Chinese Language and Literature Courses

Chinese 1A

1A. Elementary Chinese. A beginning (Mandarin) Chinese class developing listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills in modern standard Chinese, using pinyin and simplified characters. Five hours in class, two hours in the language laboratory, and one required half-hour tutorial meeting every week. Prerequisites: None.

Please note: Chinese 1A is for students who: 1) are of non-Chinese origin and were not raised in a Chinese-speaking environment; or 2) are of Chinese origin but do not speak any dialect of Chinese and whose parents do not speak any dialect of Chinese. Students are responsible for enrolling in the appropriate level and section. They must also accurately inform instructors about their language proficiency level. Any student who enrolls in a class below his/her level will be dropped from the class. The required tutorial sections will be scheduled once classes begin.

Chinese 1AX

1AX. Elementary Chinese for Mandarin Speakers. The course teaches both pinyin and traditional characters, introduces functional vocabulary, and provides a systematic review of grammar. The class meets on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, one hour a day. Prerequisites: Consent of instructor.

Chinese 1AY

1AY. Elementary Chinese for Speakers of Other Dialects. The class uses Pinyin and traditional characters. Five hours in class, one-half hour discussion session, and at least two hours in the language laboratory every week. Prerequisites: Consent of instructor.

Chinese 7A

7A. Introduction to Chinese Literature and Culture-Premodern. Chinese 7A is the first semester in a year long sequence introducing students to the literatures and cultures of China. We will read many of the major authors, works, and literary genres from the beginnings of Chinese civilization to the Song dynasty, look at aspects of Chinese visual and material culture, and place these artifacts in their historical and cultural contexts. This course does not assume or require any previous exposure to or coursework in Chinese literature, history, or language. The course surveys the expansive literary and cultural topography of early China, while at the same time helping students to develop the reading and writing skills needed to engage critically and imaginatively with that historical terrain. Prerequisites: None.

Chinese 10A

10A. Intermediate Chinese. This course is designed to develop student's reading, writing, listening and speaking abilities in (Mandarin) Chinese, and teaches both simplified and traditional characters. Additional time is required for tutorials and language lab. Prerequisites: Chinese 1A/B; or consent of instructor.

Chinese 10AX

10AX. Intermediate Chinese for Mandarin Speakers. Students who have completed Chinese 1AX/1BX may enroll in Chinese 10AX, an intermediate level course for Mandarin speakers. The course teaches both pinyin, simplified and traditional characters, develops a functional vocabulary, and provides a systematic review of grammar. Three one-hour meetings in class and one one-hour periods in the language or computer lab per week. Prerequisites: Chinese 1BX; or consent of instructor.

Chinese 100A

100A. Advanced Chinese. The goal of the course is to introduce modern Chinese culture while developing competence in reading, speaking and writing standard modern Chinese. The readings and conversation include stories, essays, and plays, mostly by leading writers of recent decades. Students prepare in advance, then read and discuss texts and sentence patterns in their literary, social, and cultural contexts. A half-hour tutorial meeting is required every week. Prerequisites: Chinese 10B; or consent of instructor.

Chinese 100AX

100AX. Advanced Chinese for Mandarin Speakers. Students who have completed Chinese 10AX/10BX may enroll in Chinese 100AX, an advanced level course for Mandarin speakers who have intermediate-level knowledge of reading and writing in Chinese. The goal of the course is to introduce modern Chinese society through reading materials and discussion. The readings and conversation materials include stories, essays, and plays, mostly by leading writers of recent decades. Students prepare in advance, then read and discuss texts and sentence patterns in their literary, social, and cultural contexts. Class meets 3 days a week for one hour per day. Prerequisites: Chinese 10BX; or consent of instructor.

Chinese 101

101. Readings in Modern Chinese - Literature. The goal of the course is to assist students in attaining high levels of proficiency in listening, speaking, reading and writing. The primary instructional tool will be comparative studies of contemporary works of Chinese literature in conjunction with the movies that are based upon them. This multimedia approach serves to cultivate skills in all four areas listed above. Three hours of lecture/discussion per week. Prerequisites: Chinese 100B; or consent of instructor.

Chinese 110A

110A. Introduction to Literary Chinese. Readings in pre-Han, Han-Dynasty, Six Dynasties and Tang-Dynasty texts. This course introduces the basic grammatical structures and core vocabulary of literary Chinese. Emphasis is on grammatical analysis and careful explication of classical usage. At the same time, attention is paid to introducing the various genres of prose and poetry and discussing their distinguishing features. This course is also meant to provide some introductory background on the formation of the “Confucian Classics” and the texts of the “Taoist Canon.” Prerequisites: Chinese 10B is recommended.

