Course Schedule

CHN 101 – Elementary Chinese

Introduction to modern spoken and written Chinese (Mandarin) for non-native speakers. Native speakers may not take this course.

CHN 102 – Elementary Chinese

Introduction to modern spoken and written Chinese (Mandarin) for non-native speakers. Native speakers may not take this course.

CHN 201 – Intermediate Modern Chinese

Grammar, reading, and conversation in the modern (Mandarin) language for non-native speakers. Native speakers may not take this course.

CHN 202 – Intermediate Modern Chinese

Grammar, reading, and conversation in the modern (Mandarin) language for non-native speakers. Native speakers may not take this course.

CHN 251 – New Chinese Cinema

Cross Listed

Introduces students to contemporary Chinese films and studies the role of cinema as historiography and ethnography.

CHN 302 – Third-Year Chinese II

Advanced conversation, grammar, reading and writing in Modern Chinese for non-native speakers. Native speakers may not take this course.

CHN 331 – Taoist Traditions of China

Cross Listed · Gen Ed: Diversity Emphasis

Intellectual foundations of Taoism in its two classical sources, the Lao Tzu and the Chuang Tzu, and a sampling of the varieties of religious practice which developed later.

CHN 391 – Preceptorship

Specialized work on an individual basis, consisting of instruction and practice in actual service in a department, program, or discipline. Requires faculty member approval, preceptor application on file with department.

CHN 417 – Advanced Modern Chinese

Study of advanced modern (Mandarin) Chinese through readings in modern literature. for non-native speakers. Native speakers may not take this course.

CHN 465 – Chinese/English Translation: Theory and Practice

Introduction to the theory and practice of English-to-Chinese and Chinese-to-English translations including study of the role of translation in China-West encounters and learning the craft of translation.

CHN 476 – Modern China

Cross Listed

Survey of political, social, economic and cultural transformations undergone by China from ca. 1800 to the present. Provides students with a sense of both the major themes and the substance of the last two centuries of history of one of the world's major civilizations, as well as a better understanding of China's prominent position in the world today.

EAS 160A1 – The Worlds of Buddhism

Gen Ed: Diversity Emphasis · Gen Ed: Tier 1 Traditions and Cultures/160 · Gen Ed Attribute: Writing · Gen Ed Attribute: World Cultures and Societies · Gen Ed: Exploring Perspectives, Humanist

An introduction to Buddhism as both a global religion and an array of cultural traditions, with emphasis on its various forms and development in South, Southeast, and East Asian cultures & history.

EAS 160A3 – Chinese Civilization

Gen Ed: Diversity Emphasis · Gen Ed: Tier 1 Traditions and Cultures/160 · Gen Ed Attribute: World Cultures and Societies · Gen Ed: Exploring Perspectives, Humanist

This course offers an introduction to the Chinese civilization from the earliest times to the end of the 18thcentury. It will cover major historical eras and events, as well as the traditions of thought and practices running through them. Literary and artistic genres will be introduced as means to better understand larger social trends. Students will practice close reading and analysis of historical documents, literary compositions, and cultural artifacts. Through these hands-on engagements, they will get to know the diverse voices and perspectives within the Chinese tradition and explore their contemporary relevance. Absolutely no previous experience with the study of China is necessary. At the same time, we hope to bring new perspectives to those who already have some familiarity with Chinese history and culture.

EAS 160A5 – Languages and Cultures of East Asia

Gen Ed: Diversity Emphasis · Gen Ed: Tier 1 Traditions and Cultures/160 · Gen Ed Attribute: Writing · Gen Ed Attribute: World Cultures and Societies · Gen Ed: Exploring Perspectives, Social Scientist

This course will explore the social, historical, and linguistic aspects of the languages and cultures of East Asia and how they have changed over time, drawing from anthropology, linguistics, sociology, and history.

