| Course | Title | Instructor | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| EAS 40 | CHINESE MYTHOLOGY AND THE SUPERNATURAL | LI, W. | The course will introduce and analyze Chinese mythical and supernatural literature from the late Zhou through the Qing dynasties (almost 3000 years) in English translation. We will read the basic corpus of classical Chinese mythology and its later evolution in various genres of narrative and drama in pre-modern China. The term “myth” is broadly defined here by the Chinese term shenhua or narratives about divine figures and events. While there is no Chinese term corresponding to the word “supernatural,” we use it, for convenience’s sake, to refer to the literature of the extraordinary and the strange. The course is designed to not only familiarize students with the fundamental myths which defined traditional Chinese civilization but also explore the cultural functions of myth and the supernatural such as to define national, local, and ethnic identities, legitimize political authority, explain anomalous events, express philosophical and religious ideals, and constitute a nonorthodox discourse of the self, etc. By the end of the quarter, students should grasp a basic literary historical knowledge of the Chinese mythical tradition, and more importantly, have a sense of how to interpret and contextualize the texts of the supernatural. Classes follow a lecture-discussion format, so students must finish all assigned readings in advance and prepare to actively participate in class discussion. No knowledge of the Chinese language or of Chinese history is required (or assumed), but you will be asked to familiarize yourselves with pinyin romanization, as well as romanized Chinese proper names, the names of dynasties, and basic aspects of Chinese geography. |
| EAS 55 | INTR JPN CLASSICS | LONG, M. | Join Instructor Margherita Long for a class on eight famous Japanese texts, including love novels, travel diaries and puppet plays. Get your creativity flowing with three core assignments featuring 1) manga interpretation 2) literary mimicry and 3) online museum creation. All texts are in English translation; no knowledge of Japanese is required. |
| EAS 110 | GNDR & MODRN CH LIT | HUANG, M. | This course will focus on several fictional texts produced during the twentieth century. We will examine how gender and gender relationships were being reconstructed and renegotiated as China was pursuing her “modernity.” Emphasis will be on close reading and critical analysis. Students are also expected to view a movie based one of the novels. There will be mid-term and final examinations. |
| EAS 110 | ORGANIC TAIWAN FICT | SCRUGGS, B. | On one level this course is about the growth of Taiwanese fiction during the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. On a second, deeper level it’s about understanding fictional representations of the island in a critical, organic framework by considering several historical moments including Japanese colonization, Martial Law, and environmental awareness. The grade is based on several quizzes, a midterm, and a cumulative final exam. |
| EAS 120 | JAPANESE THEATER | KLEIN, S. | A survey course on Japanese theater emphasizing traditional theater forms (Noh, Kyogen, Kabuki, and Bunraku puppet theater), but with some attention to early 20th-century forms such as Takarazuka, Shinpa (Neo Kabuki), Post-Shingeki (Post-Modern), and Butoh. There will be equal emphasis on understanding these theatrical forms in performance, and on understanding the texts in their historical context. Several short papers and a final exam. Note: counts both as a pre-modern and modern course |
| EAS 126 | JAPANESE SOCIOLING | RIGGS, H. | This course is an introduction to Japanese sociolinguistics, which is the study of the relationship between a language and society. We will explore variety of language uses in modern Japanese and how such variation is constructed by identity and culture. An exploration of attitudes and ideologies about these varieties will be of importance to understanding this relationship. Its main goal is to provide students a systematic introduction to the nature and characteristics of the language use. The course covers: • Language assimilation and unification of a nation • Speaking a dialect as manifestation of identity • Inside and outside of a social group • Honorific system as the art of socializing in the society • Use of male/female language based on social norms (same as 65475 LSCI 169, Lec A) |
| EAS 150 | FLM, LIT&GEN IN KR | CHOI, C. | In this class, we will explore the changing gender roles and relationship in Korea from the early 20th century to the new millennium. We will examine the some of the key elements that have impacted gender relationship and representation in Korea, which include the emergence of New Women and New Men, masculinity under colonial rule, Cold War cosmopolitan feminism and consumption, women’s desire and aestheticism, violence and redemption, and girlhood and aging. We will critically analyze stories by Yi Sang, Yi Chong-jun, O Chong-hui, Kim Ae-ran, Choe Yun as well award winning films by So Yong Kim, Han Jun-hee, Chu Sang-mi, Kim Bora and Yoon Dan-bi. Cross-listed (same as 25400 Gen&Sex 189, Lec A) |