Chinese 111

111. Fifth-Year Chinese A. This course is designed to bring up the students to advanced-high competence in all aspects of modern Chinese; it aims to prepare students for research or employment in a variety of China-related fields. Materials are drawn from native-speaker target publications, including modern Chinese literature, film, intellectual history, and readings on contemporary issues. Radio and TV broadcasts will also be included among the teaching materials. Texts will be selected, in part, according to the students' interests. With the instructor's guidance, students will conduct their own research projects based on specialized readings in their own fields of study. The research projects will be presented both orally and in written form by the end of the semester. Prerequisites: Chinese 102; or consent of instructor.

Chinese 122

122. Ancient Chinese Poetry: "Poetic Traditions of Early China." This course will provide an overview of Chinese poetic traditions from the earliest texts up to the Eastern Han dynasty (first and second centuries CE). As we develop familiarity with the formal and expressive characteristics of the main early poetic types, we will also consider the range of social, political, and religious functions served by poetic writing and performance in early Chinese cultures. We will also consider these early poems in the context of early theories of music and language and traditions of poetic interpretation. Primary texts to be studied include the Classic of Poetry (Shi jing) along with early schools of interpretation of this classic, the Songs of Chu (Chu ci), as well as selections from Han dynasty fu poetry (sometimes termed “rhapsody”). Readings will include a combination of excerpts from the original classical Chinese and English and modern Chinese translations. Prerequisites: Chinese 110A; or consent of instructor.

Chinese 182 NEW!

182. Death and Funerary Practice in China. This course examines funerary practices in Chinese history, as a means to explore views of the body, the function of ritual, and conceptions of the afterlife. We will consider the history of burial practice and tomb ornamentation, and the role of imperial tombs in the construction of authority. We will devote particular attention to the way in which the disposition of the corpse functioned as a liminal space onto which debates about cultural values could be projected. Such debates include discussions about the appropriate degree of mourning rites in Warring States thought, filiality and cremation in Confucian discourse, mummification and auto-cremation in Buddhism, and issues surrounding burial in contemporary China.

East Asian Languages and Cultures Courses

EA Lang 103 NEW!

EA Lang C120

EA Lang 200

Japanese Language and Literature Courses

Japanese 1A

1A. Elementary Japanese. Japanese 1A is designed to develop basic speaking skills and to learn hiragana, katakana, and approximately 150 kanji. At the end of the course, the students should be able to describe themselves, their family and friends, and to talk about everyday events with basic vocabulary and structures. They also should be able to read simple passages in Japanese. Prerequisites: None.

Japanese 1AL

1AL. Supplementary Work in Listening--Elementary. Designed to supplement 1A in order to facilitate students' listening proficiency. 1AL will cover a variety of listening strategies and practice applications of such strategies in listening activities. Students will engage in listening activities, including audio/visual exercises that will focus on the matrerials that are taught in Japanese 1A.

Japanese 1AS

1AS. Supplementary Work in Kanji. A course designed to be taken concurrently with 1A to help students improve overall kanji performance. The course will make the kanji learning process easier by providing exercises and background information about the relationships between characters and how they function.

Japanese 7A

7A. Introduction to Premodern Japanese Literature and Culture. The field of Japanese literature is extraordinarily rich; it covers over twelve centuries of texts, including the thousand-page classic, The Tale of Genji, often described as the world’s oldest novel, and the seventeen-syllable haiku, one of the shortest poetic forms and still one of the most popular. Like all her eleventh-century aristocratic contemporaries, the author of Genji believed in spirit possession, dream prophecy, and reincarnation. And yet her depiction of the subtle workings of male competition and female jealousy is as psychologically subtle and perceptive as any passage in Proust, to whom she is often compared. J7A will begin with a look at Japan's early myth-history, Kojiki, and first extant poetry anthology, Man'yôshû, which show the transition from preliterate, communal society to a highly developed courtly culture. Examples of the rich Japanese female diary tradition follow, and then two weeks on Genji, the high-point of Heian prose. The second half of the course, examines medieval literature, including religious and aesthetic essays by cultured monks and violent yet intensely moving war stories, sung by priests to the accompaniment of lutes. We will conclude by reading the poetry and travel literature of Bashô, often called Japan's last medieval poet. Prerequisites: None.

