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Asian Studies

Professors Kemper (Anthropology; chair), Hirai (History), J. Strong (Religion), Grafflin (History), Yang (Chinese), S. Strong (Japanese), Maurer-Fazio (Economics); Associate Professors Shankar (English) and Nguyen (Art and Visual Culture); Assistant Professors Nelson (Politics), Fatone (Music), and Boucher (Psychology); Visiting Assistant Professors Su (Chinese) and Strippoli (Japanese); Lecturers Miao (Chinese), Ofuji (Japanese), Sengupta (Asian Studies), and Hiss (Asian Studies)

In the early years of the twenty-first century, Asia has gained enormous visibility across the globe. Knowledge of Asian languages gives access to enduring, complex, and constantly developing societies to which the rest of the world has repeatedly turned for insight. An understanding of Asian cultures complements language study, concentrating on ways Asians live their lives and interact with the larger world.

Asian Studies is an interdisciplinary program designed to acquaint students with the economies, histories, politics, arts, languages, literatures, and religions of Asian societies. The program offers three majors, Chinese, Japanese, and East Asian studies. Each of these majors gives students an opportunity to develop an understanding of East Asia by intensive study of Chinese or Japanese and to pursue nonlanguage courses introducing some of the most accomplished civilizations and dynamic societies in today's world. In addition to the majors, the Program in Asian Studies offers a minor in Asian studies. More information on the Program in Asian Studies is available on the Web site (www. bates.edu/ASIA.xml).

The Chinese major is built around a structured sequence of instruction in language skills leading to competency in spoken and written Mandarin, with classical Chinese taught at the advanced level. Emphasis is placed on familiarizing students with the rich cultural heritage of China's 4,000-year history, which is transmitted and embodied by the native language of more than one billion people. The program strongly recommends that majors spend their junior year on a departmentally recognized study-abroad program in mainland China or Taiwan.

Major Requirements

The major consists of a minimum of twelve courses that must include:

1) CHI 101-102, 201-202, 301-302, or the equivalent.

2) CHI 207.

3) three courses or units from the following: CHI 209, 211, 261, ASIA s21, s30, FYS 280, HIST 374, or INDS 212.

4) either CHI 401 or 415.

5) CHI 457 or 458, the senior thesis. Students are expected to utilize some source materials in Chinese in conducting research for the thesis. Qualified students are encouraged to write in Chinese.

Students may petition the program to have courses taken in their study-abroad program applied toward the fulfillment of requirements 1) and 3).

Minor

A minor requires a minimum of seven courses (or six courses and a designated Short Term unit). At least one of the seven courses must involve a study of literature or culture (taught either in Chinese or in translation), but only one course in translation may be counted toward the minor. A student may petition to have up to three comparable courses, completed at other institutions either in the United States or abroad, apply toward the minor. Advanced Placement courses may not be applied toward the minor. Application for a minor should be made to Professor Yang.

Pass/Fail Grading Option

Pass/fail grading may be elected for two courses applied toward the Chinese major.

General Education Information for the Classes of 2008, 2009, and 2010

Any one Chinese Short Term unit may serve as an option for the fifth humanities course.

Courses
Short Term Courses

The major in Japanese presents an opportunity for an in-depth and focused study of Japanese language and culture. The major places emphasis on the student's acquisition of oral and written language proficiency as well as on the development of cultural awareness and competency. The program strongly recommends that majors spend their junior year at the Associated Kyoto Program or another approved year-long study-abroad program in Japan.

Major Requirements

The major consists of a minimum of twelve courses that must include:

1) JPN 101-102, 201-202, 301-302, or the equivalent.

2) AS/JA 125.

3) two courses or units from the following: FYS 277 or another first-year seminar on Japan; AS/JA 130 and 210, JA/WS 255, ES/JA 290, JPN s27 or another Short Term unit on Japan, CHI s30.

4) ES/JA 320 or one other 300-level seminar on Japan.

5) JPN 401.

6) JPN 457 or 458, the senior thesis project, which may be completed independently or, for students who wish to write in Japanese, in conjunction with JPN 402 (with thesis components). Students are expected to utilize some source materials in Japanese when conducting research for the thesis.

Students may petition the program to have courses taken in their study-abroad program (including the Bates Fall Semester Abroad) applied toward the fulfillment of requirements 1) and 3).

Minor

A minor requires a minimum of seven courses (or six courses and a designated Short Term unit). At least one of the seven courses must involve a study of literature or culture (taught either in Japanese or in translation), but only one course in translation may be counted toward the minor. A student may petition to have up to three comparable courses, completed at other institutions in either the United States or abroad, apply toward the minor. Advanced Placement courses may not be applied toward the minor. Application for a minor should be made to Professor S. Strong.

Pass/Fail Grading Option

Pass/fail grading may be elected for two courses applied toward the Japanese major.

General Education Information for the Classes of 2008, 2009, and 2010

Any one Japanese Short Term unit may serve as an option for the fifth humanities course.

Courses
Short Term Courses

In addition to the Chinese and Japanese language majors, the Program in Asian Studies offers an East Asian studies major. It provides students with a broad introduction to both China and Japan. Students are required to organize their study of East Asia around two years of Chinese or Japanese language study and are strongly urged to spend at least one semester at an approved program in mainland China, Taiwan, or Japan.

