Asian Studies

Home to major philosophical, religious, artistic, and political traditions that have shaped global history, Asia remains critically important in understanding the contemporary transnational marketplace and international politics. The Asian Studies Program at Holy Cross offers students a variety of courses and a multidisciplinary framework for the exploration and interpretation of the diverse societies, cultures, and politics of Asia.

The Asian Studies Program offers a major and a minor, both of which prepare students for a wide range of careers with international scope. Students interested in Asian studies can enroll in any of the other courses listed under the Asian Studies section on the First-Year Student website.
 

CHIN 101
Elementary Chinese 1
Common Area: Language Studies 

An introduction to spoken Mandarin and written Chinese. Providing a foundation in speaking, listening, reading, writing, and communication skills and an introduction to the Chinese culture.

 CHIN 199-F01
Youth Cul. in Sinophone Wold
Common Area: Literature

How were youth as a modern concept and a social category imagined, constructed, and deconstructed? This course uses youth culture as a keyword to explore the questions of politics, identity, education, gender, class, race, and age from the late nineteenth century to the present in China, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Chinese American communities. As a core component of this exploration, we will explore fiction, poetry, films, and social media that constitute what we understand as youth culture in Chinese-speaking communities. All lectures, discussions and assignments will be in English. No prior knowledge required.


CHIN 201
Intermediate Chinese 1
Common Area: Language Studies

Continued focus on the development of oral and written communication skills and on the strengthening of cultural competency in Chinese through the use of written texts and multimedia resources. Five class hours weekly. One and one-quarter units each semester.

 
CHIN 299-F02
Chinese Migrants & Language
Common Area: Social Science 

In this course, we are going to examine the relationship between migration and second language acquisition. Specifically, we will focus on the Chinese migrants in the U.S. and consider what role “age” plays in this relationship. This course includes three sections: 1) ESL (English as Second Language) in the U.S., 2) age, cognition, and language acquisition, and 3) Teaching Chinese-born seniors English. The first section begins with an overview of the impact of various factors on second language learning for migrants in the U.S. We will discuss how factors such as age, social status, cultural origin, length of residence, distance from mother tongue to the second language, the type of migrants, etc., impact language learning in the U.S. for different communities. The second section examines how age influences second language learning. While a much larger body of second language acquisition research still focuses on children, adolescents, and young adults, second language learning in late adulthood has started to gain attention. We will learn how linguistic experiences and age-specific cognitive skills can be leveraged for language learning. The third section discusses how to teach Chinese-born seniors English by understanding their cultural and educational backgrounds, motivations, concerns, and goals.

 
CLAS 188
Alexander the Great and Asia
Common Area: Historical Studies or Literature

Considers the political, religious, and cultural encounters between the ancient Greek world and Asia generated by the expedition of Alexander the Great and the interpretations of the story of Alexander found in different cultural traditions from antiquity to the present day, from religious texts to heavy metal music.

 
HIST 155
World War II in East Asia
Common Area: Historical Studies

This course provides a comprehensive examination of the Sino-Japanese War (1937-1945) and Asia-Pacific War (1941-1945). Students will also gain a working familiarity with the history of early and late twentieth-century China and Japan as they study the political and cultural contexts of prewar and postwar East Asia and East Asia-U.S. relations through engagement with a wide variety of primary sources. By exploring a number of issues such as nationalism, popular memory, morality, identity, race, gender, and refugees, students will be exposed to a number of recent and classic debates in the historiography on modern China and Japan.

 
MUSC 231
Music Of Bali-Gamelan 1
Common Area: Arts or Cross Cultural

Introduces students to Balinese music through the performance of selected pieces from the Gong Kebyar repertory. Instruction provided in the technique of playing the instruments that make up the Gamelan.

 
RELS 106
Buddhism
Common Area: Cross Cultural or Religious Studies

Survey of the Buddhist tradition, from its origins in ancient India through its evolution as a pan-Asian faith. Topics include the legends of the Buddha, the early monastic community, the emergence of Theravada and Mahayana teachings, Buddhist ethics and social philosophy, meditation traditions, and the later development of distinctive Tibetan, Chinese, and Japanese schools. Utilizes textual and anthropological sources.

 
RELS 108
Hinduism
Common Area: Cross Cultural or Religious Studies

An examination of Hinduism and the Hindu tradition from the Vedas to the present day.  Among the subject considered:  the Upanishads; the Ramayana and Mahabharata; village Hinduism; Gandhi; and contemporary Hindu political thought. Evaluation will include both examinations and essays.

 
RELS 120
Compar Religions/World View
Common Area: Religious Studies 

Systematic exploration of similarities and differences within and among several traditions (Hinduism, Christianity, and Islam) and an examination of several key issues within the academic study of religion.

 
THEA 126
Asia on Stage
Common Area: Arts or Cross Cultural

Asia on Stage focuses on the intricate classical performance traditions of theatre, dance, and music of South and Southeast Asia and how contemporary artists have borrowed from these traditions to create new or avant-garde work.  Students develop analytical skill through observation of similarities and differences between counterparts in other Asian nations and the West.

 
THEA 131
Balinese Dance 1 - 2
Common Area: Arts or Cross Cultural

Balinese Dance is a dance performance class which surveys the rich classical, contemporary, and folk traditions of music, mask, dance, and theatre from Bali, Indonesia. Hinduism plays a significant role in the performing arts of Bali and will be discussed in relationship to performance. Students rehearse and perform with Gamelan Gita Sari, the Holy Cross gamelan orchestra. This course can be taken for two semesters.

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