Courses

A comparative, cultural anthropological exploration of fashion and consumption as tools for the creation, expression, and contestation of social, cultural, economic, political and individual identities. Topics include: anthropological and semiotic theories of materialism and consumption, subcultural styles, colonialism, race, gender, religious dress, globalization and ethnic chic.

This course explores Asian American experiences and histories from 1776 to the present with a special emphasis on labor, war, and activism. We will explore how Asian laborers have been racialized in relation to other groups in the United States and its territories; how American wars in the Pacific influence both the demographic make-up and critical outlook of Asian America; and how different Asian American groups have organized in response to U.S. racism and imperialism. Rather than take Asian America as a given, we will probe the contours of who is considered a part of Asian American history, challenging the field to acknowledge under-represented groups such as Pacific Islanders, South Asians, Southeast Asians, and Arab Americans. We will explore how questions of race and ethnicity intersect with those of class, gender, and sexuality. This course utilizes an interdisciplinary approach, combining archival analyses with theory, poetry, memoir, and film.

Students may undertake independent research projects under the direct supervision of a faculty member. Individuals contemplating a research project should make inquiries during their third year, since the project is usually initiated by the beginning of the fourth year.

Students may undertake independent research projects under the direct supervision of a faculty member. Individuals contemplating a research project should make inquiries during their third year, since the project is usually initiated by the beginning of the fourth year.

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.

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.

An introduction to the history, geography, literature, and social issues of China through readings, films, music, poetry, and web-based resources. Taught in English. Three class hours weekly. One unit.

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.

As a postcolonial space, Hong Kong has been a hot topic for its relationship with mainland China and Britain. In this course we will examine questions of cultural politics, identity, gender, and memory through the literary and visual representations of Hong Kong. Through close analyses of fiction, poetry, Cantopop, and films from the 1970s to the present, this course re-discovers a Hong Kong that must be unearthed through a cultural lens.

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.

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.

Introduction to major works in traditional Chinese literature. One Unit.

An exploration of Chinese culture through 20th- and 21st-century Chinese cinema. Taught in English. One unit.

An overview of the history and structure of the Chinese language.

Have you eaten yet? As one of the most common greetings among people in China, it suggests the important role food plays in Chinese culture and society. This course examines the Chinese culinary tradition and practice from antiquity to the present and explores diverse representations of food in historical accounts, literature, traditional arts, and the modern media. In this journey to Chinese cultures heart through its stomach, we will savor every bite: both food for thought and food for stomach. While digging into our food, we will also discuss a variety of topics related to the subject of Chinese food, such as food and culture values, food and identity, food and hunger, and Chinese food in the West. Students will develop critical eating skills and will further embrace cultural diversity through food.

This course will explore the complex forces at work in the emergence of modern China through a selection of Chinese literary texts. How was modernity perceived at the turn of the century? How did women's liberation change the face of China? How did we understand colonialism in Taiwan? How did May Fourth literature, New Sensationalism, and leftist literature negotiate questions of age, race, gender and class as well as nationally? Introducing iconic writers such as Lu Xun, Xiao Hong, Eileen Chang, and Wu Zhuoliu, and films such as New Women and Spring in Small Town, this course will chart the course of modern expressions and concerns in the Sinophone worlds of the late 19th to mid-20th centuries. All readings in English translation. No prerequisite.

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.

This course provides an opportunity to learn about non-Western views of nature and helps students gain a better understanding of environmental conflicts and peacebuilding in the age of globalization. Through exploration of a series of questions regarding the environment and human-nature interactions in China, this course aims to offer both a general picture of the changing relationship between human and nature in China across different historical periods and an in-depth examination of major works and events that have reflected and/or shaped such relationship.

What is the cultural significance of girlhood in modern East Asian societies? This course uses girl culture as a keyword to explore the questions of gender, class, race, and age in various regions of East Asia including China, Japan, Korea, Taiwan, and Hong Kong. As a core component of this exploration, we will explore fiction, poetry, films, anime, artworks that features major girl characters. We will also look at presentations of girl groups in K-pop and Mandopop.