Major Requirements

The major requires ten courses, plus a thesis, including:

1) four courses of Chinese or Japanese language.

2) AS/HI 171 or 172.

3) two courses from two of the following four groups:
a) CHI 207 or AS/JA 125;
b) AS/EC 229 or 231;
c) AS/RE 208 or 209;
d) AV/AS 246 or 247;

4) three additional courses or units focusing on East Asia, no more than one of which may be a language course.

5) ASIA 457 and/or 458, a senior thesis, written under the direction of a faculty advisor in Asian Studies.

In fulfilling requirements for the East Asian studies major, students must take at least one course dealing primarily with China and one dealing primarily with Japan. Students are urged to take at least one course that addresses premodern culture in China or Japan and another course addressing the modern period in China or Japan.

Pass/Fail Grading Option

Pass/fail grading may not be elected for courses applied toward the major in East Asian studies.

Minor in Asian Studies

Students may complete a minor in Asian studies by completing six courses from the list of courses and units in Asian studies. In consultation with an Asian studies faculty member (chosen or appointed by the Asian studies chair) and in accord with program guidelines, students may design their own course of study. Among the six courses, at least four should be related as a coherent group. Examples include a group of courses related to Buddhist studies, South Asia, gender issues, environmental concerns, a specific historical period, or the socioeconomic or political situation of a particular region.

The minor may include one Short Term unit and a maximum of two language courses. With the approval of the minor advisor, students may apply up to two courses taken on study-abroad programs toward the minor as well as courses taken on Fall Semester Abroad programs in Asia. Majors in Chinese, Japanese, or East Asian studies may count no more than two courses (or units) as fulfilling requirements toward both the Asian studies minor and their major.

The following courses may be taken to fulfill the East Asian studies major:

AV/AS 234. Chinese Visual Culture.
AV/AS 243. Buddhist Visual Worlds.
AV/AS 246. Visual Narratives: Storytelling in East Asian Art.
AV/AS 247. The Art of Zen Buddhism.
AVC s10. A Cultural and Literary Walk into China.

AS/JA 125. Japanese Literature and Society.
AS/JA 130. Japanese Film.
AS/HI 171. China and Its Culture.
AS/HI 172. Japan: Myth, Stereotype, Reality.
AS/RE 208. Religions in China.
AS/RE 209. Religions in Japan.
AS/JA 210. Heterogeneous Japan.
AS/EC 231. The Economic Development of Japan.
AS/RE 251. Religions of Tibet.
AS/PY 260. Cultural Psychology.
AS/HI 274. China in Revolution.
AS/HI 276. Japan since 1945 through Film and Literature.
AS/HI 278. Taiwan.
AS/RE 308. Buddhist Texts in Translation.
AS/RE 309. Buddhism in East Asia.
AS/JA 310. The Myth of the Samurai.
ASIA 360. Independent Study.
AS/HI 390L. Shanghai, 1927-1937.
AS/HI 390T. Women and Men in Japanese History.
ASIA s21. Traditional Chinese Color Ink Painting.
AS/HI s25. Americans in Japan.
AS/JA s27. Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

CHI 101-102. Beginning Chinese I and II.
CHI 201-202. Intermediate Chinese.
CHI 207. Traditional Chinese Literature in Translation.
CHI 209. Modern China through Film and Fiction.
CHI 211. Film and Chinese Modernity.
CHI 261. Self and Society in Chinese Culture: Classics and Folk Tales.
CHI 301-302. Upper-Level Modern Chinese.
CHI 401-402. Advanced Chinese I and II.
CHI 415. Readings in Classical Chinese.
CHI s30. Chinese Calligraphy and Etymology.

EC/ES s27. Sustaining the Masses.

EN/WS 121G. Asian American Women Writers.

ES/JA 290. Nature in East Asian Literature.
ES/JA 320. Haiku and Nature in Japan.

FYS 277. The Fantastic in Modern Japan.
FYS 280. Confucius: Faith and Transgression.
FYS 348. Literature through Cataclysm.

INDS 212. Writing/Righting Chinese Women.

JPN 101-102. Beginning Japanese I and II.
JPN 201-202. Intermediate Japanese I and II.
JA/WS 255. Modern Japanese Women Writers.
JPN 301-302. Intermediate Japanese III and IV.
JPN 401, 402. Advanced Japanese I and II.

In addition to the courses and units listed above for a major in East Asian studies, the following courses may be taken to fulfill the minor in Asian studies:

ANTH 240. Person and Society in South Asia.
AN/RE 263. Buddhism and the Social Order.

AV/RE 244. Visual Narratives in South and Southeast Asia.
AV/AS 245. Architectural Monuments of Southeast Asia.
AVC 248. Rock-Cut Temples in Asia.
AV/AS 380. Stupas: Forms and Meanings.

AS/MU 249. The Hindu Tradition.
AS/RE 250. The Buddhist Tradition.
AS/MU 252. Musics of Southeast Asia.

ENG 260. Literature of South Asia.
ENG 395G. Literature and Cultural Critique.

FYS 289. The Life of Buddha.
FYS 307. Islam.
FYS 346. Desire, Devotion, Suffering.

PLTC 348. Islam and Democracy.

Courses
Short Term Courses