Courses by semester
Courses for
Complete Cornell University course descriptions are in the Courses of Study .
| Course ID | Title | Offered |
|---|---|---|
| ASIAN1107 |
FWS: Writing on the Wrong Side of History
Most of us tend to think of ourselves as good people who want to contribute to the world in positive ways. But it is also clear that throughout history well intentioned people have been complicit in heinous acts of atrocity. In this class we will address the ways in which authors from Japan, the UK, and the U.S. have turned to writing to reflect on moments of national shame that are also part and parcel of how they understand their relationship to the world today. We will consider how writing mediates our own relationship to the subjects we study, and consider how this social and historical self-awareness can add nuance and rigor to our own written work.
Full details for ASIAN 1107 - FWS: Writing on the Wrong Side of History |
Spring. |
| ASIAN1111 |
FWS: Literature, Culture, Religion
This First-Year Writing Seminar is about Asian Literature, Religion, and Culture and provides the opportunity to write extensively about these issues. Topics vary by section.
Full details for ASIAN 1111 - FWS: Literature, Culture, Religion |
Fall, Spring. |
| ASIAN1174 | Imperial China This course explores the history of imperial China between the 3rd century b.c.e. and the 16th century c.e. with a focus on the following questions: How did imperial Chinese states go about politically unifying diverse peoples over vast spaces? How did imperial Chinese approaches to governance and to relations with the outer world compare with strategies employed by other historical empires? How did those approaches change over time? How did major socio-cultural formations — including literary canons; religious and familial lineages; marketing networks; and popular book and theatrical cultures — grow and take root, and what were the broader ramifications of those developments? How did such basic configurations of human difference as Chinese (civilized)-barbarian identity, high-low status, and male-female gender operate and change over time? | Spring. |
| ASIAN2212 | Introduction to China Interdisciplinary introduction to Chinese culture especially designed for students not majoring in Asian Studies. Explores literature, history, religion, and art, and other aspects of China's rich and diverse heritage, from earliest times to the present. | Spring. |
| ASIAN2218 | Introduction to Korea This course provides a chronological survey of Korean culture and history from ancient times to the present. We will examine major historical time periods and cultural forms of the Korean peninsula, with a focus on the Chosŏn dynasty (1392-1910) and the twentieth century. The course is designed to give students an overview of the transformations of Korean civilization in the context of the East Asian cultural sphere and globalization. We will engage with a wide range of texts and various media across time periods, including films, primary historical sources in translation, literature, and music videos. Key themes and topics of the course include the formation of South and North Korea's identities, the rise of Neo-Confucianism, Japanese colonization and postcolonialism, the construction and performance of gender, the Korean War and postwar reconstruction, environmental degradation, and developments in popular culture. | Spring. |
| ASIAN2222 | The World of Modern Japan In 1868, samurai revolutionaries and their allies seized the reins of power and established a new capital they called Tokyo. Against all odds, this fragile regime survived and made Tokyo a center of power that would transform both Japan and the world. This survey of Japanese history explores the rise and fall of Japan as a modern imperial power; its foreign relations; its economic and scientific development from "feudalism" to futuristic technologies; and Japan's many modern revolutions, from the rule of the samurai to Westernization and democracy, from democratic collapse to fascism and World War II, and from Japan's postwar rebirth to the present. We will examine not only big events but also everyday life, including gender and sexuality, family and schools, and art and popular culture. | Fall, Spring. |
| ASIAN2250 |
Introduction to Asian Religions
This course will explore religious traditions in South Asia (Pakistan, India, and Sri Lanka) and East Asia (China, Japan, and Korea) including Hinduism, Buddhism (South Asian and East Asian), Sikhism, Confucianism, Daoism, and Shintō. We will also encounter a wide range of religious expressions, including myth, ritual, pilgrimage, mysticism, meditation, and other spiritual technologies.
Full details for ASIAN 2250 - Introduction to Asian Religions |
Spring. |
| ASIAN2251 |
The History of Religious Life in Imperial China
In this course we will learn about the rich varieties of religious life in imperial China, focusing on major historical transformations between the tenth and sixteenth centuries. We will investigate the organization of pantheons and human relations with the divine, and consider how they might illuminate social relations. We will examine the ways in which religious rites and festivals helped to constitute social groupings such as families, communities, sects, and states. We will consider the roles of texts, theatrical performances, and clergy in transmitting and transforming understandings of the human, natural, and divine worlds. Finally, we will explore the spatial organization of the sacred in bodies, things, sites, and landscapes.
Full details for ASIAN 2251 - The History of Religious Life in Imperial China |
Spring. |
| ASIAN2252 | Introduction to Japanese Film In this course, we will explore over one hundred years of Japanese cinema – one of the most prominent and diverse global film industries – from silent comedies to J-Horror, "ramen westerns" to Studio Ghibli. You will gain a thorough grounding in film vocabulary and tools of cinematic analysis, allowing for deep investigations of gender, genre, history, and the connections between film and other media in modern and contemporary Japan. All films will have English subtitles, and all readings will be available in English; no prior knowledge of Japanese language, history, or culture required. | Fall or Spring. |
| ASIAN2257 | Vanishing World: Religious Reflections on the Climate Crisis, Mass Extinction and Ecosystem Collapse We are living in a period of mass extinctions of animals, insects, plants and mega-flora (trees) and widescale climate disruption. Our paradigms for making sense of what is being called "the great unraveling" are inadequate. In this course, we explore how various religious traditions have regarded the possible sentience of the non-human world and how discourses of apocalypse, cycles of dissolution and renewal, and stewardship, conservation and interdependence shape the ways religious people are responding to this emerging reality of unraveling ecosystems. We examine how protest movements have incorporated religious symbolism and actions. The goal of this course is to explore the ways that people relate to these realities at the level of what it means to be a human being in this moment. How are religious traditions responding to these emerging crises? How do traditions draw on existing paradigms and in what ways do religious communities address the dissonance when existing systems of understanding fail to account for the current realities? How do religious traditions offer moral imperatives for addressing these issues? | Spring. |
| ASIAN2259 | Music in and of East Asia This course explores the breadth of music found in present day China, Japan, and Korea--from indigenous musical traditions, through adaptations of Western art music, up to the latest popular styles--as well as the presence of traditional East Asian musics outside East Asia, including right here at Cornell. In both cases, music offers a lens for examining the myriad social and cultural forces that shape it, and that are shaped by it. The course's academic focus on critical reading and listening, written assignments, and discussion is complemented by opportunities to engage directly with music, whether attending concerts or participating in workshops with student-led ensembles. | Spring. |
| ASIAN2275 | History of Modern India This introductory course is a broad survey of the history of the Indian subcontinent from remnants of the Mughal empire through the end of the British empire into the postcolonial present. Prominent themes include the emergence of nonviolent protest, religious and regional identities, ethnic rivalries, social reform and the "woman question," deindustrialization, nationalism and the place of democracy and militarism in a region that includes two nuclear powers, India and Pakistan. | Spring. |
| ASIAN2279 | Chinese Mythology Students will study Chinese myths from the earliest times. Focus will be on understanding how people have used myth to create and convey meaning, on examining the form Chinese myths take, and on considering how they are related to religion, literature, historical accounts, and intellectual trends. | Spring. |
| ASIAN2291 | Engendering China In contemporary China, as in many other places of the world, the ideology and social reality of gender relations is highly paradoxical. Women are flattered for their power as consumers and commitment to the family while they are also expected to engage in wage-earning employment. Men, on the other hand, face constant pressure of being tough and social problems such as costly betrothal gifts as unintended consequences of a gender regime that is supposedly male-oriented. Are these paradoxes a betrayal of the socialist experiment of erasing gender differences? Are they remnants of China's long imperial tradition? This course explores the power dynamics of gender relations in China from ancient times to the present. It leads students to examine scholarship that challenges the popularly accepted myth of lineal progression of China toward gender equality, and to understand women's and men's life choices in various historical settings. At the same time, this course guides students to adopt "gender" as a useful analytical category, treating China as a case study through which students are trained to "engender" any society past and present. | Spring. |
| ASIAN3313 |
South Asian Poetry and Narrative: From Ghazals to Film
This semester-long elective course is designed for the undergraduate students who may have little or no familiarity with South- Asian literature or cinema but are interested in knowing it's diverse cultures, social structures, and politics. This course covers the major literary movements in the literary landscape of the region such as the Progressive Writer's movement and regional modernisms. It also explores the impact of British colonialism on the culture and the politics of South-Asia. The course encourages thinking across boundaries of literatures, cultures, and histories. This course covers a range of topics and diverse genres: from Ghazal, a prominent poetic expression, to fictional representation of the two partitions (1947 and 1971) and its aftermaths to theatrical retelling of the Indian mythology. The course also encourages students to critically engage with South-Asian Cinema. The course looks at the intersectionality of Caste and Class and Gender in the South-Asian in contemporary South-Asian. Course has literature from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka that best represent the region.
