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Courses & Requirements

Requirements for the Asian Studies Minor

Required Introductory Course

One course from the following list:

ART-175: Arts of China, Korea and Japan (4.00)

This course will provide an introduction to the arts of China, Korea, and Japan. We will focus on monuments in the history of art for each culture, as well as the historical moments when these cultures interacted through objects: commodities, religious images, and works of art. Emphasis will be placed on artist techniques, materials, and formats as well as viewing art in the complex context of each culture. We will also explore how the history of East Asian art has been written and approached in the West, questioning Western assumptions through approaching the objects in context.

HIS-113: Introduction to Japanese History (4.00)

A survey of Japanese cultural, literary and institutional history from ancient times to the present.

HIS-114: Introduction to Ancient and Medieval Chinese History (4.00)

This course is a general survey of ancient and medieval Chinese history, from antiquity to roughly 1700 A.D. Topics include the origins of Chinese civilization, the establishment of the empire, and the economic and social development through the middle empires.

HIS-115: Introduction to Modern Chinese History (4.00)

This course surveys the major social, intellectual, and political developments in China from the Opium War of 1839 to the present. Themes include the fall of imperial China, the Chinese revolutions, post-Mao reforms, and contemporary Chinese social issues.

REL-128: Suffering in Non-Western Film (4.00)

Wisdom in most traditions across the globe converges on the idea that suffering brings clarity and illumination. For Buddha, suffering is the first rule of life. Zen scholars posit that suffering is a privilege because it moves us towards thinking about essential things and shakes us out of our complacency. In this course, we will explore the concept of suffering through non-Western films that focus at answering the question: "Is there at the heart of suffering a powerful, redemptive, and transformative idea?"

REL-130: Religions of India (4.00)

This course examines the beliefs and practices of the religious traditions of India, including Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism, and Islam.

REL-131: Islam (4.00)

The course will focus upon Islam. It will survey Islamic history, its distinctive forms of faith and practice, its roles in society and its worldwide involvement in a host of issues related to social, economic and political developments. The course will explore sympathetic, critical and creative perspectives on Islam, particularly as related to the struggles of today's Muslim women. The course will include opportunities for experiential learning, primarily in the form of field trips to one or more Islamic communities in the Atlanta metropolitan area.

REL-132: Buddhism (4.00)

This course examines the life and teachings of the Buddha, the religious institutions that he founded to carry on his doctrine, and the ways that Buddhism later developed in India and spread through Asia and to the West.

REL-133: Religions of China & Japan (4.00)

This course examines the beliefs and practices of the religious traditions of China and Japan, including Confucianism, Daoism, Shinto, Zen Buddhism, and Tantric Buddhism.

REL-143: Hinduism (4.00)

What are the main practices and beliefs of Hinduism? How did they originate historically and how have they evolved over time? How can we understand key Hindu concepts, such as caste or karma and how are they related to Hindu understandings of the cycle of transmigration? What do Hindus believe and do to achieve happiness in this life and to prepare for the next one? In order to answer these questions, we will explore the historical richness of Hindu doctrine and praxis.

CHI-110: Introduction to Chinese Culture (4.00)

This course will explore the foundations of Chinese civilization and the dimensions of Chinese culture. Organized around thematic topics, this course aims to promote students' understanding of traditional Chinese culture and relevant issues of contemporary China. Students will develop a fundamental knowledge of the Chinese culture from a historical and global perspective. The course will be taught in English.

CHI-120: Chinese Calligraphy (4.00)

Being one of the most revered arts in China, calligraphy (the art of writing) has been an essential part of Chinese culture. This course is designed to introduce the importance of calligraphy in its development integrated with Chinese art, history and culture, with emphasis on incorporating calligraphy into the more comprehensive objective of achieving cultural competency. This course provides students the opportunity not only to learn how to appreciate and write Chinese calligraphy, but also to understand how the calligraphy intertwines with various aspects of Chinese cultural elements and its influence on the neighboring countries such as Japan and Korea. In addition to the various scripts of calligraphy, this course will introduce related subjects, including the origin and evolution of the Chinese writing system, the historical development and aesthetic principles of Chinese calligraphy, well-known inscriptions on epitaphic stones, writings on scrolls and (or) album leaves by major artists, as well as the calligraphy's close relationships with painting and poetry.