This course explores the evolving concepts surrounding gender and sexuality in the Sinophone world. Scrutinizing cultural narratives of gender from the first century BC to the contemporary digital age, this course explores the variations of concepts such as desire, woman, qing (love), feminism, and queerness proliferated in imperial and modern Chinese-speaking societies. To discuss the images of marginalized gender groups in the Sinophone context, we will examine fiction, philosophy, poetry, and films from China, Taiwan, Hong Kong and diasporic Chinese American communities.

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

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

Continued development of oral and written communication skills and cultural competency through the use of readings, videos, and other multimedia resources. One unit each semester.

Continued development of oral and written communication skills and cultural competency through the use of readings, videos, and other multimedia resources. One unit each semester.

This course continues its focus on the development of higher level skills in spoken Mandarin and formal, written Chinese.

An introduction to the classical literary language of China.

This course is designed to improve advanced students' modern Chinese language skills and cultural knowledge by immersing them in the advanced communication context of contemporary Chinese media. Learning materials include Chinese news media, TV series, and films.

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.

Aims to provide the student with a sophisticated understanding of economic development in China. The historical circumstances and resource endowments which have constrained Chinese economic development are examined as a basis for analyzing the intentions and success of policies adopted since 1949.

First segment develops an analytical framework for the comparison of economic systems. Second segment uses this framework to examine and compare the economic systems of various countries including the United States, Germany, France, Japan, China, the former Soviet Union and other East European states.

What can you learn from the worlds literatures for your own creative writing? In this course, you will read contemporary literature (prose) in translation to learn about writing craft for your own fiction. You will write and workshop your own stories; if you have another language you wish to use for creative work, you have the option to do so and to present a literary translation for workshop. As globalization transforms our worldincluding its literary cultureby reading beyond English language literature your perspective of what fiction can be is enlarged. You will likely discover writing techniques from other cultures that are less common in English to apply to your own creative work. Reading assignments include translated literatures, about 60% to 65% from Asian languages the other 35% to 40% from Western languages, along with examples from less-translated Asian languages. Written assignments include creative work and critical essays responding to and comparing the reading assignments and a reflective journal; a final portfolio of writing is required.

A survey of representative Asian American literature from early twentieth-century immigrant narratives to contemporary writings. Examines Asian American literary production and its main literary themes.

Countries across East Asia have a long tradition in the production and dissemination of printed and visual materials, be it manuscripts and illustrations, or comics and film. This course will examine the technical and social aspects of print and visual culture in China and Japan and how changes in technology, politics, and social values were reflected in how these objects were produced, how they were thought of, and what kinds of content they contained. In doing so, the course will also explore how writers, illustrators, comic artists, and film makers combed historical experiences to make their own analyses of contemporary conditions.

This course presents a survey of Asian American history from the mid-19th century to the present, a period marked by multiple waves of immigration, imperialism, world wars, and social revolutions across the pacific. The course aims to place contemporary issues of Asian American identity, cultural belonging, politics, and social justice in historical and transnational perspective. Major themes will include the experience of immigration and the formation of enclaves, the legacy of settler colonialism and imperialism, racism and relations with ethnic groups, labor and social mobility, negotiations over identity and cultural production, the role of Asian Americans in social movements and political activism, as well as the influence of global politics and transpacific networks.

This course takes us on an intellectual journey through India's past and present. The course begins with important vignettes of Indian society, culture, and politics prior to the arrival of the British. We will examine how and why various facets of Indian society, namely: economic, legal, religious, and gender relations underwent radical transformation during the British rule. In the second segment of the course, we will study the causes and consequences of the Indian struggle for Independence that ended the British rule, but also led to a violent partition of India in 1947. The third segment of the course will look at some key individuals who sought to implement differing visions of India in the post-colonial era. By following the stories of the historical actors, events, and ideas we will seek to understand how colonial legacy, caste and gender relations, political corruption, and religious fundamentalism have shaped the contemporary Indian society.