Full details for ASIAN 3313 - South Asian Poetry and Narrative: From Ghazals to Film |
Spring. |
| ASIAN3316 |
Zen Buddhism: Ecology, Sustainability and Daily Life
This course explores the Zen's central religious, historical and aesthetic developments. We read primary sources in translation and secondary sources. We examine the rise of the Ch'an tradition in China and the development of Northern and Southern Schools. In Japan, we examine the establishment of Zen in the Kamakura period, through the development of both Rinzai and Soto Zen, and early transmissions of Chinese texts and practices to Japan through Japanese emissaries. We study the lives and writings of Eisai and Dôgen, and explore how their works influenced later developments in Zen. Next we read works by Hakuin. Last, we study how Zen is implicated in Japanese fascism and later, postwar identity discourses. Finally, we look at Zen in an American context.
Full details for ASIAN 3316 - Zen Buddhism: Ecology, Sustainability and Daily Life |
Spring. |
| ASIAN3329 | Literature of Leaving China Ever since the creation of the concept of a culturally and geographically stable center in China, people have been intentionally excluded from that center. Disgraced officials are sent to far-flung provinces, loyalists to past regimes hide out across China's borders, and dissidents have their entry visas revoked, making it impossible for them to return home. The experiences of these people, and the poems and stories they write, tell us a great deal about what it means and how it feels to be included and excluded. What is the difference between the way China looks from the inside and the way it looks from the outside? Who has the power to decide who gets to live in China, and how and why do they use it? What is the relationship between our identities and our homes? Texts studied will range from 300 BCE to the present; all will be read and discussed in English. | Spring. |
| ASIAN3341 | Mahayana Buddhism This course will explore the origins and early developments of a movement in Indian Buddhism known as the Great Vehicle. We will intensively examine a small slice of this movement's voluminous literature so as to better understand its call for a new spiritual orientation within Buddhism. Topics of discussion will include the career of the bodhisattva, the lay/monk distinction, attitudes of Mahayanists toward women and other Buddhists, and the development of Buddhist utopias and transcendent buddhas. | Spring. |
| ASIAN3344 |
Introduction to Indian Philosophy
This course will survey the rich and sophisticated tradition of Indian philosophical thought from its beginnings in the speculations of Upanishads, surveying debates between Hindus, Buddhists, Jains and materialistic philosophers about the existence and nature of God and of the human soul, the nature of knowledge, and the theory of language.
Full details for ASIAN 3344 - Introduction to Indian Philosophy |
Spring. |
| ASIAN3350 | The Arts of Southeast Asia The arts of Southeast Asia are studied in their social context, since in traditional societies creative processes are often mapped on the sequence of events that compose human lives. We will be looking particularly at the gendered ways in which bodies are mapped on the land, and how these various framings are often reflected in the unique relationships that emerge between works of art and textual sources. The South Asian epics of the Ramayana (Story of Rama) and the Mahabharata will be explored during the semester as infinitely renewable sources of inspiration. | Spring. |
| ASIAN3363 | Sino-Vietnamese Studies This course will introduce students to recent scholarship about the historical, cultural, and linguistic relationship between the Chinese and the Vietnamese peoples. Nationalist thought has given rise to widely accepted myths and cliches that are not supported by evidence. Students will learn how the terms "Chinese" and "Vietnamese" are used anachronistically; why, despite historical evidence, the idea of unrelenting Sino-Vietnamese hostility has become fashionable in modern times; how the extensive Sino-Vietnamese overlap affects contemporary regional security issues; and what makes the shared Sino-Vietnamese realm of ideology, politics, government, religion, and social organization such a stable element in Asia despite apparent problems. | Spring. |
| ASIAN3375 |
Humanities Scholars Research Methods
This course explores the practice, theory, and methodology of humanities research, critical analysis, and communication through writing and oral presentation. We will study the work and impact of humanists (scholars of literature, history, theory, art, visual studies, film, anthropology, gender and sexuality studies), who pose big questions about the human condition. By reading and analyzing their scholarship—critiquing them and engaging their ideas—we will craft our own methods and voices. Students will refine their research methods (library research, note taking, organizing material, bibliographies, citation methods, proposals, outlines, etc.) and design their own independent research project. Students enrolled in this seminar will have the opportunity to participate in the Humanities Scholars Program.
Full details for ASIAN 3375 - Humanities Scholars Research Methods |
Spring. |
| ASIAN3396 | Transnational Local: Southeast Asian History from the Eighteenth Century Surveys the modern history of Southeast Asia with special attention to colonialism, the Chinese diaspora, and socio-cultural institutions. Considers global transformations that brought "the West" into people's lives in Southeast Asia. Focuses on the development of the modern nation-state, but also questions the narrative by incorporating groups that are typically excluded. Assigns primary texts in translation. | Spring. |
| ASIAN4401 | Asian Studies Honors Course Supervised reading and research on the problem selected for honors work. | Multi-semester course: (Fall, Spring). |
| ASIAN4402 |
Asian Studies Honors: Senior Essay
The student, under faculty direction, prepares an honors essay.
Full details for ASIAN 4402 - Asian Studies Honors: Senior Essay |
Multi-semester course: (Fall, Spring). |
| ASIAN4404 | Supervised Reading Intensive reading under the direction of a member of the staff. | Spring. |
| ASIAN4417 |
Race and Asia in World History
This course explores the development of the concept of "race" as applied by and to Asian populations and societies. We also examine the idea of "Asia" and its others in global discourse, including through lenses such as Orientalism, Occidentalism, Pan-Asianism, and Afro-Asianism. Our focus is on the history of East Asia and trans-Pacific entanglements with Western empires from the early modern era to the present. A major theme is race science, or the scientific investigation and construction of "race," as it was practiced on and by East Asian peoples. We also explore intersections of "race" with nationalism, imperialism, warfare, law and citizenship, and sex and the family.
