Asian Studies (ASST)
Directors: Professor Mark Hansell, fall, Roger R. Jackson, winter and spring
Committee Members: Paula K. Arai, Shahzad Bashir, Naran Bilik, James F. Fisher, Roy F. Grow, Mark Hansell, Roger R. Jackson, Mariko Kaga, Adeeb Khalid, Burton Levin, Melinda Russell, Kathleen M. Ryor, Meera Sehgal, Parna Sengupta, Kathryn W. Sparling, Noboru Tomonari, Nancy C. Wilkie, Seungjoo Yoon, Qiguang Zhao
Founded in 1964, the program in Asian Studies is administered by a committee of faculty drawn from multiple departments. It involves a wide variety of courses and activities aimed at enhancing appreciation and understanding of the art, life, and thought of the cultures of Asia, past and present. We concentrate on three regions: East Asia (China, Japan, Korea, Vietnam), South Asia (Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and Tibet), and Central Asia (Afghanistan, Bhutan, Iran, the Islamic former Soviet republics, Manchuria, inner and outer Mongolia, Tibet, Xinjiang). The program consists of courses on Asia in nine departments, extracurricular events on campus, and off-campus studies. An interdisciplinary, regionally-focused major in Asian Studies is offered, which is especially suitable for students with an overriding interest in one or more regions of Asia whose academic needs cannot be met by majoring in a regular department. Students who do major in regular departments may concentrate in East Asian Studies or South Asian Studies.
Requirements for a Major:
A total of 66 credits:
I. 18 credits in a disciplinary base department: Art History, Asian Languages, History, Political Science/International Relations, Religion, and Sociology and Anthropology which must include:
at least 12 credits in courses related to Asia
6 credits in an appropriate methodology course
ARTH 298 Seminar for Art History Majors
ENGL 200 Methods of Interpretation (for ASLN)
HIST 298 Junior-year History Colloquium
LCST 245 Introduction to Critical Methods: Structure, Gender, Culture (for ASLN)
POSC 230 Methods of Political Research
RELG 300 Issues in the Study of Religion
SOAN 330 Sociological Thought and Theory
SOAN 331 Anthropological Thought and Theory
II. 42 additional credits in Asia-related courses (including appropriate off-campus credits, excluding ASST 400 and language-department courses below 228 or their equivalents); these must include:
a) at least 6 credits in each of three distribution areas: Arts and Literature, Humanities, Social Sciences
b) a maximum of 18 credits at the 100 level
c) a minimum of 24 credits at the 200 level or above
III) 6 credits of Senior Integrative Exercise (ASST 400), normally taken during winter term of the senior year.
The Senior Integrative Exercise, normally is a research paper of 30 pages or more that delves into some aspect of the student's focal region. The project normally is developed by the student during the fall term, and proposed to and approved by the Asian Studies Committee, which assigns three faculty members as readers and advisers for the project. The first draft of the exercise is due in the ninth week of winter term, and a final draft in the fourth week of spring term. The student defends the project before the three readers, and presents the research publicly to interested members of the community.
IV) A regional focus on East Asia (China, Japan, Korea, Vietnam), South Asia (Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Tibet), or Central Asia (Afghanistan, Bhutan, Iran, the Islamic former Soviet republics, Manchuria, inner and outer Mongolia, Tibet, Xinjiang) involving:
a) at least 48 credits (exclusive of the Senior Integrative Exercise) related to one's focal region
b) at least 6 credits related to an Asian region different from one's focal region.
