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Asian Studies (ASST)

Director: Professor Mark Hansell

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, Hong Zeng, 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

HIST 298 Junior-year History Colloquium

LCST 245 Introduction to Critical Methods: Structure, Gender, Culture

POSC 230 Methods of Political Research

RELG 300 Issues in the Study of Religion

SOAN 330 Sociological 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 two faculty members as readers and advisers for the project. The first draft of the exercise is due by the end of the ninth week of winter term, and a final draft by the end of the fourth week of spring term. The student defends the project before the two 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:

ARTH 165 Japanese Art and Culture

ARTH 166 Chinese Art and Culture (not offered in 2006-2007)

ARTH 208 Ritual and Rhetoric in Ancient Chinese Art (not offered in 2006-2007)

ARTH 209 Chinese Painting (not offered in 2006-2007)

ARTH 220 Gender and Genre in the Floating World: Japanese Prints (not offered in 2006-2007)

ASLN 111 Writing Systems (not offered in 2006-2007)

ASLN 237 Tao of Wisdom in Asian Literature: Chinese Roots, Lebanese Prophets, and Indian Stray Birds

ASLN 260 Historical Linguistics

CHIN 115 The Taoist Way of Health and Longevity: Taichi and Other Forms (not offered in 2006-2007)

CHIN 212 Tianjin Program: Chinese Culture

CHIN 235 Beauty, Good, and Evil in Chinese Literature in Translation (not offered in 2006-2007)

CHIN 241 Twentieth Century Chinese Literature and Film in Translation

CHIN 250 Contemporary Chinese Literature and Film in Translation (not offered in 2006-2007)

CHIN 282 Tianjin Program: Chinese Civilization

CHIN 345 Advanced Readings in Chinese Literature: Selected Prose (not offered in 2006-2007)

CHIN 346 Advanced Readings in Chinese Fiction (not offered in 2006-2007)

CHIN 347 Advanced Readings in Contemporary Chinese Prose: Newspapers

CHIN 348 Advanced Chinese: The Mass Media (not offered in 2006-2007)

CHIN 349 Advanced Chinese: Social Commentary (not offered in 2006-2007)

CHIN 350 Advanced Chinese: Poems and Stories

CHIN 355 Contemporary Chinese Short Stories and Films (not offered in 2006-2007)

CHIN 356 Modern and Contemporary Women Writers (not offered in 2006-2007)

CHIN 357 Advanced Chinese: Contemporary Social Issues

CHIN 360 Classical Chinese (not offered in 2006-2007)

ECON 240 Microeconomics of Development

HIST 150 Ancient and Medieval Japan (not offered in 2006-2007)

HIST 151 History of Modern Japan (not offered in 2006-2007)

HIST 152 History of Imperial China (not offered in 2006-2007)

HIST 153 History of Modern China

HIST 200 The Zen of Asian and Western Woodworking (not offered in 2006-2007)

HIST 253 Bureaucracy, Law, and Religion in East Asia (not offered in 2006-2007)

HIST 254 Colonialism in East Asia (not offered in 2006-2007)

HIST 258 Foreign Relations of East Asia in Modern Times

JAPN 231 Japanese Cinema in Translation

JAPN 232 Autobiography in Modern Japan in Translation

JAPN 236 Classical Japanese Fiction: The Tale of Genji and Its World in Translation

JAPN 240 Literature and Society of Modern Japan in Translation (not offered in 2006-2007)

JAPN 241 Contemporary and Modern Japanese Fiction in Translation (not offered in 2006-2007)

JAPN 242 Japanese Poetry in Translation (not offered in 2006-2007)

JAPN 343 Advanced Japanese through Fiction and Film (not offered in 2006-2007)

JAPN 345 Advanced Reading in Modern Japanese Literature: The Short Story

JAPN 347 Advanced Reading in Contemporary Japanese Prose: Newspapers (not offered in 2006-2007)

JAPN 348 Advanced Japanese Conversation and Composition (not offered in 2006-2007)

JAPN 349 Advanced Readings in Contemporary Japanese Prose

JAPN 351 Advanced Japanese through Documentary Film

LING 180 The Structure of Japanese

POSC 170 International Relations and World Politics

POSC 239 The Diplomat's Craft: Three Case Studies

POSC 241 Ethnic Conflict

POSC 242 Hong Kong: A Relic of the Past or a Model for the Future

POSC 243 The Politics of Burma: Democratic Challenge, Military Response (not offered in 2006-2007)

POSC 253 Communist Political Thought: Marx to Mao (not offered in 2006-2007)

POSC 326 America's China Policy* (not offered in 2006-2007)

POSC 329 Vietnam War and American Policy* (not offered in 2006-2007)

POSC 378 Beijing Program: Chinese Social and Political Institutions (not offered in 2006-2007)

POSC 379 Beijing Program: Chinese Decision Making (not offered in 2006-2007)

POSC 381 Beijing Program: Politics of Economic Development (not offered in 2006-2007)

POSC 382 Beijing Program: Chinese Economics in Transition (not offered in 2006-2007)

RELG 151 Chinese Religion and Culture (not offered in 2006-2007)

RELG 152 Japanese Religion and Culture

RELG 350 Emptiness (not offered in 2006-2007)

SOAN 282 Anthropology of Japan (not offered in 2006-2007)

SOAN 284 Anthropology of China


SOUTH ASIA:

ARTH 182 History of South Asian Art (not offered in 2006-2007)

ECON 240 Microeconomics of Development

HIST 160 History of Classical India

HIST 161 History of Modern India

HIST 259 Women in South Asia: Histories, Narratives, and Representation

HIST 262 Post-colonial South Asia, 1947-Present

MUSC 248 Music of India

POSC 170 International Relations and World Politics

POSC 241 Ethnic Conflict

POSC 243 The Politics of Burma: Democratic Challenge, Military Response (not offered in 2006-2007)

POSC 247 Comparative Nationalism

RELG 122 Introduction to Islam (not offered in 2006-2007)

RELG 123 Muhammad and the Quran

RELG 150 Religions of South Asia

RELG 250 Hindu Traditions (not offered in 2006-2007)

RELG 251 Theravada Buddhism (not offered in 2006-2007)

RELG 253 Tibetan Buddhism

RELG 273 Indian Philosophy

RELG 350 Emptiness (not offered in 2006-2007)

SOAN 254 Anthropology of South Asia (not offered in 2006-2007)

SOAN 255 Sociology, Culture and Politics in South Asia


CENTRAL ASIA:

ECON 240 Microeconomics of Development

HIST 254 Colonialism in East Asia (not offered in 2006-2007)

HIST 265 Empires of the Steppe (not offered in 2006-2007)

HIST 360 Muslims and Modernity (not offered in 2006-2007)

RELG 122 Introduction to Islam (not offered in 2006-2007)

RELG 123 Muhammad and the Quran

RELG 253 Tibetan Buddhism

RELG 263 Sufism

RELG 331 God, Lovesickness, and Wine

SOAN 256 Ethnography of Africa

SOAN 284 Anthropology of China



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.