Required Language Courses

Two sequential courses from the following list:

Chinese

CHI-101: Elementary Chinese I (4.00)

Designed to make spoken and written Mandarin Chinese a functional language for students. Emphasis on pronunciation, basic vocabulary, foundational grammar for simple sentences and short paragraphs, and the Chinese writing system for rudimentary reading and writing.

CHI-102: Elementary Chinese II (4.00)

Continuation of 101.

Course requisites: CHI-101

CHI-201: Intermediate Chinese I (4.00)

Designed to advance skills in spoken and written Mandarin Chinese. Grammatical structures, vocabulary and pronunciation will build on elementary foundation. Cultural material will be included in course content.

Course requisites: CHI-102

CHI-202: Intermediate Chinese II (4.00)

Designed to advance skills in spoken and written Mandarin Chinese. Grammatical structures, vocabulary and pronunciation will build on Chinese 201. Cultural material will be included in course content.

Course requisites: CHI-201

Japanese

JAP-101: Elementary Japanese I (4.00)

Fundamentals of spoken and written Japanese. Development of reading, writing, speaking and listening skills, with emphasis on the development of conversational fluency in socio-cultural contexts.

JAP-102: Elementary Japanese II (4.00)

Continuation of Japanese 101.

Course requisites: 101

JAP-201: Intermediate Japanese I (4.00)

A continuation of elementary Japanese, focusing on the further development of oral proficiency, reading, and writing skills. Prerequisite: JAP-102 or equivalent.

Course requisites: 102

JAP-202: Intermediate Japanese II (4.00)

A continuation of Japanese 201.

Course requisites: 201

Additional Courses

Three additional courses, from at least two departments, from the courses listed below. At least one of these additional courses must be at the 300 level or above.

HIS-230: The Vietnam Wars (4.00)

An examination of the origins, expansion, and consequences of the Vietnam Wars from Vietnamese and American perspectives. Topics include French colonialism, the rise of nationalism in Vietnam, the responses to imperialism, American foreign policy and the "wars" at home.

HIS-352: The Chinese Revolutions (4.00)

A study of the complex sociopolitical crises of modern China, including an evaluation of the revolutions and their impacts on recent Chinese history; particular focus on the Republican Revolution of 1911, the Communist Revolution of 1949 and the Cultural Revolution.

HIS-354: Chinese Women on Film: History and the Cinematic Imagination (4.00)

This course examines the history of women and gender in China as depicted in film. Emphasis will be placed on the ways in which modernization, imperialism, and globalization have shaped women's roles and representations of women throughout the 20th century. Cross-listed with WS-354.

HIS-360: World War II in Asia on Film (4.00)

This course explores the history of World War II in Asia, especially as (re)presented and remembered in films. Special attention is devoted to the cross-cultural aspects of World War II and to how films shape the collective memory of different Asian countries and the United States.

HIS-362: Modern China Through Literature & Film China (4.00)

This course uses literature and film as primary sources to examine cultural and political changes in Modern China. It is organized as a research seminar and will focus on research methods, primary sources and writing.

REL-232: Socially Engaged Buddhism (4.00)

Socially Engaged Buddhism will explore the religious and social phenomenon of Buddhist activism in Asia and the West. We focus especially on activists Chan Khong, Aung San Suu Kyi, Ariyaratne, the Dalai Lama, Thich Nhat Hanh, Dr. B. R. Ambedkar, Ariyaratne, Joanna Macy, Fleet Maull, among others.