Japanese 10A

10A. Intermediate Japanese. In this course, students will learn how to integrate the basic structures and vocabulary which they learned in Japanese 1A/B in order to express a wider range of ideas and will study the new structures and vocabulary necessary to express such ideas in a manner appropriate for many social situations. Students are expected to participate fully in classroom activities and discussions. Although the main emphasis will be aural/oral skills, an increasing amount of reading and writing will also be required. Prerequisites: Japanese 1A/B or equivalent; or consent of instructor. Students who have not taken Japanese 1A/B at this University may wish to contact the instructors during Phase I Tele-BEARS to have their language proficiency assessed.

Japanese 10AG

10AG. Supplementary Work in Grammar - Intermediate. This supplementary course is designed for students who are concurrently enrolled in 10A to enable their acquisition of a better understanding of Japanese grammar in general and clause linkage in particular.

Japanese 10AS

10AS. Supplementary Work in Kanji - Intermediate. For students who are concurrently enrolled in 10A to acquire a better understanding of kanji writing system and to improve overall kanji performance.

Japanese 100A.

100A. Advanced Japanese. This course aims to develop further communicative skills in speaking, listening, reading and writing in a manner appropriate to the context. It concentrates on enabling students to use acquired grammar and vocabulary with more confidence in order to express functional meanings, while increasing linguistic competence. Course materials include the textbook, supplemented by newspaper and magazine articles and short stories to provide insight into Japanese culture and society. There will be a project which will give students the opportunity to interact with Japanese university students. Active student participation is not only encouraged but required. Prerequisites: Japanese 10B or equivalent; or consent of instructor.

Japanese 101

101. Fourth-Year Readings: Social Sciences. This course provides further development of reading, writing, speaking, and listening skills to enable students to express their points of view and construct argumentative discourse. Readings include Japanese newspapers, magazines, a selection of Japanese literature as sources of discussions. Students learn various writing styles and in-depth aspects of Japanese culture. Prerequisites: Japanese 100B or equivalent; or consent of instructor.

Japanese 103

103. Fourth-Year Readings: Japanese Literature. This course provides further development of reading, writing, speaking, and listening skills to enable students to express their points of view and construct argumentative discourse. In addition to Japanese literature, readings include newspaper articles and other texts as sources of discussions in order to become familiar with various writing styles and learn more aspects of Japanese society and culture. Prerequisites: Japanese 100B or equivalent; or consent of instructor.

Japanese 111

111. Fifth-Year Japanese A. This course provides focused, high-level language training for those students who possess fourth-year level ability or equivalent in the modern Japanese language. Students will improve their ability in reading, writing, speaking and listening in their areas of specialty and in fields of particular interest to them. The course may have a dual-track approach, requiring the completion of both class-wide and individually designed projects. The balance of the course will focus on the development of reading and writing skills. With the instructor’s assistance, students will conduct their own projects based on in-depth reading of materials drawn from their areas of specialization. These projects will be presented orally to the class. Further, when possible, visiting scholars from Japan will be invited to the classroom to speak, their topics to be discussed afterwards. This will provide an additional opportunity for the student to practice listening and speaking of high-level, educated Japanese. Committed study at home will be essential for success in this course. Prerequisites: Japanese 102 or equivalent; or consent of instructor.

Japanese 120

120. Introduction to Classical Japanese. Japanese 120 is an introduction to classical Japanese. After discussing the basics of classical grammar, we read all of Hôjôki (An account of my hut) and parts of Heike monogatari (The tale of the Heike). The emphasis is on translation into English, grammatical explication, and cultural and literary milieu. Most class meetings are devoted to the reading of the assigned texts. Students read the text aloud, answer questions regarding grammar and literary content, and translate into English. Students are encouraged to read the provided footnotes for practice in modern Japanese and basic background information as well as translations into modern Japanese, English, or other languages. But a line-by-line translation into English by the student is also essential for adequate class preparation. Prerequisites: Japanese 10B or equivalent; or consent of instructor. Not open to graduates of Japanese high schools.

Japanese 130

130. Classical Japanese Poetry. An introduction to the critical analysis and translation of representative verses from a thousand years of traditional Japanese poetry, a genre that reaches from early declarative work redolent of an even earlier oral tradition to medieval and Early Modern verses evoking exquisitely differentiated emotional states and seasonal transitions via complex rhetoric and literary allusion. Topics may include the poetry of the Man'yôshû Kokinshû, and Shinkokinshû poetic anthologies, linked verse (renga), and the haikai of Bashô and other Early Modern poets. Prerequisites: Completion of Japanese 120; or consent of instructor.