Full details for ASIAN 4417 - Race and Asia in World History |
Spring. |
| ASIAN4423 | The City: Asia This course uses the lens of temporality to track transformations in notions of urban personhood and collective life engendered by recent trans-Asia economic shifts. We will develop tools that help unpack the spatial and cultural forms of density and the layered histories that define the contemporary urban fabric of cities such as Hanoi, Bangkok, Shanghai, and Hong Kong. The course combines the investigation of the cinemas and literatures of the region with the study of recent writing on cities from Asian studies, film studies, queer theory, urban studies, political theory, religious studies, cultural geography, literary theory, and anthropology. | Spring. |
| ASIAN4435 |
Making Sense of China: The Capstone Seminar
This course serves as a survey of major issues within Chinese politics and foreign policy and constitutes the capstone seminar for CAPS students. is intended to give students an opportunity to explore aspects related to Chinese politics, economics, and society that they may have touched upon in other China-focused courses at Cornell, but have not been able to examine as fully, and with the degree of care, that they would like. In this regard, the substance of the course will be developed through an iterative process between the instructor and the seminar participants. We will spend the first part of the course doing a series of recent influential readings on contemporary China and developing initial research projects. The second half of the class will be organized around student led presentations of research projects (accompanied by relevant academic, media, and policy readings).
Full details for ASIAN 4435 - Making Sense of China: The Capstone Seminar |
|
| ASIAN4437 | Topics in Tamil Studies Topics will change in relation to curricular needs in the South Asia Program and the Department of Asian Studies. | Spring. |
| ASIAN4454 |
The Rise of China and Change in World Politics
The rise of China is one of the most important and defining themes in changing world politics. This seminar course is intended for students to examine major issues and topics concerning the rise of China against the backdrop of paradigmatic change in world politics from a historical and theoretical perspective, and to engage in the academic discourse and policy debate about dynamics of China's rise and its implications for world politics, and vice versa, how evolving world politics inform and influence the process of China's rise – namely, mutual constitution of rising China and the changing world.
Full details for ASIAN 4454 - The Rise of China and Change in World Politics |
Spring. |
| ASIAN4455 | Digital Media in Japan This course will critically examine digital media in Japan, a site that has historically been a major center of development of digital technologies and cultures. We will explore the cultural importance of a wide variety of digital media practices—including electronic literature, the internet, video games, augmented and virtual reality, computer graphics, and digital art—with a focus on phenomena that aimed to rethink digital media at crucial points in its development and ever-increasing dominance. Drawing on a wide variety of theories of digitality inside and outside of Japan, we will analyze a range of digital works, as well as use several kinds of digital tools and platforms as a form of critical creative practice in order to ask what digital media has meant historically and what it might become. | Spring. |
| ASIAN4458 |
U.S. Cultures of War and Empire
This course examines the history and afterlives of U.S. war and empire across the Asia/Pacific region and the politics they engender for Asian/Pacific Americans. Since the Philippine American war (1898-1904), the overthrow of Queen Liliuokalani's monarchy (1893) and the subsequent annexation of the Hawaiian Islands (1898), the 20th century has been constituted by U.S. wars and colonial conquests across the Asia/Pacific region. From South Korea to Vietnam, Japan to Cambodia, Laos to Okinawa, U.S. presence has been felt in "hot wars" as well as Cold War discourse, in the U.S. military-industrial complex and its socio-political, cultural and environmental impact within the region. Reckoning with this global U.S. history, students will better understand Asian/Pacific Islander racialization in the U.S. At the same time, we will reckon with Black, indigenous, and Latinx racialization through and against U.S. wars and militarism in Asia. Course themes include: critical refugee studies, U.S. militarism & gender, settler colonialism, transpacific critique, the politics of memory and post-memory.
Full details for ASIAN 4458 - U.S. Cultures of War and Empire |
Spring. |
| ASIAN4473 | Modern Chinese Art China, a cultural giant of East Asia, made a passive entrance into modernity. With the advent of Western and American colonialism and imperialism, coupled with recent successes in westernization by the Japanese, Chinese artists had to redefine their roles as well as their visions. This turmoil bore witness to a vibrant beginning in modern Chinese art. Interactions between the Chinese themselves, and Chinese interactions with foreigners in the major cities of Shanghai and Beijing, fostered new directions in Chinese art and helped shape western visions of Chinese art history. Issues covered include: Chinese debates on western influence--their theoretical foundations and rationales; New visions for the future of Chinese art in the late 19th and early 20th centuries; Pluralistic approaches and arguments on "Chinese identity" in the modern era; Collecting art and the vision of history; The identity of traditional literati painters in the modern era-their roles, artworks, and deeds; Foreigners in China-the formation of major European collections of Chinese art, and the formation of "Chinese art history" in the West. | Spring. |
| ASIAN4485 | Annamese and Merovingians: Two Imperial Frontiers - Rome and Han-Tang China, 5th-8th Centuries This course will be a Eurasian comparative study of the collapse of Rome and Han-Dynasty China and what happened from the 5th to 8th centuries on selected frontiers of these empires: northwestern Europe and ancient Vietnam. The Merovingian kings in what became northern France and western Germany presided over the beginnings of European feudalism. In China, after the collapse of the Han empire and its successor dynasties in southern China, the empire was eventually revived by the Tang Dynasty; local and regional rulers appeared on the southern imperial frontier during this time of change but did not initiate a new historical trajectory—rather, the Annamese cultivated a strong sense of membership in the imperial world. Why was the fate of the Roman and the Chinese imperial traditions different? And why were the experiences of the Merovingians and the Annamese different? | Spring. |
| ASIAN4494 |
Topics in Southeast Asian Studies
A topics course related to Southeast Asian Studies. Spring Topic: Identity Politics and Ethnic Conflict in Myanmar: The history of post-independence Myanmar has been marked by conflict between the Burman-dominated government and ethnic minority groups, as well as by communal violence. This course aims to explore the factors driving these conflicts and, in doing so, challenges some of the conventional explanations put forward by Myanmar politicians and analysts. The course will focus in particular on the role that identity politics has played in perpetuating conflict. In particular, the course will highlight the impact of an understanding of ethnicity (and identity more broadly) as a fixed, biological concept. At the same time, the nation-building processes attempted during the colonial and post-colonial periods failed to adopt an inclusive, multiple community-based approach. Moreover, Myanmar has never developed a political system that can accommodate the country's cultural diversity and diverse ethnic identities. The course will trace how the repeated failures to address these interlinked issues in the colonial and post-colonial periods have fueled ethnic divisions and conflict. The course will then turn to the ways in which Burmanization—the attempt to impose the culture and identity of the majority Burman—was used as a social control mechanism. It will show that this backfired; instead of unifying Myanmar's diverse ethnic groups, it contributed to widespread opposition to the State among ethnic minorities. These feelings were harnessed by those wishing to challenge state authority and enabled them to frame their conflicts as a matter of ethnic identity and even survival, prolonging ethnic conflict and communal violence in Myanmar.