This course presents an overview of Chinese history from the Neolithic period to around 1800. Themes include the emergence of Confucian thought as well as other philosophies and religions; the establishment of bureaucratic empires and evolving state-society relations; war, diplomacy, and trade between various Chinese states and their Inner Asian and East Asian neighbors as well as Western nations; the features of an elaborate literary and artistic tradition; shifts in gender relations; and the internal rebellions and early reform efforts as the last Chinese empire drew to its close.

This course presents a survey of Chinese history from 1800 to the present, a period marked by multiple reforms, rebellions, revolutions, and wars as China transformed from an empire to a modern nation-state in search of a coherent identity and a new global role. Major themes will include shifting state-society relations; cultural and intellectual movements; responses to imperialism and modes of nationalism; war and revolution; industrialization and urbanization; changing gender relations; evolving ethnic tensions; scientific culture and environmental challenges; as well as the legacy of history, reform, and revolution in the contemporary era.

This course begins by surveying political, social, economic and cultural developments during the so-called "early modern" period of Japanese history (1600-1850), when the country was governed by the samurai military class. The focus then shifts to the period between the 1850 and 1930, when Japan undertook a thoroughgoing "modern" revolution that transformed it into a major military, industrial and colonial power that rivaled Europe and the United States. While modernization resolved some of the challenges facing the country in the 19th-century, it also posed a new set of challenges for Japanese -that culminated in the Pacific War.

This course will engage the numerous revolutions that proliferated throughout the 20th century in the region we identify as Asia. Engaging with recent scholarly work that addresses the global nature of revolutions in Asia, it aims to break down and interrogate organizing principles of nation and region. Students will be challenged to situate the lives and careers of Asian revolutionaries into a transnational context in which they were active participants and shapers of revolution, both as practice and concept. Themes include empire, colonialism, revolution, war, and memory.

Today, people across the world depend on technologies innovated, engineered, and manufactured in East Asia. This course explores the deeper history of technology in China, Japan, and Korea. For students interested in East Asia, this class provides a lens for understanding the sweep of the regions history, including exchange and interaction with other parts of the world. For students interested in technology, it offers a chance to explore fundamental questions: how does society shape technology and how does technology shape society? Overall, in this class we will challenge the idea that science and technology are solely products of the modern West, focusing instead on how remarkable innovation has occurred in other parts of the world as well.

The era from the 1870s to the 1920s witnessed the global integration of markets, technological change (known as the Second Industrial Revolution), a new wave of imperialism, and a crisis of rising inequality. People, commodities, ideas, and cultural currents crossed borders at an unprecedented rate and scale. We will investigate how those who experienced the Gilded Age and First Globalization reckoned with free and coerced migrations, pursued international investment and endured economic panics, participated in the transnational transfer of social policy, elaborated and contested imperial civilizing missions, and reimagined theories of society.

In 1750, the worlds biggest city was neither London nor New York, but Edothe metropolis known today as Tokyo. At a time when war plagued societies across the globe, Japan enjoyed two and a half centuries of peace under the Tokugawa shoguns. This class explores the remarkable social, cultural, and political developments in the Japanese archipelago between the end of the Warring States period and Japans emergence as a modern nation. Key topics include Japans connections with the outside world; relations between samurai, commoner and outcaste social groups; the development of the arts, industry, religion, and literature; and the question of whether Tokugawa Japan was an environmentally sustainable society.

From the inception of Worlds Fairs and the modern Olympic Games in the nineteenth century, global sporting competitions and international exhibitions have always been a way of showcasing national progress and strength, as well as material and technological achievements. This course examines both the representation of East Asia (China, Japan, and Korea) in these international mega-events in addition to East Asian countries own participation in and hosting of expositions and games, from the London and Paris worlds fairs in the late 1800s to the 2008 Beijing and 2020 Tokyo Olympics and Shanghai World Expo in 2010. It will explore the changing meanings of sports and competition, scientific and technological innovation, artistic and cultural exchange, as well as national and racial identities in the shifting contexts of colonialism, imperialism, war, diplomacy, urbanization, environmental change, and globalization. Students will analyze both textual and visual sources and explore a topic through in-depth individual research.

