility for WRIT 101 (ENEX 101) based on writing placement examination. General survey of the field of Humanities in Western civilization, comparing and contrasting the Greco–Roman with the Jewish and Christian traditions.
 0 To 4 Credits
Show Description LSH 152L - Humanities Medieval to Modern
Offered spring. Prereq., eligibility for WRIT 101 (ENEX 101) based on writing placement examination. General survey of the field of Humanities in Western civilization, in the modern period.
 0 To 4 Credits
Minimum Required Grade: C- 8 Total Credits Required

Introductory Asian Studies

Rule: Choose 1 of the following courses.

Show All Course Descriptions Course Credits
Show Description LSH 102H - Intro to South & S East Asia
Offered intermittently. Same as ANTY 102H/SSEA 102H. An introduction to South and Southeast Asian regions, cultures, societies, and histories, with particular emphasis on artistic, religious and literary traditions from prehistory to the present. An overview approach with different materials and emphases.
 3 Credits
Show Description LSH 161H - Asian Humanities
Offered autumn. Coreq., LS 151L or consent of instr. Selective survey of classical South and East Asian perspectives on the humanities. Hinduism, Confucianism, Taoism and Buddhism are the primary traditions considered.
 3 Credits
Minimum Required Grade: C- 3 Total Credits Required

Asian Civilization Courses

Rule: Choose 2 of the following courses

Show All Course Descriptions Course Credits
Show Description CHIN 211H - Chinese Culture and Civiliz
Offered intermittently. Same as AS and LS 211H.  An introduction to the historical, intellectual, political, literary and social developments of China from early times to the present.
 3 Credits
Show Description HSTR 240 - East Asian Civilizations
(WRLD) An interdisciplinary, pluralist, and exploratory introduction to civilizations of East Asia. Primary focus on China, Japan, and Korea, the relations among them and their patterns of interaction with the outside world in pre-modern and modern periods.
 3 Credits
Show Description JPNS 150H - Japanese Cult & Civiliz
Offered intermittently. Same as AS and LS 210H. The historical, religious, artistic, literary and social developments in Japan from earliest times to the present.
 3 Credits
Show Description SOCI 212S - Social Issues Southeast Asia
Offered every other year. Introduction to the cultures, societies, and contemporary social problems of Southeast Asia.
 3 Credits
Show Description SSEA 202X - Introduction to India
Offered alternate years. This course introduces students to the history, economy, political and legal system, society, culture, religions, and literary and artistic traditions of India, which is the world's largest secular democracy and the birthplace of four major world religions.
 3 Credits
Minimum Required Grade: C- 6 Total Credits Required

Asian Religion and Cultural Studies

Rule: Choose one course from the following. 3 credits.

Show All Course Descriptions Course Credits
Show Description RLST 232H - Buddhism
A historical introduction to the development of Buddhist thought and practice in the cultures of Asia and the West.
 3 Credits
Show Description RLST 233 - Tradtns of Buddhist Meditation
Prereq. or coreq., RLST 232 H. A critical and phenomenological introduction to meditation as the Buddhist method of systematic inquiry into the nature of the mind and its role in the construction of experience.
 3 Credits
Show Description RLST 234X - Hindu Religious Traditions
Same as SSEA and LS 365. Critical exploration of selected aspects of Hindu thought, narrative and practice, both in contemporary and historical perspective. Focus primarily on India, but with consideration of Hinduism's transformation and impact beyond South Asia.
 3 Credits
Show Description RLST 236X - Chinese Religions
An exploration of the development of thought and practice in and the interactions between the major religious movements of Chinese religion: Confucianism, Taoism, Buddhism, and fold religion/animism.
3 Credits
Show Description RLST 238X - Japanese Religions
Offered at least once every two years. An introductory exploration of Japan's unique religious synthesis of Buddhist, Shinto, Taoist, Confucian and folk/shamanistic traditions.
3 Credits
Minimum Required Grade: C- 3 Total Credits Required

Asian Studies Upper-Division Requirements

Rule: Choose 7 courses from among the following. 21 credits.