Full details for ASIAN 4494 - Topics in Southeast Asian Studies |
Spring. |
| ASIAN5505 |
Methodology of Asian Language Learning and Teaching
This course presents theories of language teaching and learning, and shows how they apply to Asian language course structure, classroom instruction, and assessment techniques. Students will observe classes taught by experienced teachers, discuss language learning theory and practice, and design and implement their own class activities.
Full details for ASIAN 5505 - Methodology of Asian Language Learning and Teaching |
Spring. |
| ASIAN6604 |
Topics in Southeast Asian Studies
A topics course related to Southeast Asian Studies. Spring Topic: Identity Politics and Ethnic Conflict in Myanmar: The history of post-independence Myanmar has been marked by conflict between the Burman-dominated government and ethnic minority groups, as well as by communal violence. This course aims to explore the factors driving these conflicts and, in doing so, challenges some of the conventional explanations put forward by Myanmar politicians and analysts. The course will focus in particular on the role that identity politics has played in perpetuating conflict. In particular, the course will highlight the impact of an understanding of ethnicity (and identity more broadly) as a fixed, biological concept. At the same time, the nation-building processes attempted during the colonial and post-colonial periods failed to adopt an inclusive, multiple community-based approach. Moreover, Myanmar has never developed a political system that can accommodate the country's cultural diversity and diverse ethnic identities. The course will trace how the repeated failures to address these interlinked issues in the colonial and post-colonial periods have fueled ethnic divisions and conflict. The course will then turn to the ways in which Burmanization—the attempt to impose the culture and identity of the majority Burman—was used as a social control mechanism. It will show that this backfired; instead of unifying Myanmar's diverse ethnic groups, it contributed to widespread opposition to the State among ethnic minorities. These feelings were harnessed by those wishing to challenge state authority and enabled them to frame their conflicts as a matter of ethnic identity and even survival, prolonging ethnic conflict and communal violence in Myanmar.
Full details for ASIAN 6604 - Topics in Southeast Asian Studies |
Spring. |
| ASIAN6612 |
Japanese Bibliography and Research Methods
An introduction to the key reference and research works available for Japanese studies (both print and digital). Uses of databases and reference works on a given theme will be modelled in the class hour. Students will then practice with these resources for homework, according to their selected research projects, and report back on issues. The course will also touch on book history.
Full details for ASIAN 6612 - Japanese Bibliography and Research Methods |
Fall. |
| ASIAN6616 |
Zen Buddhism: Ecology, Sustainability and Daily Life
This course explores the Zen's central religious, historical and aesthetic developments. We read primary sources in translation and secondary sources. We examine the rise of the Ch'an tradition in China and the development of Northern and Southern Schools. In Japan, we examine the establishment of Zen in the Kamakura period, through the development of both Rinzai and Soto Zen, and early transmissions of Chinese texts and practices to Japan through Japanese emissaries. We study the lives and writings of Eisai and Dôgen, and explore how their works influenced later developments in Zen. Next we read works by Hakuin. Last, we study how Zen is implicated in Japanese fascism and later, postwar identity discourses. Finally, we look at Zen in an American context. This course is being taught both as an integrated arts in the curriculum course in collaboration with the Johnson Art Museum and is also part of a "Internationalizing the Cornell Curriculum." An optional 10-day trip to Japan to spend time in Zen temples and a monastery will be offered to students. Furthermore, students studying Japanese language can sign up for an optional 1-credit language course exploring Zen practice and arts vocabulary (JAPAN 2216).
Full details for ASIAN 6616 - Zen Buddhism: Ecology, Sustainability and Daily Life |
Spring. |
| ASIAN6617 |
Race and Asia in World History
This course explores the development of the concept of "race" as applied by and to Asian populations and societies. We also examine the idea of "Asia" and its others in global discourse, including through lenses such as Orientalism, Occidentalism, Pan-Asianism, and Afro-Asianism. Our focus is on the history of East Asia and trans-Pacific entanglements with Western empires from the early modern era to the present. A major theme is race science, or the scientific investigation and construction of "race," as it was practiced on and by East Asian peoples. We also explore intersections of "race" with nationalism, imperialism, warfare, law and citizenship, and sex and the family.
Full details for ASIAN 6617 - Race and Asia in World History |
Spring. |
| ASIAN6622 | Asia as Question To hone our skills in the analysis of topics in Asian studies, we will review critically a number of switchpoints that have produced conceptual difference in recent scholarly work. Asia scholars have laid claim to the historical, to modernity, coloniality, postcoloniality, religion, affect, temporality, race, capital, (mass) media, embodiment, the translocal, and the posthuman as the bases for producing conceptual difference. Each of these switchpoints has allowed for valuable interventions from Asian Studies into the humanities and social sciences. We will develop questions, criteria, and critiques to thoroughly test our tools of analysis and work toward yet other methods. Contemporary academia valorizes the production of conceptual difference. Thus, evaluation criteria routinely include originality and innovation. This is a valuable point of departure that allows us to ask, What kind of conceptual difference do we want to produce in our work? What kind of conceptual difference is intellectually rigorous? Asia as Question does not merely provide intellectual history but rather tests out—and creates—contemporary, critical approaches. As such, it interrogates especially notions of region and area; work on temporality; new ontologies; and current approaches to media ecologies. | Spring. |
| ASIAN6623 | The City: Asia This course uses the lens of temporality to track transformations in notions of urban personhood and collective life engendered by recent trans-Asia economic shifts. We will develop tools that help unpack the spatial and cultural forms of density and the layered histories that define the contemporary urban fabric of cities such as Hanoi, Bangkok, Shanghai, and Hong Kong. The course combines the investigation of the cinemas and literatures of the region with the study of recent writing on cities from Asian studies, film studies, queer theory, urban studies, political theory, religious studies, cultural geography, literary theory, and anthropology. | Spring. |
| ASIAN6639 | Literature of Leaving China | |
| ASIAN6655 | Digital Media in Japan This course will critically examine digital media in Japan, a site that has historically been a major center of development of digital technologies and cultures. We will explore the cultural importance of a wide variety of digital media practices—including electronic literature, the internet, video games, augmented and virtual reality, computer graphics, and digital art—with a focus on phenomena that aimed to rethink digital media at crucial points in its development and ever-increasing dominance. Drawing on a wide variety of theories of digitality inside and outside of Japan, we will analyze a range of digital works, as well as use several kinds of digital tools and platforms as a form of critical creative practice in order to ask what digital media has meant historically and what it might become. | Spring. |
| ASIAN6658 |
U.S. Cultures of War and Empire
This course examines the history and afterlives of U.S. war and empire across the Asia/Pacific region and the politics they engender for Asian/Pacific Americans. Since the Philippine American war (1898-1904), the overthrow of Queen Liliuokalani's monarchy (1893) and the subsequent annexation of the Hawaiian Islands (1898), the 20th century has been constituted by U.S. wars and colonial conquests across the Asia/Pacific region. From South Korea to Vietnam, Japan to Cambodia, Laos to Okinawa, U.S. presence has been felt in "hot wars" as well as Cold War discourse, in the U.S. military-industrial complex and its socio-political, cultural and environmental impact within the region. Reckoning with this global U.S. history, students will better understand Asian/Pacific Islander racialization in the U.S. At the same time, we will reckon with Black, indigenous, and Latinx racialization through and against U.S. wars and militarism in Asia. Course themes include: critical refugee studies, U.S. militarism & gender, settler colonialism, transpacific critique, the politics of memory and post-memory.