EAS 202 – Symbol, Society, and Social Change--Contemporary East Asia

Gen Ed: Diversity Emphasis · Gen Ed: Tier 2 Individuals and Societies

This course introduces students to East Asia in modern and contemporary times -- its recent histories, evolving cultures, languages and literatures, and the changes. China, Japan, and the Korean Peninsula have all undergone drastic cultural, political, linguistic, and social changes. There have also been increasing transnational flows among these countries, which further shape these changes. This course engages students in discovering these changes and flows and understanding the social and cultural context in which they take place.

EAS 222 – Introduction to Zen Buddhism

Cross Listed

This course is designed to introduce students to the history,teachings,and practice of Zen Buddhism in China,Japan, Korea and the United States. The course will discuss Zen from a variety of perspectives but will center around the question of the meaning of history. Zen is a tradition of Buddhism that claims to have inherited and to pass on, in an unbroken historical transmission from patriarch to patriarch, the living experience of the Buddha's enlightenment. The course will discuss how Zen's conception of its history is related to its identity as a special tradition within Buddhism, as well as its basic teachings on the primacy of enlightenment, the role of practice, the nature of the mind, and the limitations of language.

EAS 270 – War and Revolution in Modern East Asia

Cross Listed · Gen Ed Attribute: Writing · Gen Ed Attribute: World Cultures and Societies · Gen Ed: Building Connections

This course examines conflict, typically expressing itself in violence and often resulting in wars and revolutions, as defining moments in the modern history of East Asia when opposing social movements, and their affiliated ideas about political, cultural, and economic organization, confront one another over questions of power and autonomy. The course explores how conflict introduces new social dynamics that may have led to revolutionary changes in ideas and institutions.

EAS 351 – Zen, Tea, and Poetry: A Blending of Genres

Cross Listed · Writing Emphasis Course

This course will examine how the three genres of Zen Buddhism, the tea ceremony/tea culture, and poetry, have been presented over time as not only compatible, but as representative expressions of each other. We will consider the contemporaneous cultural, historical, and political factors that contributed to the formation of this discourse. We will also hold up to critical scrutiny the very concept of "genre" in pre-modern East Asia, as well as the distinction between "Zen Buddhism" and what may be termed "Zen culture." We will also investigate in depth how modern commentators such as Okakura Tenshin, Suzuki Daisetsu, and Hisamatsu Shin'ichi's dialogue with the West and Western models informed the now ingrained idea that the tea ceremony represents an artistic, aesthetic, and spiritual nexus of the other two genres, and indeed of East Asian Culture as a whole.

EAS 358 – Tibetan Buddhism: Liberation, Identity, and Representation

Cross Listed · Gen Ed: Diversity Emphasis · Gen Ed: Tier 2 Humanities · Gen Ed Attribute: Diversity and Equity · Gen Ed Attribute: World Cultures and Societies · Gen Ed: Exploring Perspectives, Humanist

How do Tibetans Buddhists innovate while staying connected with tradition? In the Tibetan language, biographies are referred to as liberation tales. In this course, students explore the life experiences of Tibetan Buddhists striving for a variety of forms of liberation, from samsara as well as from social marginalization and political oppression. Students disassemble stereotypes about Tibet by exploring fundamental aspects of its distinct Buddhist tradition. They analyze the stories of figures as diverse as an eighth-century demon-tamer and his enlightened female partner, a contemporary artist exploring questions of identity, a Buddhist yogi seeking to move beyond the confines of the self, and a debut novelist reflecting on writing as a form of agency. Students apply their knowledge to interpret representations of Tibet in sources ranging from early texts on the nature of reality to an Instagram takeover by contemporary Tibetan female poets. In the process, they generate tools for interpreting the host of representations they encounter in their daily lives.

EAS 391 – Preceptorship

Specialized work on an individual basis, consisting of instruction and practice in actual service in a department, program, or discipline. Teaching formats may include seminars, in-depth studies, laboratory work and patient study.