Japanese 155

155. Modern Japanese Literature. This course introduces students to various aspects of modern Japanese literature by reading prose selections, primarily short stories, by highly regarded authors from the Meiji to Heisei periods (1868- ). Selected passages in Japanese will be assigned for close reading, analysis and discussion. Prerequisites: Japanese 100B (may be taken concurrently with J100A with approval); or consent of instructor.

Japanese 160

160. Introduction to Japanese Linguistics: Grammar. This course deals with issues of the structure of the Japanese language and how they have been treated in the field of linguistics. It focuses on phonetics/phonology, morphology, writing systems, dialects, lexicon, and syntax/semantics. Students are required to have advanced knowledge of Japanese. No previous linguistics training is required. Prerequisites: 100A or equivalent, may be taken concurrently.

Japanese 163

163. Translation: Theory and Practice. This course provides an overview of the considerations that the translator must take into account when approaching a text. Special attention is paid to the structural differences between Japanese and English, cross-cultural differences in stylistics, writing with clarity, reference work, etc. Texts to be considered are drawn from both expository and literary writings in Japanese. By means of translating selected texts into English, students will acquire abilities to recognize common translation problems, apply methods for finding solutions, and evaluate accuracy and communicative effectiveness of translation. In consultation with the instructor, each student chooses an appropriate text to be translated during the course of the semester. Prerequisites: 102 or equivalent.

Japanese C176

C176. Archaeology and Japanese Identities. This course attempts to shed new light on the stereotypical images of the traditional Japanese culture and people through archaeological analysis. Specifically, the aims of the course are twofold. First, it shows how recent archaeological discoveries can change conventional interpretations of Japanese history. Particular emphasis will be placed on changing lifeways of past residents of the Japanese islands, including commoners, samurai (the warrior class) and nobles. Second, the course aims to discuss the implications of these archaeological studies on our understanding of Japanese identities. Prerequistes: None.[WEBSITE]

Japanese 240

240. Seminar in Classical Japanese Texts. This semester the class will read ‘Diary of Lady Izumi’ (Izumi Shikibu nikki), an onnade (“woman’s hand” or hiragana) text dating, most probably, from the 11th century. This text describes the first ten months of a love affair that was widely regarded as scandalous at the time it occurred. The diary, if that is what it truly is, was written by the woman shortly after her lover died unexpectedly. Their affair is narrated primarily through the exchange of poems. These poems, especially how they advance the needs of each lover, will be the primary focus of analysis and discussion. Prerequisites: Two semesters of classical Japanese language training or the consent of the instructor.

Japanese 255

255. Seminar in Prewar Japanese Literature. Close reading of modern Japanese literary and cultural texts within their literary historical, cultural, historical, and theoretical contexts. Particular themes and time periods change with each seminar. Prerequisites: Permission of instructor required.

Korean language and Literature Courses

Korean 1A

1A. Elementary Korean for Non-heritage Speakers. Five classroom hours per week are required. This course introduces students to beginning level Korean, including Hangul (Korean writing system) and the basic grammar of the language. Emphasis is on listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills. This course is for students with minimal or no knowledge of Korean. Prerequisites: None.

Please note: Korean 1A is not open to heritage students who have some background knowledge in Korean.

Korean 1AX

1AX. Elementary Korean for Heritage Speakers. Five classroom hours per week are required. This course introduces students to beginning level Korean. This course is for students who can read Hangul (Korean writing system) or speak some Korean, but their ability to read, write, or speak in Korean is somewhat limited. Prerequisites: Some knowledge of the Korean language; or consent of Instructor.

Korean 7A

7A. Introduction to Pre-Modern Korean Literature and Culture. This course provides an overview of Korean literature and cultural history, from the seventh century to the late nineteenth century. We will examine the development of oral tradition from the ritual songs recorded in Remnants of Three Kingdoms to p’ansori in late Chosôn period; the major vernacular verse forms such as sijo and kasa; autobiographical prose; and vernacular as well as classical narratives, tales, and parables. We will focus on the interplay of literary texts and performance tradition by exploring such topics as: various aspects of literati culture of Koryô and Chosôn; literary articulations of gender relations; and representations of humor and material culture. We will also consider the suppleness of traditional vernacular culture forms as they have been rearticulated throughout history. Prerequisites: None.