This course examines the history of legal traditions in South Asia. After getting acquainted with the various Hindu and Islamic legal traditions, we will next evaluate the influences and outcomes of the British colonial interventions in the development of a particularly unique legal world in South Asian. We will specifically look at how the reshaping of property, gender, religious, and familial relations under the various British legal codifications continue to profoundly shape manifold socio-cultural-economic relations across the region today. In doing so, we will also closely analyze continuities and changes between the colonial and the post-colonial legal systems of to assess range of challenges mixed legal systems pose to democratic governance and justice in South Asia.

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.

Introduces students to more advanced techniques of playing the instruments in the Gamelan.

Introduction to music of selected African, Asian, and American cultures. Each culture is approached through its social and cultural context, its theoretical systems and musical instruments, as well as its major musical and theatrical genres.

Whether your interest is Chinese culture, history, economics, international relations, politics, human rights, or environmental thought, this introductory course on Chinese Political Philosophy will help you understand China today. The U.S. and China must deal with one another regardless of whether the dealings are friendly or hostile. How can we better understand China and what underlies its economic and political aspirations? In President Xi Jinpings own words, Studying Confucius and Confucianism is key to understanding the national characteristics of the Chinese. Xi points to the rival schools of thought during the Warring States period that include the Confucians, Mohists, Daoists and Legalists, saying that the development of Chinese ideology and culture has been plural and multi-dimensional. In his recent speech to the World Economic Forum Conference in Davos, Xi alludes to Chinas Legalism saying, we should stay committed to international law and international rules instead of seeking ones own supremacy. Ancient Chinese believed that the law is the very foundation of governance. This introductory course considers Chinese Political Philosophies from Confucianism, Mohism and Daoism to Legalism. We will examine how these political ideas are related to their respective accounts of ethics, social, economic and cultural concerns, as well as justifications for political norms. Well question what resources these political philosophies can offer to contemporary concerns regarding international law, justice, freedom, human rights, and flourishing in the face of conflicting values and environmental challenges.

What is the ultimate goal of human existence, if any? Are there qualities of persons or actions that promote harmony with the community or with nature at large? Is there a soul that exists beyond this life? Is there really a 'self' at all? Is there a permanent reality beneath the visible world of change - or is the motley of change all there is to the world? We shall explore these fundamental philosophical questions through key Asian traditions of wisdom such as Confucianism, Daoism, Hinduism and Buddhism. Not only is an understanding of these wisdom traditions valuable in themselves, it'll also help us understand better the Asian nations which social, political, ethical and cultural practices are founded on Asian philosophy.

Aristotle argues that the human function is to use reason to control our emotions and desires in order to become virtuous. In contrast, Mencius doesnt separate reason from emotions. He holds that human nature or the heart-mind consists of four feelings (compassion, shame/disdain, reverence for elders, and the feeling which approves of what is right and disapproves of what is wrong). These four feelings, when cultivated, make one virtuous for Mencius. Aristotles emphasis on reasons control over emotions is complemented by the Stoic, Epictetus, who maintains that the emotions are already rational. Menciuss emphasis on human emotions or feelings is complemented by the Daoist, Zhuangzi, who downplays the role of the mind/reason in someone who is wise and virtuous. This seminar will examine these representatives of Eastern and Western philosophies to achieve a better understanding of how emotion and reason intersect, and how they motivate us to act according to our desires.