EAS 444 – East Asia and Global Capitalism

Writing Emphasis Course

This course explores the Weberian thesis on the relation between culture and capitalist economy by investigating East Asia and its connection with global capitalism. Special attention will be paid to the formation of the dominating East Asian intellectual and religious traditions such as Confucianism and Buddhism and their impact on business ethics and practices in China, Japan, Korea, and Vietnam. Reading of translations of primary texts and case studies of East Asian entrepreneurs will be emphasized.

To be able to make enlightened judgments about the depth and scope of East Asian thought and capitalist culture, we need to situate the current subject in the global context. As conceived in this course, the following topics will be covered with greater emphasis:

1. The formation of global capitalism and the role of East Asia
2. Life and thought of influential East Asian thinkers
3. Impact of their thoughts on East Asian business culture
4. Cultural and ethical aspects of East Asian economy and business.

EAS 451 – The United States and East Asia: 1840 to the Present

Cross Listed

An examination of American interaction with Japan and China since the Opium Wars, with special attention given to economic, cultural, and military relations and conflicts.

EAS 456 – Humanities and the Global Creative Economy

Cross Listed

The course investigates ways in which humanities engage in the global creative economy. It examines key concepts such as creativity, aesthetics, and contemporaneity in humanities, and examines how they become inseparable to the rise of the global creative economy, whether through culture industries, digital media, creative spaces, artistic activisms, or urban development. It focuses on the connections and intersections between aesthetics and art, knowledge and information, and creative economies around the world. Examples of the creative economy include cities from Asia, America, Europe, and Africa. This course is suitable for students who are interested in humanities, global studies, media arts, e-society, visual culture and media studies, urban planning, economics, business, and even those dealing with intellectual property laws.

EAS 484 – History of East Asian Buddhism

Cross Listed · Gen Ed: Diversity Emphasis

Buddhism in China, Korea and Japan with emphasis on the relationship between East Asian Buddhist thought and practice and the various historical contexts in which they emerged.

EAS 495A – Accelerated Masters Program Colloquium

An introduction to the EAS M.A. program for students in the Accelerated Masters Program. The exchange of scholarly information and/or secondary research, usually in a small group setting. Instruction often includes lectures by several different persons. Research projects may or may not be required of course registrants.

EAS 498 – Senior Capstone

A culminating experience for majors involving a substantive senior project that demonstrates a synthesis of learning accumulated in the major, including broadly comprehensive knowledge of the discipline and its methodologies. Student must be in last semester of Senior year to take the class.

EAS 498H – Honors Thesis

Honors Course · Writing Emphasis Course

An honors thesis is required of all the students graduating with honors. Students ordinarily sign up for this course as a two-semester sequence. The first semester the student performs research under the supervision of a faculty member; the second semester the student writes an honors thesis.

JPN 101 – Elementary Japanese

Beginning conversation, grammar, reading and writing in modern Japanese.

JPN 102 – Elementary Japanese

SUN# JPN 1102 - Beginning Japanese II

Beginning conversation, grammar, reading and writing in modern Japanese. Students not in a University of Arizona Japanese class the previous semester must take a placement test.

JPN 201 – Intermediate Japanese

SUN# JPN 2201 - Intermediate Japanese I

Intermediate conversation, grammar, reading and writing in modern Japanese. Students not in a University of Arizona Japanese class the previous semester must take a placement exam.

JPN 202 – Intermediate Japanese

Intermediate conversation, grammar, reading and writing in modern Japanese. Students not in a University of Arizona Japanese class the previous semester must take a placement exam.