| EAS 150 | TRANS & COLONIALISM | SUH, S. | Translation is indispensable to colonial control. Put simply, the colonizer depends on translation to communicate with the colonized. Translation however can also provide the colonized with the opportunity to negotiate with and even subvert colonial control because the colonizer needs them to engage in the course of translation. This course aims to examine various issues of translation as an ethical and political practice as well as a linguistic act and to explore implications of such issues specifically in the context of Japanese colonial rule over Korea (1910-45). All readings are in English. |
| EAS 155 | CHAINS OF UTILITY | SUH, S. | South Korean society underwent rapid industrialization and urbanization in the 1970s and 80s. During the period of rapid economic development, many believed that if they worked hard and spent little, they would be prosperous. As a matter of fact, to mobilize people for state-led economic development, the South Korean state constantly invoked the utilitarian ideology that emphasized the values of usefulness, productivity, and efficiency. However, quite a few literary texts and movies from 1970s and 80s South Korea show how much oppressive and exploitative such a society could be. In order to comprehend the complexity of the problem of utility and such related issues as labor, violence, and democracy, and understand the historical context, students are required to read works in critical theory and excerpts from a Korean history textbook as well as literary texts. All readings are in English. |
| EAS 160 | KOREAN CINEMA | KIM, K. | This course examines the South Korean cinema today, and seeks to understand how it is shaped by re-interpretation of history and genre bending. The course will explore the Korean film history, aesthetics, and commercial industry, and also analyze several key texts that are critical to their understanding. This class, I insist, is on learning how to watch, think about, and write about film; in the same vein that we need to learn how to think about literature or other topics in humanities. Please be advised that some of the films featured in this class may contain scenes of explicit sexual or violent nature. All films listed on the syllabus as required viewing will be available with English subtitles. Cross-listed: (same as 24330 Flm&Mda 160, Lec A) |
| EAS 220 | ANTHROPOCENE JAPAN | LONG, M. | What is anthropocene feminism and how do we argue that Japanese authors are some of its most vibrant practitioners? We begin with terminology: should we use “Anthropocene” (Julia Adeney Thomas)? “Capitalocene” (Jason Moore, Mark Driscoll, Sabu Kohso)? “Chthuluscene”? (Donna Haraway)? “Gaia” (Lynn Margulis, Isabelle Stengers, Takagi Jun zaburo)? Then we draw from these discussions for six weeks’ of literary reading tp build the case for a canon in modern Japanese literature called “environmental humanities.” |
| EAS 220 | CHINA IN GLBL TIMES | WASSERSTROM, J. | This class will explore 5 key themes in modern Chinese history: war, revolution, ethnicity, nationalism, and gender. We will spend two weeks on each theme, emphasizing theoretical issues the first week and comparative ones the second. Some students will take it for world history credit and read only short Chinese case studies readings to go with more extensive readings on others locales, while those taking it for Chinese history or EAS credit will read less on other settings and more on China. Each class session there will be one article or book chapter read by all that will serve as a centerpiece for discussion. An overarching theme will be the value of taking a more globally minded approach to China’s modern era—& more fully integrating scholarship on China’s past into theorizing and model building on modern times and globalization. (same as 26875 History 280, Sem A) |
| EAS 220 | COTEMP KR WMN LIT | CHOI, C. | In this seminar we will examine contemporary Korean women’s literature since the 1970s to the present while engaging a range of critical theories that will help analyze the ways in which Korean women writers respond to and reflect on Korea’s dramatic social, political and cultural transformation in the era of rapid industrialization, democratization, neo-liberal globalization and radical feminist movement. O Chong-hui, Ch’oe Yun, Han Kang, Kim Ae-ran, Bae Suah, and Han Yoojoo are among the writers whose work we will analyze. Critical theories by Merleau-Ponty, Levinas, Cixous, Kristeva, Freud, and Derrida will be considered for the topics of body and affect, transitional justice and alterity, animality, defects, maternity, and hospitality among others. |