Full details for ASIAN 6658 - U.S. Cultures of War and Empire |
Spring. |
| ASIAN6663 | Sino-Vietnamese Studies This course will introduce students to recent scholarship about the historical, cultural, and linguistic relationship between the Chinese and the Vietnamese peoples. Nationalist thought has given rise to widely accepted myths and cliches that are not supported by evidence. Students will learn how the terms "Chinese" and "Vietnamese" are used anachronistically; why, despite historical evidence, the idea of unrelenting Sino-Vietnamese hostility has become fashionable in modern times; how the extensive Sino-Vietnamese overlap affects contemporary regional security issues; and what makes the shared Sino-Vietnamese realm of ideology, politics, government, religion, and social organization such a stable element in Asia despite apparent problems. | Spring. |
| ASIAN6673 | Modern Chinese Art China, a cultural giant of East Asia, made a passive entrance into modernity. With the advent of Western and American colonialism and imperialism, coupled with recent successes in westernization by the Japanese, Chinese artists had to redefine their roles as well as their visions. This turmoil bore witness to a vibrant beginning in modern Chinese art. Interactions between the Chinese themselves, and Chinese interactions with foreigners in the major cities of Shanghai and Beijing, fostered new directions in Chinese art and helped shape western visions of Chinese art history. Issues covered include: Chinese debates on western influence--their theoretical foundations and rationales; New visions for the future of Chinese art in the late 19th and early 20th centuries; Pluralistic approaches and arguments on "Chinese identity" in the modern era; Collecting art and the vision of history; The identity of traditional literati painters in the modern era-their roles, artworks, and deeds; Foreigners in China-the formation of major European collections of Chinese art, and the formation of "Chinese art history" in the West. | Spring. |
| ASIAN6677 |
Ecocriticism and East Asia in Global Context
This interdisciplinary seminar examines the relationship between literature and the environment in an East Asian and global context. We will explore key questions and approaches in the fields of ecocriticism and the environmental humanities as they relate to ecological change in Korea, China, and Japan. How does literature make environmental crises, their effects on sentient beings, and the earth itself more visible? In what ways does storytelling give voice to changing relationships between humans and the more-than-human world? We will consider the role that Asia, which houses over half of the world's population, has to play in our current age of mass extinction often called the Anthropocene. We will examine how poets, novelists, filmmakers, artists, nonfiction writers, and critics in East Asia have responded creatively to environmental changes. The seminar also recognizes and centers the significant conceptual contributions Indigenous thinkers and perspectives have contributed to ecocriticism, a field which has historically given disproportionate attention to Western literatures and theoretical perspectives. We will engage in particular with Indigenous theories and stories from Asia and the Americas to inform our discussions of place-making and cultural traditions as they have transformed in response to displacement, urbanization, migration, and changing environments.
Full details for ASIAN 6677 - Ecocriticism and East Asia in Global Context |
Spring. |
| ASIAN6685 | Annamese and Merovingians: Two Imperial Frontiers - Rome and Han-Tang China, 5th-8th Centuries This course will be a Eurasian comparative study of the collapse of Rome and Han-Dynasty China and what happened from the 5th to 8th centuries on selected frontiers of these empires: northwestern Europe and ancient Vietnam. The Merovingian kings in what became northern France and western Germany presided over the beginnings of European feudalism. In China, after the collapse of the Han empire and its successor dynasties in southern China, the empire was eventually revived by the Tang Dynasty; local and regional rulers appeared on the southern imperial frontier during this time of change but did not initiate a new historical trajectory—rather, the Annamese cultivated a strong sense of membership in the imperial world. Why was the fate of the Roman and the Chinese imperial traditions different? And why were the experiences of the Merovingians and the Annamese different? | Spring. |
| ASIAN6696 | Transnational Local: Southeast Asian History from the Eighteenth Century Surveys the modern history of Southeast Asia with special attentions to colonialism, the Chinese diaspora, and socio-cultural institutions. Considers global transformations that brought "the West" into people's lives in Southeast Asia. Focuses on the development of the modern nation-state, but also questions the narrative by incorporating groups that are typically excluded. Assigns primary texts in translation. | Spring. |
| ASIAN7704 | Directed Research Guided independent study for graduate students. | Spring. |
| BENGL1122 | Elementary Bengali II Enables students to read and comprehend basic Bengali texts as well as speak and write in the language. | Spring. |
| BENGL2202 | Intermediate Bengali II Continuing focus on reading, writing, and conversational skills, this course is designed to advance students' oral competence and enhance comprehension skills through reading, conversations, and listening. | Spring. |
| BENGL3302 | Advanced Bengali II Continuing instruction in Bengali at the advanced level focusing on conversation, interview, and discussion skills. | Spring. |
| BURM1122 |
Elementary Burmese (Myanmar) II
The skills learned in the first semester are reinforced and expanded in this course. The focus is on building up confidence in speaking and understanding spoken Burmese that you will need if you visit the country. Significant practical skills are learned along with essential information on some customs and traditions of Burmese culture. Knowledge and understanding of grammar is also an important part of the course.
Full details for BURM 1122 - Elementary Burmese (Myanmar) II |
Spring. |
| BURM2202 |
Intermediate Burmese (Myanmar) II
Continuing instruction in Burmese at the higher intermediate level with a focus on improving oral expression, reading and interpretation of written texts, and further development of listening skills using language learning materials based on authentic audio-video clips. Some of the assignments are completed online using interactive video and audio materials.
Full details for BURM 2202 - Intermediate Burmese (Myanmar) II |
Spring. |
| BURM3302 | Advanced Burmese (Myanmar) II All materials used in the course are authentic Burmese stories, current event reports, radio plays, etc. The particular materials used in any given year may vary depending on the proficiency level of the students. For students who are involved in Burma/Myanmar related research, their projects may also become part of the course. | Spring. |
| CHIN1102 | Beginning Mandarin II For beginners only, providing a thorough grounding in conversational and reading skills. Students with any previous background or training in the language will need to take the Mandarin Placement Test to determine which Chinese course will best suit their needs. | Spring. |
| CHIN1110 | Beginning Chinese Reading and Writing for Students of Chinese Heritage II Continuation of CHIN 1109. Intended primarily for students whose family language is Mandarin but who have had little or no formal training. The focus is on characters, reading comprehension, composition, grammar, standard pronunciation, culture, and current events in the Chinese speaking community. | Spring. |
| CHIN1122 |
Beginning Mandarin for Professional Students II
A continuation of CHIN 1121. This course helps students develop basic skills in Mandarin Chinese, at a moderate pace. For complete beginners only.
Full details for CHIN 1122 - Beginning Mandarin for Professional Students II |
Spring. |
| CHIN1124 |
Beginning Mandarin for Professional Students IV
A continuation of CHIN 1123 . This course helps students develop basic skills in Mandarin Chinese, at a moderate pace. For non-heritage learners only.