What is the nature of the self? Is there really a 'self' or is what we call a "self" an illusion? If the self exists, how is it related to reality? Is there a permanent reality beneath the visible world of change - or is the motley of change all there is to the world? Is there a self/soul that exists beyond this life? What is the ultimate goal of human existence, if any? Is it to realize oneself or to transcend oneself? Are there qualities of selves or actions that promote harmony with the community or with nature at large? These are philosophical questions that Eastern and Western traditions have asked and answered in different ways. We will consider how Western thinkers (Plato, Aristotle, Heraclitus, and Epictetus) regard the self. These will be paired with Asian views of the self in Hinduism, Confucianism, Daoism, and Buddhism. Though the East and West pairings are designed to facilitate comparison, we shall be alert for differences as much as similarities in the ways our focal issues are asked and answered. Comparisons will expose strengths and weaknesses that may not have appeared without them. Quite different traditions may even offer solutions to each other's problems. Above all, this is a course that provides the resources as well as the occasion for cross-cultural understanding of the self at a fundamental, philosophical level.

Discourse about Confucian values, frequently known as "Asian Values," provided strong resistance to Western rights. Arguing that human rights are not universal because of their origin in the West, Asian nations urge that consideration be given to their cultural and historical situations which justify their own brand of human rights. Confucian values are being invoked by the Chinese government in political discussions with the U.S. This seminar focuses on primary texts by Confucius, Mencius and two other early Confucian texts, in order to understand the philosophical concepts which constitute Confucian values. We will survey some contemporary literatures on human rights to come to an understanding of the highly contested concept of human rights. Ultimately, we examine what values are Confucian, whether they are compatible with human rights, (especially the first- and second-generation rights), and if one of these is prior to the other for Confucianism. We ask if there are resources within Confucian values which can contribute to a better understanding of human rights.

Explores the history of modern China from the Opium Wars of the 1840s to the present. Two central themes are the tension between reform and revolution as alternative paths for the modernization of China and whether, in order to emerge as a great power, China should embrace or reject Western models and values. This course focuses on the following questions: (1) the rise of the Communist Party and the reasons for its victory over the Nationalists; (2) Mao's ideological campaigns of the 1950s and 1960s, culminating in the Cultural Revolution; (3) the dynamics and dilemmas of post-Mao economic and political reform; (4) the 1989 Democracy Movement and the prospects for democratization in present-day China. Comparative Politics.

This course is designed to be an introduction to international political economy. Provides an overview of theories of international political economy, a historical review of the international political economy in light of these theories, and an application of the theoretical approaches to issues of trade, monetary relations, finance, and development. Readings and discussion focus on issues of conflict and cooperation; the relationship between the international system and domestic politics; economic growth, development, and equity; and the connections between the study of economics and politics. International Relations.

This course offers an introduction to the politics of South Asia, broadly understood to consist of India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, the Maldives, Myanmar, and Bhutan. A core organizing principle of the course is the concept of the state and variations in state strength as observed in the South Asian region. Why are some states able to better provide for the needs of their populations than others? This organizing principle is leveraged to illuminate several key themes pertinent to the study of South Asia, including democracy and authoritarianism, civil-military relations, gender politics, and nuclear proliferation.

This course examines China's emergence as a major power, and surveys the relationships of East Asian states with each other and with external powers including the United States. In addition to China, substantial attention is given to Japan, Korea, and Southeast Asia. Topics covered include military competition and regional security, trade relations, globalization, human rights, and potential conflict flashpoints such as North Korea and Taiwan. International Relations.

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.

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.

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.

Introduction to key themes in ancient and medieval Hinduism. Considers the sacrificial worldview of the Vedas and Brahmanas and then moves to discuss the significance of the Upanishads and yoga. Special attention will be given to the two chief Hindu epics: the Ramayana and the Mahabharata. Also examines key elements in Hindu law through a reading of The Laws of Manu. Concludes with a consideration of Hindu devotional theism in the worship Shiva, Krishna, and the goddess Kali.

Focuses on critical and analytical readings of sacred writings in translation from the Asian religious traditions: Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism, Daosim. The genres sampled include law codes, works of ascetic mysticism, religious biography, popular narrative, and scholastic treatises. Also examines the cross-cultural definition of "text," the idea of a "scriptural canon," and the construction of tradition in the western historical imagination.