JPN 220 – Nature, Gods, and Zen: Religion in Japanese Society

Cross Listed · Gen Ed: Diversity Emphasis · Gen Ed: Tier 2 Humanities · Gen Ed Attribute: Diversity and Equity · Gen Ed Attribute: Writing · Gen Ed: Building Connections

This course analyzes the history of religions in Japan and the ways in which "Japanese religion" is portrayed in the contemporary world. In particular, the course examines how issues of race, ethnicity, and equity manifest in Western representations of Japanese religion, which is often essentialized, exoticized, and interpreted through a series of cultural stereotypes as the perpetual "Other" in relation to the West. In order to approach this central theme, the course adopts the disciplinary perspectives of Religious Studies, History, and Asian Studies, all of which will be synthesized through a number of writing exercises to allow for a robust analysis of Japanese religious history and practices in the original context of Japan as well as their portrayals in the West, as evident in such outlets as newspaper articles, travel guides, blogs, and YouTube clips, among others. By taking this course, students will be able to integrate multiple disciplinary perspectives to write analytically on the historical significance of Japanese religion as well as questions of race, ethnicity, and equity in representations of Japanese religion in various contexts.

JPN 245 – Japanese Popular Culture: Manga, Anime, and So Much More!

Gen Ed: Diversity Emphasis · Gen Ed: Tier 2 Arts · Gen Ed Attribute: Writing · Gen Ed Attribute: World Cultures and Societies · Gen Ed: Exploring Perspectives, Artist

This course will explore contemporary Japanese society by investigating its colorful, dynamic, and rich output of visual culture. More specifically, we will look at manga, cinematic anime, and items of material culture, illustrating how these examples of popular art teach us about the various aspects of life in Japan.

JPN 272 – Japanese Civilization

Cross Listed · Gen Ed: Diversity Emphasis · Gen Ed: Tier 2 Humanities

The study of the evolution of Japanese social values, aesthetic expression, religion and political institutions in order to understand Japan's cultural heritage and contemporary society.

JPN 302 – Advanced Japanese

Advanced conversation, grammar, reading and writing in modern Japanese.

JPN 304 – Introduction to Japanese Language and Linguistics

Cross Listed · Gen Ed: Diversity Emphasis

Sounds, words, grammar, change, writing, variation, and use of the Japanese language; provides basis for further study in the field.

JPN 311 – Death in Traditional Japanese Literature

Gen Ed: Diversity Emphasis · Gen Ed: Tier 2 Humanities · Gen Ed Attribute: Writing · Gen Ed Attribute: World Cultures and Societies · Gen Ed: Exploring Perspectives, Humanist

Everyone dies. Because death and the afterlife are unknowable, people have attempted to imagine, visualize, and write about what comes after life in order to understand or overcome fear of the unknowable and inescapable. Since the beginning of recorded time, therefore, death has found its way into religion, art, and literary expression to demystify its meaning. This course surveys the literary discourse of death and dying in Japanese literature from the 8th to the 19th centuries. It is both a chronological introduction to the literary tradition and an exploration of the concept of death in premodern Japan. Our readings include mythologies, narratives, Buddhist didactic tales, poetry, diaries, and other theatrical works, all in English translation. We will learn and practice the skills of close reading, interpretation, and literary analysis through class discussions and critical writing about representations of death. We will study important works concerned with the rhetoric and topos of death within their historical, political, religious, social, and cultural contexts, aiming to establish connections across time and between writers and readers. The most important, yet paradoxical, lesson of this course is that focusing on death leads to reconsidering and celebrating the value of life.

JPN 412 – Advanced Japanese Linguistics

Cross Listed · Gen Ed: Diversity Emphasis

Advanced readings in Japanese and English on specific topics in Japanese linguistics.

JPN 422 – Advanced Practice in Japanese

Reading and discussion in Japanese of a variety of advanced-level materials, including newspaper articles, short stories, and poetry.