Full details for CHIN 1124 - Beginning Mandarin for Professional Students IV |
Spring. |
| CHIN2202 | Intermediate Mandarin II Continuing instruction in written and spoken Chinese with particular emphasis on consolidating basic conversational skills and improving reading confidence and ability. | Spring. |
| CHIN2210 | Intermediate Chinese Reading and Writing for Students of Chinese Heritage II If your long-term goal is to move past the intermediate Chinese learning plateau and gain the ability to participate fully in the Chinese-speaking world, this course is the next step you need to take. This course uses authentic articles from the Chinese version of The New York Times and focuses on how to read effectively and write clearly through 1) learning both semi-formal and formal vocabulary, modern idiomatic expressions, advanced sentence structures and the major features that characterize advanced Chinese; 2) exploring together with your classmates the different aspects of Chinese culture or events that interest you by listening to the Chinese version of TED Talks; 3) completing a book or a magazine in Chinese as the group project documenting student learning during the semester. This course helps students further solidify their foundation for advanced-level study in Chinese, as well as enhance their awareness of and overall competence in cross-cultural communication. | Spring. |
| CHIN3302 | High Intermediate Mandarin II Continuing instruction in spoken and written Chinese Mandarin via authentic multimedia materials. | Spring. |
| CHIN4412 | Advanced Mandarin II Reading, discussion, and composition at advanced levels. | Spring. |
| CHIN4428 | High Advanced Mandarin II This course aims to help students achieve an advanced level of performance both in speaking and writing through reading authentic Chinese materials, watching TV shows, various writing exercises, and class discussions on social and cultural topics on contemporary China. Classical Chinese will be introduced in this course through supplementary readings. | Spring. |
| CHLIT2214 |
Introduction to Classical Chinese II
Students read from early Classical Chinese texts and learn to use advanced sources for solving textual problems.
Full details for CHLIT 2214 - Introduction to Classical Chinese II |
Spring. |
| CHLIT4420 |
Tang Poetry: Themes and Contexts
Through guided readings in Chinese of selected poems of the Tang dynasty (618-907) on various themes and in different styles, students develop the essential analytical skills for reading Tang poetry while gaining an understanding of its social, cultural, and historical contexts.
Full details for CHLIT 4420 - Tang Poetry: Themes and Contexts |
Spring. |
| CHLIT4422 | Directed Study Students choose a faculty member to oversee this independent study. The student and the faculty member work together to develop course content. | Fall, Spring. |
| CHLIT6616 |
Studies in Medieval Chinese Literature and Culture
This is a seminar designed for first- and second-year graduate students who intend to pursue advanced study in the field of medieval China studies. It introduces students to the materials and tools that are essential for conducting research in the literature and culture of the period as well as the larger issues of goals and methods. In particular, students will examine prevalent practices and trends that define the scholarship on medieval China in the past few decades; they will also consider the question concerning future directions and opportunities that may be available to scholars in the field. A final research paper on an approved topic is required.
Full details for CHLIT 6616 - Studies in Medieval Chinese Literature and Culture |
Spring. |
| CHLIT6620 |
Tang Poetry: Themes and Contexts
Through guided readings in Chinese of selected poems of the Tang dynasty (618-907) on various themes and in different styles, students develop the essential analytical skills for reading Tang poetry while gaining an understanding of its social, cultural, and historical contexts. Students will also be introduced to essential bibliographical materials and critical literature for advanced study of Tang poetry. A final research paper on an approved topic is required.
Full details for CHLIT 6620 - Tang Poetry: Themes and Contexts |
Spring. |
| CHLIT6622 | Advanced Directed Reading Students choose a faculty member to oversee this independent study. The student and the faculty member work together to develop class readings. | Spring. |
| HINDI1102 | Elementary Hindi II Designed for students who have either completed one semester of Hindi at Cornell or demonstrate same level of competency in Hindi. The main focus of this course is to reinforce and build students language acquisition in the four skills (Listening, Speaking, Reading & Writing) of the Hindi language by utilizing tools of basic grammar, vocabulary, cultural points and other oral and written activities. By the end of this course, students are able to communicate in basic everyday Hindi, and perform all the hands-on tasks and functions necessary to survive in India and/or similar context. | Spring. |
| HINDI2202 | Intermediate Hindi II HINDI 2202 is the continuation of HINDI 2201. The main emphasis in this course is to reinforce the linguistic functions learned in HINDI 2201, and to build comparatively more complex functions suitable for intermediate level in Hindi. Students' competence in all four language skills will be improved in order to perform higher level tasks and function. | Spring. |
| HINDI2204 |
Intermediate Hindi Reading and Writing for Heritage Students II
Throughout this course sequence all aspects of language learning are practiced; listening, speaking, reading, and writing. Video materials are used and the emphasis is on the conversational aspect of the language.
Full details for HINDI 2204 - Intermediate Hindi Reading and Writing for Heritage Students II |
Spring. |
| INDO1100 |
Elements of Indonesian Language and Culture
This course is designed for students with no previous knowledge of Indonesian language who expect to participate in university programs in Indonesian-speaking areas of the world. Students will learn enough phrases to be able to handle very simple interactions and express very simple needs and to behave appropriately in Indonesian settings. Cultural information will be taught in English. The language component will be taught in Indonesian. Through assigned recordings in Canvas and independent learning, students will also gain a better understanding of Indonesian sounds, ways of life, natural environments, as well as the history and current place of Indonesian in Southeast Asia.
Full details for INDO 1100 - Elements of Indonesian Language and Culture |
Fall, Spring. |
| INDO1122 | Elementary Indonesian II Gives a thorough grounding in basic speaking, listening, reading and writing skills. | Spring. |
| INDO2202 | Intermediate Indonesian II Develops all four skills: reading, writing, speaking, and listening comprehension. | Spring. |
| INDO3302 | Advanced Indonesian II Practical language course at a high intermediate and low advanced level in which students read and discuss selected materials on issues of their academic interests, write essays, and make oral presentations. | Spring. |
| INDO4402 |
Advanced Indonesian for Research II
A critical academic language course at a higher advanced level that sharpens students' proficiency of integrated language skills from an advanced high or above level, based on the ACTFL proficiency benchmarks. Students read, discuss, debate and explore hypotheses on issues from specialized disciplines to broader abstract ideas.
