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Asian Studies |
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ab Absent on leave for the year. * Part time. The Asian Studies Program provides students with a multidisciplinary approach to the study of the history, economics, politics, geography, languages and literatures, religions, and cultures of the peoples of Asia. While students are required to focus on a particular region of Asia (e.g., East Asia, South Asia, Southeast Asian, China, Japan, India), including language study, intermediate and advanced coursework, and a senior thesis in this area, they are also expected to be familiar with other parts of Asia through the introductory course and some coursework outside their area of speciality. The senior seminar is intended to address issues that affect several areas of Asia and Asian Studies as a discipline. A student's course of study for the major is designed in close consultation with the director and an adviser. Students should obtain the application form, which includes a statement of interest, from the program office prior to meeting with the program director. This should be done in the first semester of the sophomore year if the student is intending to apply for JYA. Study Abroad: Study abroad in some region of Asia or some alternative structured field experience in Asia greatly enhances a student's learning experience and understanding of Asia and its regional complexities. It is strongly recommended that Asian Studies majors avail themselves of such an opportunity. Advice and literature on different programs are available through the Offices of the Dean of Studies and Asian Studies. Requirements for the Concentration: 12 units of which at least 7 are normally taken at Vassar. After declaration of the major, all courses taken towards the major must be graded. Students may request, however, that up to one (1) unit of independent study or field work be counted towards the major. 1)Asian Studies 105: Introduction to Asian Studies. 2)Language: Competency in one Asian foreign language through the intermediate college level must be achieved and demonstrated by completion of relevant courses or special examination. A maximum of 4 units of Asian language study above the introductory level will be counted toward the 12 units for the major. Instruction is offered in Chinese and Japanese, while Hindi and Korean may be taken through the Self-Instructional Language Program. 3)Intermediate-Level Study: A minimum of 3 units of intermediate course work (200-level) of direct relevance to Asia in at least two disciplines, selected from the Program and Approved courses listed below. Recommendation: At least two of these courses should be related to the student's regional focus within Asia and at least one should be outside the area of regional specialty. 4)Advanced-Level Work: A minimum of 3 units at the 300-level including the designated Asian Studies "Senior Seminar" (in 1999/00 Asian Studies 382b), 1 unit of thesis work (Asian Studies 300-301 or Asian Studies 302), and at least one additional 300-level seminar from the list of Approved Courses below. The senior seminar and the thesis constitute the Senior Year Requirement. 5)Recommendation for Discipline-Specific Courses: The Asian Studies major is an interdisciplinary area studies program. While Asian Studies majors do course work related to Asia in several different departments, majors are expected to identify one or two disciplines in which they will develop a theoretical or methodological sophistication that they will bring to bear on their study of Asia, particularly in their fulfillment of senior year requirements. 6)Recommendation for Area-Specific Courses: In mapping out a plan of study, students should try to include the following: three or four courses (not including language study) that focus on a student's geographical area of specialization within Asia; and two courses that include a geographic area other than one's region of focus (one of which will be Asian Studies 105). Correlate Sequence in Chinese Language: 61/2 units chosen among Chinese 105, 106, 205, 206, 298, 305, 306, and 399; at least 5 units must be taken above the 100-level and two courses must be taken at the letter-graded 300-level. Correlate Sequence in Japanese Language: 61/2 units chosen among Japanese 105, 106, 205, 206, 305, 306, 350, 351, and 399; at least 5 units must be taken above the 100-level and two courses must be taken at the 300-level. In both correlate sequences, Junior Year Abroad and summer courses
may be substituted with program approval. 4 units must be taken
at Vassar. Courses available for letter grades must be taken for