JPN 447 – Incorporeal and Ambiguous Bodies: Monstrous and Ghostly Tales in Premodern Japanese Literature

This discussion-centered, research seminar examines strange and ambiguous bodies prominently featured in premodern Japanese literature. Reading literary works in translation from the 8th to the 19th century, we will engage with a variety of rich depictions of ambiguous and mysterious bodies, including mythical creatures, vengeful spirits, shape-shifting foxes, strange apparitions, and incorporeal or invisible figures. Our topics of investigation include how ambiguous bodies challenge and reinforce social boundaries; the significance of gender dynamics in premodern sexuality; how the trauma of war is inscribed onto bodies; political authority over corporeal and incorporeal bodies; and the transformation of sacred spirits into the everyday grotesque. We will read a wide range of primary materials in translation, including mythologies, official historical records, literary tales, Buddhist didactic stories, women's diaries, and war-tales. We will also engage with scholarship on the cultural history of the body, religious beliefs, and theories of the monstrous, in addition to various theoretical frameworks related to post-colonial thought and gender studies.

JPN 462C – The History of Modern Japan, Meiji to the Present

Cross Listed · Writing Emphasis Course

This course offers students an in-depth look at the history and historiography of Modern Japan (1868-Present), with a special emphasis on the relationship between empire and everyday life in Japan's modern experience. The course is divided into four chronological units spanning the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, and students will have the opportunity to crowdsource their reading materials from a list of recommended and representative books within each unit. Class discussions will provide an overview of the latest English-language scholarship on Japan's modernity to familiarize advanced undergraduates and graduate students with the styles of research and interpretation that inform our understanding of history today.

JPN 486 – History of Japanese Religions: Medieval

Cross Listed · Gen Ed: Diversity Emphasis

Selective survey of the history of religions in Japan from the 11th century through the 16th. Topics covered may include the medieval worldview; apocalyptic thought and related practices; Pure Land Buddhism; Zen; and proselytization and religious competition in medieval Japan.

KOR 101 – Elementary Korean I

This is the first of two half courses making up a full-year elementary level Korean course that is designed for learners of Korean with no previous (or very limited) knowledge of the language. The objective of the course is to help students to be active Korean language users who are linguistically and culturally equipped to communicate successfully in the 21st century. In order to do so, this course is designed around the five Cs: Communication, Cultures, Connections, Comparisons, and Communities. The course will be conducted using a communicative language teaching approach integrating all four language skills - listening, speaking, reading, and writing - and the five Cs by utilizing the required textbook, workbook, and authentic materials.

This course will first introduce the Korean Alphabet Hangul as well as the sound system of standard Korean. It will focus on writing the Korean alphabet and reading basic words, phrases, and sentences correctly. The latter part of this course will focus on grammatical patterns such as basic sentence structures and word order, assuming that students have no previous (or very limited) knowledge of Korean. In addition, students will be exposed to everyday life situations likely to be encountered in contemporary Korean society.

KOR 102 – Elementary Korean II

This is the second of two half courses making up a full-year elementary level Korean course is designed for learners of Korean with a very limited knowledge of the language. The course will be delivered using a communicative language approach to teaching all four language skills: listening, speaking, reading, and writing. In addition, the five Cs (Communication, Culture, Connections, Comparisons, and Communities) will be used to facilitate learning. By combining the contents of the textbooks and workbooks with carefully chosen authentic learning materials, this course will strive to assist students to be proactive in their learning of the Korean language.

This course will encompass six of the most common contexts that learners of Korean will encounter in daily life: The Weekend, In Seoul, Birthdays, At a Professor's Office, Living in a Dormitory, and Family. By exploring given dialogues along with related vocabulary and grammatical points, students will learn how they can interact with Korean speakers in each setting. Students will also be introduced to various cultural aspects such as National Holidays in Korea, How to Get Around in a Korean City, Age and Birthdays, Korean Music, Traditional Attire, and How to Address others in the Korean Hierarchical System. In addition, this course will provide students with an opportunity to practice different ways to conjugate verbs as well as to utilize casual connectives.

