ASIAN 4417 - Themes and Problems in Asian Studies

# (CA-AS)

Spring. 4 credits. Letter grades only.

B. de Bary.

Strongly recommended for Asian Studies majors and prospective majors, this course provides an overview of themes and problems central to work in Asian Studies. We will see how Asian Studies developed as a field of academic inquiry, and explore central themes in the present discipline of Asian Studies. How are Asian traditions invented and transmitted? How do we study the histories of Asian literatures and aesthetics? How have mixed media and technologies shaped Asian worlds from the age of manuscripts and block prints to the digital era? What is the place of ritual and performance in Asian contexts? Is “popular culture” a new phenomenon in Asia? This course is intended for juniors and seniors. Open to first- and second-year students only with permission of instructor. (SC)