letter grades. I. Program Courses105a. Introduction to Asian Studies (1) A survey of the peoples and regions of East and South Asia. Dynamic and enduring historical processes and events comprise foundation topics of the course, including regional geography, human origins and migrations, language diversity, political and economic systems, and the origins and development of belief systems and their expressions. The course considers common threads which run throughout Asia as well as developments unique to particular regions. Mr. Jarow and Ms. Jiang. 180b. Introduction to Modern Japanese Society and Culture (1) An introduction to aspects of modern Japanese society and culture, including women in Japanese society, the life of young professionals and college students in Japan, the place of traditional culture and custom in modern Japan, cultural misunderstandings between Japanese and other cultures, and language and communications in Japan. The course emphasizes comparative analyses between a student's own culture and society and Japanese culture and society. Ms. Sakakibara. [210. Introduction to Chinese Literature: Poetry and Fiction] (1) The major genres of works of poetry and fiction, both classical and modern. Emphasis will be on close readings and discussions of chosen texts (in English translation) to explore various themes that reflect Chinese society and culture. Cinematic adaptations of fiction will be presented and Chinese poetic and narrative principles introduced. Prerequisite: One course in Asian Studies, or literature, or permission. Not offered in 1999/00. (See Asian Studies 250b.) 212a. Chinese Film and Contemporary Fiction (1) An introduction to Chinese film through its adaptations of contemporary stories. Focus is on internationally well-known films by the fifth and sixth generation of directors since the late 1980s. Early Chinese films from the 1930s to the 1970s are also included in the screenings. The format of the course is to read a series of stories in English translations and to view their respective cinematic versions. The discussions concentrate on cultural and social aspects as well as on comparison of themes and viewpoints in the two genres. Mr. Du. Prerequisite: One course in Asian Studies, or literature, or permission. [220. Traditional Japanese Literature] (1) An exploration of Japanese literary tradition through readings in translation and discussion of the major works from the eighth to the eighteenth centuries. Works studied cover a wide range of literary genres, including the oldest extant anthology of Japanese verse, Manyoshu (Collection of Ten Thousand Leaves, eighth-century); the tenth-century lyrical prose, The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter and Tales of Ise; the early eleventh-century long novel, The Tale of Genji; the medieval miscellanies, The Ten Foot Square Hut and The Essays in Idleness; Zeami's (1363-1443) dramatic theory and his Noh play; Ihara Saikaku's (1642-93) fiction; the puppet plays by Chikamatsu Monzaemon (1653-1734), and Matsuo Basho's (1644-94) haiku. Issues addressed include the cultural traditions, the aesthetic principles, and the characteristics of different literary forms and individual authorial/narrative voices. Ms. Qiu. Prerequisite: One course in literature, or Asian Studies, or permission. Not offered in 1999/00. 250b. Topics in Asian Studies (1) Selected topics in Asian Studies. May be repeated for credit when a new topic is offered. Open to nonmajors. Topic for 1999/00b: Aspects of Chinese Literature. Selected works of Chinese literature from a variety of periods and genres, including the Book of Odes (Iyric poetry), Tso Chuan (historical narrative), at least one classic Chinese novel, the short stories of Lu Xun, and philosophical and political essays of Mao Tsetung and others. Mr. Van Norden. 350a. Seminar in Asian Studies (1) An examination of selected topics relevant to the study of Asia in an interdisciplinary framework. Topics vary from year to year. May be repeated for credit when a new topic is offered. Open to nonmajors. (Same as Philosophy 350a.) Topic for 1999/00a: Comparative Methodology. An exploration of some of the methodological issues raised by the prospect of one culture understanding and making judgments about another. The course will consider essays on ethical and cognitive relativism, incommensurability, and the hermeneutics of suspicion and faith. Although the focus is primarily methodological, recent Western approaches to understanding Chinese philosophy will provide test cases for some of the theories examined. Mr. Van Norden. 382b. Asian Diasporas (1) (Same as Geography, Anthropology 382; serves as the Asian Studies
"Senior Seminar" for 1999/00.) Focusing on Asian diasporas, the
course engages the current surge of interest in diaspora studies
from both anthropological and geographical perspectives. Attention
is given to issues of colonial and post-colonial struggles, formation
and transformation of ethnic identities, roles of middlemen minorities,
and nationalism and transnationalism of Asian diasporas. The principal
cases are drawn from East Asian and South Asian communities in
Southeast Asia, the Pacific Islands, and the U.S. Ms. Kaplan and
Ms. Zhou. II. Language Courses
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