KOR 202 – Intermediate Korean II

This course is the second part of the intermediate level Korean, and is designed for learners of Korean who have taken KOR 201, first part of Intermediate Korean or had basic knowledge in Korean. The objective of the course is to help students to be active Korean language users who are linguistically and culturally equipped to communicate successfully in the 21st century. In order to do so, this course is designed around the five Cs, communication, cultures, connections, comparisons, and communities. The course will be conducted using a communicative language teaching approach integrating all four language skills - listening, speaking, reading, and writing - and the five Cs by utilizing the required textbook, workbook, and authentic materials.

Emphasis is placed on the fundamentals of listening, speaking, reading, and writing. In addition, students will be exposed to everyday life contexts (e.g., language use, culture, etc.) likely to be encountered in contemporary Korean society.

KOR 245 – K-pop, Webtoons, Ethnic Food, and More: Understanding Korean Popular Culture

Gen Ed: Diversity Emphasis · Gen Ed: Tier 2 Individuals and Societies

In this course, we will explore our contemporary world through a lens of popular culture that has saturated our everyday life. In so many ways, we are spectators, be it movies, TV shows, popular music, animation, video games, etc. Sometimes, we go beyond being just spectators and actively engage in producing, circulating, and re-creating such cultural forms as fans or users. How does popular culture affect the way in which we see our world and define who we are? How do the values of cultural industries become the dominant economic logic of our era? How does popular culture interact with politics? This course will allow us to explore these questions. The focus on Korea will offer us unique contexts in which we situate our questions and answers. We will use our personal experiences as motivation to delve deeper into this topic and consider an extensive range of Korean pop culture from music to drama, cinema, online gaming, and Internet culture.

KOR 302 – Third-Year Korean II

This is the second half of a third-year Korean course designed for students who have successfully completed KOR 301, or have an equivalent advanced-intermediate knowledge of Korean. The objective of the course is to facilitate fluency as students expand their knowledge of Korean and become active Korean language users who are linguistically and culturally equipped to communicate successfully in the 21st century. Utilizing the required textbook, workbook, and authentic materials with this aim in mind, this course is designed around the five Cs, communication, culture, connections, comparisons, and communities. Emphasis is placed on the fundamental language skills of listening, speaking, reading, and writing, and the course will be conducted using a communicative language teaching approach integrating all four skills areas. It is expected that, by the end of the semester, students will be able to read and communicate fluently on a variety of topics relevant to Korean society.

KOR 319 – Shamans, Martyrs, and Heretics: Religion and the Korean Peninsula

Cross Listed

Korean culture, despite its important position in East Asian history, tends to be neglected in academia because it is located between China and Japan in both geographical and intellectual perspectives. This course not only introduces general historical information about Korean culture, but also considers its influence on Japanese religious and philosophical traditions, and even on Chinese culture. Such analyses will proceed from the following main topics: Shamanism, Buddhism, Daoism, Confucian philosophy, religious discourse during war time, "new" religions in both North and South Korea in the modern era, and Korean religions beyond Korea.

KOR 391 – Preceptorship

Specialized work on an individual basis, consisting of instruction and practice in actual service in a department, program, or discipline. Requires faculty member approval, preceptor application on file with department.

KOR 391H – Honors Preceptorship

Honors Course

Specialized work on an individual basis, consisting of instruction and practice in actual service in a department, program, or discipline. Teaching formats may include seminars, in-depth studies, laboratory work and patient study.

KOR 402 – Advanced Korean Language Study II

This is the second half of the advanced Korean course, where the exploration of the complexities of the Korean language continues. Advanced grammar, vocabulary, and cultural nuances will be covered in this course. Throughout the course, students will study advanced materials, partake in discussions, and write reflection essays. The primary goal is to enhance proficiency in all four language skills: speaking, listening, reading, and writing. Beyond linguistic competence, the course is designed to furnish students with the cultural knowledge and intercultural communication skills essential for navigating a variety of Korean-speaking contexts, ranging from academic and professional settings to everyday social interactions.

KOR 491 – Preceptorship

Specialized work on an individual basis, consisting of instruction and practice in actual service in a department, program, or discipline. Requires faculty member approval, preceptor application on file with department.