Courses by regional focus, subdivided by distribution area:
EAST ASIA:
Arts and Literature:
ARTH 164 Buddhist Art (not offered in 2005-2006)
ARTH 165 Japanese Art (not offered in 2005-2006)
ARTH 166 Chinese Art (not offered in 2005-2006)
ARTH 208 Ritual and Rhetoric in Ancient Chinese Art (not offered in 2005-2006)
ARTH 209 Chinese Painting
ARTH 220 Gender and Genre in the Floating World: Japanese Prints (not offered in 2005-2006)
ARTH 224 Twentieth Century Chinese Art: Identity and Modernity (not offered in 2005-2006)
ARTH 285 Arts of the Chinese Scholar's Studio
ASLN 111 Writing Systems
ASLN 260 Historical Linguistics (not offered in 2005-2006)
CHIN 115 The Taoist Way of Health and Longevity: Taichi and Other Forms
CHIN 212 Tianjin Program: Chinese Culture (not offered in 2005-2006)
CHIN 235 Beauty, Good, and Evil in Chinese Literature (not offered in 2005-2006)
CHIN 250 Contemporary Chinese Literature and Film in Translation
CHIN 282 Tianjin Program: Chinese Civilization (not offered in 2005-2006)
CHIN 345 Advanced Readings in Chinese Literature: Selected Prose (not offered in 2005-2006)
CHIN 346 Advanced Readings in Chinese Fiction
CHIN 347 Advanced Readings in Contemporary Chinese Prose: Newspapers (not offered in 2005-2006)
CHIN 348 Advanced Chinese: The Mass Media
CHIN 349 Advanced Chinese: Social Commentary (not offered in 2005-2006)
CHIN 350 Advanced Chinese: Poems and Stories (not offered in 2005-2006)
CHIN 356 Modern and Contemporary Women Writers
CHIN 360 Classical Chinese
JAPN 230 Topics in Pre-Modern Literature in Translation (not offered in 2005-2006)
JAPN 231 Japanese Cinema in Translation (not offered in 2005-2006)
JAPN 236 Classical Japanese Fiction: The Tale of Genji and Its World (not offered in 2005-2006)
JAPN 240 Literature and Society of Modern Japan in Translation (not offered in 2005-2006)
JAPN 242 Japanese Poetry in Translation
JAPN 345 Advanced Readings in Modern Japanese Literature: The Short Story (not offered in 2005-2006)
JAPN 347 Advanced Readings in Modern Japanese Prose: Newspapers (not offered in 2005-2006)
JAPN 348 Advanced Japanese Conversation and Composition (not offered in 2005-2006)
JAPN 351 Advanced Japanese through Documentary Film
JAPN 399 Senior Research Seminar
MUSC 182 or 282 Chinese Musical Instruments
Humanities:
HIST 110 The Chinese Revolution of 1949
HIST 150 History of Ancient and Medieval Japan
HIST 151 History of Modern Japan (not offered in 2005-2006)
HIST 152 History of Imperial China (not offered in 2005-2006)
HIST 153 History of Modern China
HIST 200 The Zen of Asian and Western Woodworking
HIST 253 Bureaucracy, Law, and Religion in East Asia (not offered in 2005-06)
HIST 254 Colonialism in East Asia
HIST 258 Foreign Relations of East Asia in Modern Times (not offered in 2005-2006)
HIST 395 Making Revolutions in East Asian History
RELG 151 Chinese Religion and Culture
RELG 152 Japanese Religion and Culture
RELG 254 Zen Body/Mind
RELG 258 Women, Power and Enlightenment (not offered in 2005-2006)
RELG 350 Emptiness (not offered in 2005-2006)
Social Sciences:
ECON 240 Economics of Developing Countries
LING 180 Structure of Japanese (not offered in 2005-2006)
POSC 232 Taiwan: Political and Economic Change (not offered in 2005-2006)
POSC 239 The Diplomat's Craft: Three Case Studies
POSC 242 Hong Kong: A Relic of the Past or a Model for the Future (not offered in 2005-2006)
POSC 243 The Politics of Burma: Democratic Challenges Military Response (not offered in 2005-2006)
POSC 253 Communist Political Thought: Marx to Mao (not offered in 2005-2006)
POSC 324 Chinese Politics and Foreign Policy (not offered in 2005-2006)
POSC 326 America's China Policy
POSC 329 Vietnam War and American Policy (not offered in 2005-2006)
POSC 345 Guerillas, Warlords and Bandits: The Art of Asymmetric War
POSC 378 Beijing Program: Chinese Social and Political Institutions
POSC 379 Beijing Program: Chinese Decision Making
POSC 381 Beijing Program: Politics of Economic Development
POSC 382 Beijing Program: Chinese Economy in Transition
SOAN 282 Anthropology of Japan (not offered in 2005-2006)
SOAN 284 Anthropology of China
SOAN 286 Anthropology of East Asia (not offered in 2005-2006)
SOUTH ASIA:
Arts and Literature:
ARTH 164 Buddhist Art (not offered in 2005-2006)
ARTH 182 History of South Asian Art (not offered in 2005-2006)
MUSC 180 or 280 Raga: Vocal or Instrumental Study of Hindustani Music
MUSC 248 Music of India (not offered in 2005-2006)
Humanities:
HIST 160 History of Classical India (not offered in 2005-2006)
HIST 161 History of Modern India (not offered in 2005-2006)
HIST 259 Women in South Asia: Histories, Narratives and Representation (not offered in 2005-2006)
HIST 262 Post-Colonial South Asia, 1947-present (not offered in 2005-2006)
RELG 122 Introduction to Islam
RELG 150 Religions of South Asia
RELG 218 Hindu Classics (not offered in 2005-2006)
RELG 219 Buddhist Classics (not offered in 2005-2006)
RELG 250 Hindu Traditions
RELG 251 Theravada Buddhism
RELG 253 Tibetan Buddhism (not offered in 2005-2006)
RELG 258 Women, Power and Enlightenment (not offered in 2005-2006)
RELG 273 Indian Philosophy (not offered in 2005-2006)
RELG 350 Emptiness (not offered in 2005-2006)
Social Sciences:
ECON 240 Economics of Developing Countries
POSC 243 The Politics of Burma: Democratic Challenges Military Response (not offered in 2005-2006)
SOAN 254 Anthropology of South Asia (not offered in 2005-2006)
SOAN 255 Sociology, Culture and Politics in South Asia
SOAN 312 Actors and Issues in Contemporary Third World "Development" (not offered in 2005-2006)
CENTRAL ASIA:
Arts and Literature:
No courses currently listed
Humanities:
HIST 254 Colonialism in East Asia
HIST 265 Empires of the Steppe (not offered in 2005-2006)
HIST 360 Muslims and Modernity
RELG 122 Introduction to Islam
RELG 253 Tibetan Buddhism (not offered in 2005-2006)
RELG 263 Sufism (not offered in 2005-2006)
RELG 264 Muslims on the Margins: A Survey of Islamic Minority Traditions (not offered in 2005-2006)
RELG 265 Islamic Law
RELG 331 God, Lovesickness, and Wine (not offered in 2005-2006)
RELG 332 Deviancy and Heresy in Islam
Social Sciences:
ECON 240 Economics of Developing Countries
SOAN 284 Anthropology of China (not offered in 2005-2006)
SOAN 286 Anthropology of East Asia (not offered in 2005-2006)
V) One year of study of an appropriate Asian language, or its equivalent
For languages offered at Carleton, this will involve completion of a language through 103, or its equivalent. For languages not offered at Carleton which may be studied through off-campus programs, summer study, or special arrangement at Carleton it will involve completion of the equivalent of 103. Language (as opposed to literature) courses below 228 may not be applied to the major. Applicable courses:
CHIN 101, 102, 103 Elementary Chinese
CHIN 204, 205 Intermediate Chinese
CHIN 206 Chinese in Cultural Context
CHIN 207 Tianjin Program: Intermediate Chinese Language
JAPN 101, 102, 103 Elementary Japanese
JAPN 204, 205, 206 Intermediate Japanese
Languages available at Carleton through special arrangement may include: Advanced Nepali (J. Fisher), Uzbek (A. Khalid); Sanskrit, Pali, and Classical Tibetan (R. Jackson).
VI) Normally, at least one term of off-campus study in Asia.
Students interested in studying in Asia may apply to one of a number of overseas programs. Carleton cooperates with several other colleges to sponsor the Associated Kyoto Program, which takes 50 students and seven faculty members to Japan for an academic year. Carleton also participates in a one-year program at Waseda University sponsored by the Associated Colleges of the Midwest (ACM). The ACM Program in India consists of five months' stay in Pune, where students study Marathi, take academic courses centered on India, and investigate an independent study topic. The program in Hong Kong at the Chinese University, also for students from ACM institutions, normally lasts one year, though a semester-long program is also possible. The Carleton Seminar in Tianjin is a Chinese language and culture program at Nankai University. Students take courses in Chinese languages, civilization and society and culture including art, Taichi and other martial arts. Carleton, Bates, Bowdoin, Colby, Swarthmore, Grinnell, Holy Cross, and Whitman jointly sponsor the Intercollegiate Sri Lanka Education Program (ISLE), in which students and a faculty member study at the University of Peradeniya near Kandy, the old capital in the middle of the island. A triennial program emphasizing Political Economy was begun in 1990, in Beijing, China. Opportunities to study in Asia also are available through a variety of non-Carleton programs.
Courses taken on off-campus programs may be applied to the major. Because of the paucity of Carleton courses in South Asian languages or on many aspects of Central Asia, off-campus programs generally form an important component of the major for those who focus in those two Asian regions.