Full details for INDO 4402 - Advanced Indonesian for Research II |
Spring. |
| JAPAN1102 | Elementary Japanese II Gives a thorough grounding in all four language skills-speaking, listening, reading, and writing-at the beginning level. The lecture provides explanation, analysis, and cultural background. Sections are conducted entirely in Japanese. | Spring. |
| JAPAN2202 | Intermediate Japanese II This course provides widely applicable language proficiency as an integrated Japanese course, which develops all four language skills (speaking, listening, reading, and writing) at the post-elementary level. | Spring. |
| JAPAN3302 | High Intermediate Japanese II For students who have learned basic Japanese skills and would like to develop higher skills in reading, writing, speaking, and listening. | Spring. |
| JAPAN4402 | Advanced Japanese II Develops reading, writing and oral communication skills at the advanced level. | Spring. |
| JPLIT6625 | Directed Readings Students choose a faculty member to oversee this independent study. The student and the faculty member work together to develop class readings. | Fall. |
| JPLIT6628 | Advanced Directed Readings | Spring. |
| KHMER1122 | Elementary Khmer II Gives a thorough grounding in speaking and reading. | Fall or Spring. |
| KHMER2202 | Intermediate Khmer II Continuing instruction in spoken and written Khmer. Intermediate level of reading Khmer. | Fall or Spring. |
| KHMER3301 | Advanced Khmer I Continuing instruction in spoken and written Khmer; emphasis on enlarging vocabulary, increasing reading speed, and reading various genres and styles of prose. | Fall or Spring. |
| KHMER3302 | Advanced Khmer II Continuing instruction in spoken and written Khmer; emphasis on enlarging vocabulary, increasing reading speed, and reading various genres and styles of prose. | Fall or Spring. |
| KOREA1102 | Elementary Korean II Continuation of KOREA 1101. Designed to help students acquire the 4 skills (listening, speaking, reading and writing) of the Korean language and to become familiar with its culture. Basic knowledge of Korean grammar, vocabulary, expressions and cultural points will be given during the lecture. The students will then have an opportunity to practice the learned knowledge in sections. The goal of this course is to refine their survival skills in Korean. By the end of the semester, students will be able to exchange in simple conversations with native Koreans about the subjects that are familiar to them: school life, family and friends, traffic and transportation, vacation plans, food and restaurant, hobbies, etc. | Spring. |
| KOREA1110 |
Elementary Korean Reading and Writing II
Continuation of KOREA 1109. Focuses on communicative skills in speaking, listening, reading and writing by introducing a wide range of linguistic resources. Students will command daily conversation in different cultural contexts and develop an ability to summarize and reflect on literary texts and films both in oral and written modes. Students will be able to create a discourse regarding topics such as birthday, campus life, family, shopping and hobbies. Also, students will write and revise their own work regularly to improve linguistic accuracy and reduce error production.
Full details for KOREA 1110 - Elementary Korean Reading and Writing II |
Spring. |
| KOREA2202 | Intermediate Korean II Continuation of KOREA 2201 . The course helps students develop further communicative competence by understanding and producing complex linguistic structures and pragmatically appropriate expressions in cultural contexts. Students will use linguistic tools to describe and express their stance, justification, attitudes, evaluation and complex clausal relations. Students will command a lengthy discourse regarding various topics such as holidays, marriage, birthday, cultural differences, doctor-patient talk and job interview. | Spring. |
| KOREA2210 |
Intermediate Korean Reading and Writing II
Continuation of KOREA 2209. Designed for Korean heritage students who can understand and speak Korean, but especially need to refine their reading and writing skills. Students will acquire concrete knowledge of grammar to use in everyday conversation, and will minimize their spelling errors in writing, through frequent discussion and composition about Korean culture, society and history. They will become confident in reading paragraph-length readings in Korean, be able to write their reflections on the passages that they have read, and speak with ease when participating in the classroom discussions. Various projects will enhance students' overall linguistic and intercultural competence.
Full details for KOREA 2210 - Intermediate Korean Reading and Writing II |
Spring. |
| KOREA3302 | High Intermediate Korean II Continuation of KOREA 3301. Students will continue to refine their high-intermediate language skills. Authentic published materials and documentary video-clips will be introduced in order for students to be exposed to an advanced level of Korean. Students will discuss and write an essay on topics regarding Seoul, South Korea and North Korea, housing in Korea, customs and superstition of Korea, Korean folk tales and proverbs, Korean culture of community, and Korea during the Japanese colonial period. Students are given the opportunity to do research on Korean culture and society following an academic research format and give an oral presentation in class. | Spring. |
| KOREA3316 |
Korean Language Across the Curriculum (LAC)
Full details for KOREA 3316 - Korean Language Across the Curriculum (LAC) |
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| KOREA4402 | Advanced Korean II Continuation of KOREA 4401. Designed for students to acquire advanced language skills (speaking, listening, reading and writing) through Content-Based Instruction and Project-Based Language Learning. Students will gain profound knowledge in various fields on Korea through discussion and composition: Current issues in Korean society, Korean people's thoughts and mind, tradition, history and culture. With frequent discussions and compositions on various contemporary news articles, documentaries, and a novel, students are encouraged to become Intercultural Communicative Citizens and learn the contents through the language. The expected student outcome is to gain confidence in the academic level of discussions and compositions by critical thinking and analyzing. | Spring. |
| NEPAL1100 |
Elements of Nepali Language and Culture
The course will introduce basic Nepali language and elements of Nepalese culture to anyone who is interested in the subject matter, e.g. those planning to travel to Nepal, those having a desire to know about Nepalese culture, or those having the goal to excel in Nepalese language skills in the future.
Full details for NEPAL 1100 - Elements of Nepali Language and Culture |
Spring. |
| NEPAL1102 | Elementary Nepali II Intended for beginners. The emphasis is on basic grammar, speaking, and comprehension skills, using culturally appropriate materials and texts. Devanagari script for reading and writing is also introduced. | Spring. |
| NEPAL2202 |
Intermediate Nepali Conversation II
Intermediate instruction in spoken grammar and verbal comprehension skills, with special attention to developing technical vocabularies and other verbal skills appropriate to students' professional fields.
Full details for NEPAL 2202 - Intermediate Nepali Conversation II |
Spring. |
| NEPAL2204 |
Intermediate Nepali Composition II
Systematic review of written grammar and reading comprehension, with special attention to the technical vocabularies, necessary writing skills, and published materials typical of advanced students' professional fields.
Full details for NEPAL 2204 - Intermediate Nepali Composition II |
Spring. |
| NEPAL3302 | Advanced Nepali II Reading of advanced texts, together with advanced drill on the spoken language. | Spring. |
| PUNJB1122 | Elementary Punjabi II This course introduces students to Punjabi, a major language of northern India and Pakistan. Beginning with the study of the Gurmukhi script, the course offers an intensive study of the speaking, reading, and writing of the language. This is approached through the theme-based syllabus, a discussion in small groups and paired activities on the cultural background of Punjab and Punjabi culture. | Spring. |
| PUNJB2202 | Intermediate Punjabi II Further develops students' skills in Punjabi, a major language of northern India and Pakistan. Continuing with the study of the Gurmukhi script, the course offers an intensive study of the speaking, reading, and writing of the language. This is approached through the theme-based syllabus, a discussion in small groups and paired activities on the cultural background of Punjab and Punjabi culture. | Spring. |
| SANSK3302 | Advanced Sanskrit II Selected readings in Sanskrit literary and philosophical texts. | Spring. |
| SANSK5510 | Graduate Studies in Sanskrit Topics vary by semester in relation to student needs. | Spring. |
| SINHA1100 |
Elements of Sinhala Language and Culture
This course will introduce the basic Sinhala language elements and elements of Sri Lankan culture for those who are interested in the field of language and culture. Also for those planning to travel to Sri Lanka, heritage students, etc.