KOR 491H – Honors Preceptorship

Honors Course

Specialized work on an individual basis, consisting of instruction and practice in actual service in a department, program, or discipline. Teaching formats may include seminars, in-depth studies, laboratory work and patient study.

CHN 241 – Introduction to Chinese Religions

Cross Listed · Gen Ed: Tier 2 Humanities

The course is a comprehensive historical survey of the main religious traditions in China, including Buddhism, Confucianism, Daoism, and popular religion. Through lectures, discussions, and reading of select primary and secondary sources, we will explore the formulations and subsequent transformations of key beliefs, doctrines, practices, and institutions that characterized specific religious traditions. We will also examine the patterns of interaction among different traditions, as well as the general character of religious life in both traditional and modern China.

CHN 251 – New Chinese Cinema

Cross Listed

Introduces students to contemporary Chinese films and studies the role of cinema as historiography and ethnography.

EAS 160A1 – The Worlds of Buddhism

Gen Ed: Diversity Emphasis · Gen Ed: Tier 1 Traditions and Cultures/160 · Gen Ed Attribute: Writing · Gen Ed Attribute: World Cultures and Societies · Gen Ed: Exploring Perspectives, Humanist

An introduction to Buddhism as both a global religion and an array of cultural traditions, with emphasis on its various forms and development in South, Southeast, and East Asian cultures & history.

EAS 160A3 – Chinese Civilization

Gen Ed: Diversity Emphasis · Gen Ed: Tier 1 Traditions and Cultures/160 · Gen Ed Attribute: World Cultures and Societies · Gen Ed: Exploring Perspectives, Humanist

This course offers an introduction to the Chinese civilization from the earliest times to the end of the 18thcentury. It will cover major historical eras and events, as well as the traditions of thought and practices running through them. Literary and artistic genres will be introduced as means to better understand larger social trends. Students will practice close reading and analysis of historical documents, literary compositions, and cultural artifacts. Through these hands-on engagements, they will get to know the diverse voices and perspectives within the Chinese tradition and explore their contemporary relevance. Absolutely no previous experience with the study of China is necessary. At the same time, we hope to bring new perspectives to those who already have some familiarity with Chinese history and culture.

JPN 220 – Nature, Gods, and Zen: Religion in Japanese Society

Cross Listed · Gen Ed: Diversity Emphasis · Gen Ed: Tier 2 Humanities · Gen Ed Attribute: Diversity and Equity · Gen Ed Attribute: Writing · Gen Ed: Building Connections

This course analyzes the history of religions in Japan and the ways in which "Japanese religion" is portrayed in the contemporary world. In particular, the course examines how issues of race, ethnicity, and equity manifest in Western representations of Japanese religion, which is often essentialized, exoticized, and interpreted through a series of cultural stereotypes as the perpetual "Other" in relation to the West. In order to approach this central theme, the course adopts the disciplinary perspectives of Religious Studies, History, and Asian Studies, all of which will be synthesized through a number of writing exercises to allow for a robust analysis of Japanese religious history and practices in the original context of Japan as well as their portrayals in the West, as evident in such outlets as newspaper articles, travel guides, blogs, and YouTube clips, among others. By taking this course, students will be able to integrate multiple disciplinary perspectives to write analytically on the historical significance of Japanese religion as well as questions of race, ethnicity, and equity in representations of Japanese religion in various contexts.

JPN 245 – Japanese Popular Culture: Manga, Anime, and So Much More!

Gen Ed: Diversity Emphasis · Gen Ed: Tier 2 Arts · Gen Ed Attribute: Writing · Gen Ed Attribute: World Cultures and Societies · Gen Ed: Exploring Perspectives, Artist

This course will explore contemporary Japanese society by investigating its colorful, dynamic, and rich output of visual culture. More specifically, we will look at manga, cinematic anime, and items of material culture, illustrating how these examples of popular art teach us about the various aspects of life in Japan.