Explores various perspectives on nature articulated in the history of the world¿s religions beginning with hunter-gatherer and tribal peoples. Distinctive doctrines derived from sacred texts and by philosophers/ theologians, as well as the impact of ritual practices, are reviewed to understand the impact of religion on human ecology. After considering the perspective of Enlightenment thought on the natural world, the course surveys early North American exponents of ecological spirituality (Thoreau; Emerson; Muir), the writings of Eco-theologians (Fox; Berry; Schweitzer; McFague), and how cosmologies articulated by modern ecologists (Leopold; Lovelock) and activists (Earth First! And Greenpeace) have sought to define as sacred the human connection with the natural world.

A phenomenological analysis of mystical experience, both theory and practice, and an investigation of the epistemological and ontological status of this experience. Approach is pluralistic considering mysticism from the following perspectives: psychological, religious, anthropological, philosophical and scientific. Examines various conceptions of ultimate reality and a variety of practices constituting the mystic path or way. Mystical experience is broadly conceived as a state of consciousness whose dominant symbols and structures of thought, behavior and expression relate to the ultimate transformation of self and world.

Examination of Zen Buddhism and its influences on East Asian civilizations. Surveys the texts and monastic practices that define Zen spiritual cultivation and the history of the Soto and Rinzai schools' evolution. Special attention is also devoted to the distinctive poetic (haiku), fine arts (painting, gardening, tea ceremony)) and martial arts (swordsmanship) disciplines that this tradition has inspired in China and Japan. Recommended but not required: previous course on Asian arts, religion, philosophy or history.

Seminar examining the prominent texts, doctrines and practices of the Theravada Buddhist tradition. Surveys the historical development of the tradition in India, with attention to major schools of interpretation and practice. Theravada social philosophy and ethics are studied, as are the patterns of accommodation with non-Buddhist religions. The second half of the course focuses upon the distinctive practices of Burma, Sri Lanka, and Thailand as well as reformist modern movements.

A survey of the historical and cultural backgrounds of the major garden traditions of the world associated with religions. This course moves from considerations of human aesthetic and spiritual experience in the natural world to a survey of the major garden traditions associated with the western Mediterranean and Europe: in classical Greece and Rome, Christianity, and Islam. The course then moves to East Asia and classical traditions of China and Japan. Special focus will be given to elements of the campus Japanese Garden Initiative: teahouse gardens and monastic viewing gardens. Field trips to regional gardens will be made. For the final project, students design small virtual contemplative gardens for possible construction at specific campus sites.

The course explores Indias caste system, an ancient hierarchical system that imposed roles, status and responsibilities on the basis of birth, family and community, touching on almost every form of human interaction. Though many claim that caste is a thing of the past, evidence is strong that it plays an ongoing role in social life today.This course explores the systems origins and theoretical foundations, its development over time, its characteristics and practices, and attempts at eradicating it.

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.

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.

Advanced Balinese Dance builds on the background and techniques covered in Balinese Dance 1-2. Students delve more deeply into the traditions of Bali and perform more advanced repertoire in a concert setting. Students may take this course for two semesters with the permission of the instructor, progressing to advanced repertoire of both traditional and contemporary Balinese dances, including solos.

This course aims to familiarize students with works of art and architecture from South and Southeast Asia (including India and Pakistan) and East Asia (including China and Japan), from prehistory to the contemporary world. We will examine many types of objects, from jades and ritual bronzes, to ink paintings and textiles, to gilded sculptures within temples and palaces. We will also use the historical reality and metaphor of the silk roads -- the textile and its portability -- to draw threads across cultures connecting works of art, their makers, and (sometimes far distant) users. Finally, we will concentrate not only on the objects but also on the cultural and religious surroundings which enable us to understand their various meanings, realizing that meaning may be created through production and use. No background in art history required.