Korean 10A

10A. Intermediate Korean. A second-year course in modern Korean with about equal attention given to listening, speaking, reading and writing with the cultural emphasis. This course meets five classroom hours per week and requires one hour of language lab per week. Prerequisites: Korean 1A/B; or consent of instructor.

Korean 10AX

10AX. Intermediate Korean for Heritage Speakers. A second-year course in modern Korean for students whose Korean proficiency level is higher in speaking than in reading or writing due to Korean-heritage background. Prerequisites: Korean 1BX; or consent of instructor.

Korean 100A

100A. Advanced Korean. Three 1-hour meetings per week. Readings and discussions in Korean, of modern writings. A variety of texts such as essays, literary works, magazines and newspapers will be introduced. Emphasis is on advanced-level vocabulary, including approximately 100 Sino-Korean characters. Prerequisites: Korean 10A/10B; or consent of instructor.

Korean 101

101. Fourth-Year Readings – Literature. An advanced course in the reading and analysis of literary texts in modern Korean. Advanced conversation, writing skills, and practice in the use of standard reference tools will also be emphasized, with the goal of preparing students to do independent research in Korean. Prerequisites: Korean 100B or equivalent.

Korean 111

111. Fisth-Year Korean A. This course is designed to bring up the students' proficiency to advanced-high level in all aspects of modern Korean; it aims to prepare students for research or employment in a variety of Korea-related fields. Text materials are drawn from authentic sources including modern Korean literature, film, intellectual history, and readings on contemporary issues. Radio and TV broadcasts will also be included in the teaching materials. Texts will be selected, in part, according to student interests. With instructor's guidance, students will conduct research projects based on specialized readings in their own fields of study. The research projects will be presented both orally and in written form at the end of the semester. Prerequisites: Korean 102 or equivalent.

Korean 163

163. Translation: Theory and Practice. This course will provide an overview of the considerations that a translator must take into account when approaching a Korean text. Special attention will be paid to the structural and linguistic differences between Korean and English as well as cross-cultural differences in stylistics. Texts to be considered are drawn from both expository and literary writings in Korean. By means of translating selected texts in English, students will acquire abilities to recognize common translating problems, explore methods for finding solutions, and evaluate accuracy and communicative effectiveness of translation. Prerequisites: Korean 100B or equivalent; or consent of instructor.

Korean 207A NEW!

207A. Major Issues in Korean Literature and Culture: "Translated Women in the Late Chosŏn Novel." What happens when female lovers from Chinese fiction and drama are cast in Korean narratives? How does such reiteration avoid parody and narrate the characters’ partaking in the Korean native rites and rituals, while performing gender roles appropriate to the native social convention? How do we understand the conventionalized motifs in the vernacular Korean novel that engage the Chinese literary tradition and Chinese writing -- for example as in the lovers’ exchange of classical Chinese poems? What is the status of such poems when the narrative is staged in vernacular oral performance? How might our consideration on the issues on translation, and the interplay of literary convention and social convention, help us to think more critically about the prevailing thesis on late Chosŏn Korean novel as the “inner room” literature?

Tibetan Language Courses

Tibetan 1A

1A. Elementary Tibetan. This course is an intensive introduction to both standard spoken Tibetan (Lhasa dialect) and written literary Tibetan. As such, it will serve the needs of students who intend to continue the study of modern Tibetan so as to function in a Tibetan-speaking environment, as well as the needs of students who will concentrate on classical Tibetan and it's rich literature. Prerequisites: None.

Tibetan 10A

10A. Intermediate Tibetan. This course, a continuation of 1A-1B (elementary Tibetan), is designed to further develop the student's skills in modern standard Tibetan (Lhasa dialect). The emphasis is on communication skills in vernacular Tibetan, as well as grammar, reading, and writing. Students with a particular interest in reading classical literature, particularly Buddhist texts, are encouraged to enroll simultaneously in 110A-110B. Prerequisites: Tibetan 1B; or consent of instructor.

Tibetan 110A

110A. Intensive Readings in Tibetan. This course is an intensive course in reading modern and classical Tibetan literature, with an emphasis on classical Buddhist texts. It builds on basic reading skills acquired in 1A-1B (elementary Tibetan), and is designed to be taken either concurrently with 10A-10B (intermediate Tibetan) or independently. Prerequisites: Tibetan 10A (may be taken concurrently); or consent of instructor.