Show All Course Descriptions Course Credits
Show Description CHIN 313L - Chinese Poetry in Translat
Offered intermittently. The works of major Chinese poets to 1300 A.D.
 3 Credits
Show Description CHIN 314L - Tradit Chinese Literature
Offered intermittently.  Same as AS, MCLG, and LS 314L.  Highlights of Chinese literature to 1800; includes philosophy, poetry, prose, and fiction.
 3 Credits
Show Description GPHY 444 - High Asia
Offered intermittently. A study of the geography and mountain-society interactions in High Asia.  The course includes attention to the theory and methodology of mountain geography, with attention to physical and human systems and their interaction.
 3 Credits
Show Description HSTR 345H - Modern China
(WRLD) Offered autumn. China since 180, emphasizing internal weaknesses of the Manchu dynasty, confrontation with the west, and the emergence of Nationalist and Communist regimes.
 3 Credits
Show Description HSTR 448 - Tradition & Reform in China
(WRLD) Prereq., junior standing or consent of instructor. A history of key reform movements from the mid-19th century (when China was rocked by rebellion and the entry of the West) to the Maoist period.
 3 Credits
Show Description HSTR 449 - Revolution & Reform in China
(WRLD) Offered autumn.  A history of the rise and fall of the Maoist regime and the complicated impact of the epochal post Mao reform movement.
 3 Credits
Show Description JPNS 311 - Jpns Clasc Lit Engl Trans
Offered intermittently. Prereq., Composition course WRIT 101 or 201 (or transfer equiv.) with a grade of C- or better; and one approved Gen Ed writing course or WRIT 201, with a C- or better. Introduction to the classical literature of the Japanese court, ca. 7th to 14th century. Kojiki, Man'yoshu, Kokinshu, Genji Monogatari, and other major classics of the period.
 3 Credits
Show Description JPNS 312 - Jpns Lit Medieval to Mod
Offered spring alternate years. Prereq., Composition course WRIT 101 or 201 (or transfer equiv.) with a grade of C- or better; and one approved Gen Ed writing course or WRIT 201, with a C- or better. Introduction to the literature of Japan from the 15th to the 20th century.
 3 Credits
Show Description JPNS 391 - Special Topics
(R–12) Offered intermittently. Experimental offerings of visiting professors, experimental offerings of new courses, or one–time offerings of current topics.
 1 To 12 Credits
Show Description JPNS 411 - Mod Jpns Wrtrs/Thinkers
(R–6) Offered autumn or spring. Prereq., JPNS 202. Introduction to the important writers, thinkers, and poets of the 20th century. Readings include a wide range of topics in the humanities, including literature, philosophy, and the arts.
 3 Credits
Show Description JPNS 431L - Post-War Japanese Literature
Offered spring odd–numbered years. Same as MCLG 431L. Introduction to issues, literature, and criticism of Japanese literature from the postwar (1945) through the contemporary period, using texts in English translation.
 3 Credits
Show Description PSCI 329 - Politics of Japan
Offered autumn. Prereq., junior standing or consent of instr. Institutions and political development in Japan.
 3 Credits
Show Description RLST 353 - Topics in South Asia Religions
(R-6) This course will examine select topics of central importance with respect to the history of interaction between the major religions (Hinduism, Islam, Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism) of South Asia.
 3 Credits
Show Description RLST 354 - Topics in East Asia Religions
(R-6) This course will examine select topics of central importance with respect to the history of interaction between the major religions (Confucianism, Taoism, Buddhism, and folk animism and shamanism) of East Asia.
 3 Credits
Show Description RLST 360 - Classcs of Buddhist Literature
(R-6) Close reading of a selection of core Buddhist texts drawn from various Asian cultures and spanning the three main phases of the tradition.
 3 Credits
Show Description RLST 366 - Tibetan Civilization
An exploration of the history and culture of a unique civilization that has influenced greatly the cultures of Himalayan, East, and South Asia. Special attention will be given to Tibetan religions, but these will be explored within the context of the society's political, social, economic, and other cultural developments.
 3 Credits
Show Description RLST 367 - Approaches to Study Zen Bddhsm
An exploration of both key developments in the history of Zen Buddhist thought and practice and the variety of ways that Zen has been studied by Western popular and academic cultures.
 3 Credits
Show Description RLST 368 - Contem Buddhism in S & SE Asia
As with other major religions, modernity and globalization have presented profound challenges to Buddhist traditions.  In this course we will explore various contemporary issues that have affected Theravada Buddhist societies--colonial and post-colonial revivalism, religious nationalism, women's rights and social reform--as case studies in some of the major ways in which religions have confronted modernity.
 3 Credits
Show Description RLST 369 - Contemporary Tradtions of Asia
An exploration of the rich and diverse approaches to mental transformation and cultivation of gnosis as developed by several of Asia's major religious traditions, such as Buddhism, Jainism, Hinduism, Taoism, and Confucianism.
 3 Credits
Minimum Required Grade: C- 21 Total Credits Required

Asian Language Requirement

Rule: Student must reach proficiency at the 202 level (fourth semester) in either Chinese or Japanese.

Note: Two years (or equivalent proficiency) in an Asian language appropriate to the student's academic goals and approved by the academic advisor. Students who plan to pursue graduate work are strongly advised to complete three years, including at least one study abroad in Asia experience.

Show All Course Descriptions Course Credits
Show Description CHIN 101 - Elementary Chinese I
Offered autumn. Emphasis on speaking, reading and writing elementary Mandarin.
 5 Credits
Show Description CHIN 102 - Elementary Chinese II
Prereq., CHIN 101. Offered spring. Continuation of 101.
 5 Credits
Show Description CHIN 201 - Intermediate Chinese I
Offered autumn. Prereq., CHIN 102 or equiv. Emphasis on oral communication, with continuing development in all major skill areas: listening, speaking, reading and writing.
 5 Credits
Show Description CHIN 202 - Intermediate Chinese II
Offered spring. Prereq., CHIN 201 or equiv. Continuation of 201.
 5 Credits
Show Description JPNS 101 - Elementary Japanese I
Offered autumn. Understanding of grammar and basic sentence structures are taught as a foundation for oral comprehension. The students will learn Hiragana and Katakana, two syllabic writing systems, and approximately 400 Kanji ideographs.
 5 Credits
Show Description JPNS 102 - Elementary Japanese II
Offered spring. Prereq., JPNS 101. Continuation of 101.
 5 Credits
Show Description JPNS 201 - Intermediate Japanese I
Offered autumn. Prereq., JPNS 102 or equiv. Reading and writing kanji; building oral/aural fluency.
 5 Credits
Show Description JPNS 202 - Intermediate Japanese II
Offered spring. Prereq., JPNS 201 or equiv. Continuation of JPNS 201.
 5 Credits
Minimum Required Grade: C- 0-20 Total Credits Required