Full details for SINHA 1100 - Elements of Sinhala Language and Culture |
Fall, Spring. |
| SINHA1122 | Elementary Sinhala II Semi-intensive introduction to colloquial Sinhala, intended for beginners. A thorough grounding is given in all the language skills; listening, speaking, reading, and writing. | Spring. |
| SINHA2202 | Intermediate Sinhala II This course further develops student competence in colloquial Sinhala, attending to all the language skills: listening, speaking, reading and writing. In addition, this course prepares students for the transition to literary Sinhala. | Spring. |
| SINHA4400 | Literary Sinhala II This one-semester course further develops students' comprehension of written Literary Sinhala, using sample materials from a variety of genres prepared by the instructor, as well as excerpts from texts relevant to graduate student research (when appropriate). | Fall, Spring. |
| TAG1100 |
Elements of Tagalog-Filipino Language and Culture
The course will introduce very basic functional uses of Tagalog/Filipino language and elements of Filipino culture to interested students like heritage learners and those who are planning to travel briefly to the Philippines to participate in a short project or study abroad program in the country.
Full details for TAG 1100 - Elements of Tagalog-Filipino Language and Culture |
Fall, Spring. |
| TAG1122 | Elementary Tagalog-Filipino II Gives a thorough grounding in basic speaking and listening skills with an introduction to reading and writing. | Spring. |
| TAG2202 |
Intermediate Tagalog-Filipino II
Develops all four skills: listening, speaking, reading, and writing.
Full details for TAG 2202 - Intermediate Tagalog-Filipino II |
Spring. |
| TAG3302 | Advanced Tagalog-Filipino II Continuing instruction on conversational skills but with emphasis on reading and writing. Selected core readings in contemporary Tagalog literature are used, but students, in consultation with the instructor, may select some of the class materials. | Spring. |
| TAMIL2202 | Intermediate Tamil II Further develops students' written and oral proficiency in order to allow them to function adequately in a Tamil-speaking environment. Of particular interest to students planning to conduct scholarly research or fieldwork in a Tamil-speaking context. Develops the students' appreciation for the rich culture of the Indian subcontinent where Tamil is spoken. | Spring. |
| THAI1100 |
Elements of Thai Language and Culture
THAI 1100 introduces basic spoken Thai and various aspects of Thai culture for short-term visitors. Through active, participatory learning this course cultivates a working knowledge of the Thai language and develops a cultural "intuition" that is meaningful and functional for achieving a smooth transition and successful experience in Thailand. This course is for students who are personally interested in Thai culture as well as those participating in university projects in Thailand.
Full details for THAI 1100 - Elements of Thai Language and Culture |
Fall, Spring. |
| THAI1122 | Elementary Thai II This beginning level course provides a solid grounding in all four language skills (listening, speaking, reading, and writing) with an emphasis on reading and writing. The aim is to enable learners to continue the process of thinking in Thai and learning to converse and "get around" in certain basic situations in daily life with an additional of basic literacy skill. | Spring. |
| THAI2202 | Intermediate Thai II Continues to develop and comprehensively extends the four language skills acquired at the Elementary level (listening, speaking, reading, and writing). | Spring. |
| THAI2204 |
Intermediate Thai Composition and Conversation II
Develops conversational skill along with reading and writing skills at a High Intermediate level.
Full details for THAI 2204 - Intermediate Thai Composition and Conversation II |
Spring. |
| THAI3302 | Advanced Thai II Develops advanced speaking skill with emphasis on selected readings in Thai from various fields, for example, History, Anthropology, Government, Economics, Agriculture, as well as other professional schools. The readings are supplemented with visual materials such as video clips and films. | Spring. |
| THAI3304 | Thai Literature II Reading of significant novels, short stories, and poetry written since 1850 and other classical works. | Spring. |
| TIBET1112 | Elementary Modern Tibetan II This is an introductory course and no previous knowledge is required. It focuses on developing basic abilities to speak as well as to read and write in modern Tibetan, Lhasa dialect. Students are also introduced to modern Tibetan studies through selected readings and guest lectures. | Spring. |
| TIBET1122 |
Elementary Classical Tibetan II
Introduces students to the grammar of Classical Literary Tibetan as found in Indian treatises translated from Sanskrit into Tibetan, as well as indigenous Tibetan philosophical works. The course progresses through a sequence of the basic rudiments of the language, including an introduction to the script and its romanization, pronunciation (central Lhasan dialect), normative dictionary order, and the basic categories of grammar. Following these preliminaries, students proceed to guided readings in Tibetan literature designed to introduce them to the formal approach of Tibetan lexical semantics with an emphasis on the role of verbs in determining argument realization options. Over the duration of the course, students encounter new vocabulary (and associated Buddhist concept hierarchies) and increasingly complex sentence structures. This course thus provides a solid foundation for the later exploration of other genres of literature and styles of composition.
Full details for TIBET 1122 - Elementary Classical Tibetan II |
Spring. |
| TIBET2202 |
Intermediate Classical Tibetan II
This two-semester class is designed to assist students who already have the equivalent of at least two-years of Tibetan language study. The course is intended to build on this foundation so that students gain greater proficiency in reading a variety of classical Tibetan writing styles and genres, including (especially in the second semester) texts relevant to their research.
Full details for TIBET 2202 - Intermediate Classical Tibetan II |
Spring. |
| TIBET2212 |
Intermediate Modern Tibetan II
For those whose knowledge is equivalent to a student who has completed the first-year course. The course focuses on the further development of their skills in using the language to engage with practical topics and situations, such as seeing a doctor, reading news, writing letters, and listening to music.
Full details for TIBET 2212 - Intermediate Modern Tibetan II |
Spring. |
| TIBET3302 | Advanced Classical Tibetan II This class is designed to assist students who already have the equivalent of at least two-years of Classical Tibetan language study. The course is intended to build on this foundation so that students gain greater proficiency in reading a variety of classical Tibetan writing styles and genres, including texts relevant to their research. | Spring. |
| TIBET3312 | Advanced Modern Tibetan II For those whose knowledge is equivalent to a student who has completed the second-year course. The course develops students' reading comprehension skills through reading selected modern Tibetan literature. Tibetan is used as the medium of instruction and interaction to develop oral fluency and proficiency. | Spring. |
| URDU1125 | Introduction to Urdu Script This class is an introductory class for beginners. This course will teach students how to listen, speak, read and write Urdu through vocabulary, grammar, oral and written activities, with an emphasis on reading and writing basic Urdu. The course begins by introducing the alphabet and their combinations. In addition to learning the script we will also introduce the basic knowledge and background on Urdu culture. | Spring. |
| VIET1100 |
Elements of Vietnamese Language and Culture
This course is designed for anyone wishing to gain some basic Vietnamese language skills and learn various elements of Vietnamese culture. Those who are planning to take short trips to Vietnam will find this course particularly useful. Due to the flip classroom nature of the course, it is intended for sophomores and up.
Full details for VIET 1100 - Elements of Vietnamese Language and Culture |
Spring. |
| VIET1122 | Elementary Vietnamese II This course gives a thorough grounding in basic speaking, listening, reading, and writing skills in Vietnamese. | Spring. |
| VIET2202 | Intermediate Vietnamese II Continuing instruction in spoken and written Vietnamese with special emphasis on expanding vocabulary and reading ability. | Spring. |
| VIET3302 | Advanced Vietnamese II Continuing instruction in spoken and written Vietnamese. The course emphasizes on enlarging vocabulary and increasing reading speed by reading various genres and styles of prose. | Spring. |