Buddhism 120 NEW!

120. Buddhism on the Silk Road. Ever since the German geographer Ferdinand von Richthofen coined the term in the late nineteenth century, the "Silk Road" has captivated the western imagination, inspiring thoughts of fabled cities and exotic peoples from the Mediterranean basin across central Asia to China and Japan. In addition to discussing aspects of daily life on the Silk Road, this course will draw on a variety of disciplinary perspectives (history, anthropology, religious studies, and so on) to examine some of the underlying notions bound up in the study of such vast cultural regions under a single headway. Relying on the records left by a number of early Western travelers, we will trace the rise of the Silk Road in world history, and explore the role played by different religious traditions in the telling of that history, particularly Buddhism. Prerequisites: None.

Buddhism 124 NEW!

124. Buddhism in Film. This course will examine Buddhism in the twentieth-century through film. Students will be asked to explore the tension between East and West, tradition and progress, fantasy and reality as it unfolds in different representations of Buddhism. In order to capture the global scale of these tensions, we will watch a variety of select international and domestic films that differ in both genre and content. With the help of supplemental readings, we will reflect upon how Buddhism has been imagined and transformed on screen and what the medium of film contributes to this process. Prerequisites: None.

Chinese Language and Literature Courses

Chinese 1

1. Intensive Elementary Modern Chinese. This is a 10-week beginning Chinese class developing listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills in modern standard Chinese using pinyin and traditional characters. This course is the equivalent of Chinese 1A-1B offered in the regular academic year.

Please note: Chinese 1 is not open to native speakers of Mandarin.

Chinese 1X

1X. Intensive Elementary Chinese for Mandarin Speakers. This eight-week elementary-level course is designed for those who speak Mandarin but who do not read or write in Chinese. The course teaches both pinyin and traditional characters, introduces functional vocabulary, and provides a systematic review of grammar. This course is the equivalent of Chinese 1AX-1BX offered in the regular academic year. Prerequisites: Consent of instructor.

Chinese 7A

7A. Introduction to Chinese Literature and Culture-Premodern. An introduction to Chinese literature in translation in a two-semester sequence. In addition to literary sources, a wide range of philosophical and historical texts will be covered, as well as aspects of visual and material culture. 7A covers early and premodern Chinese up to and including the Yuan Dynasty (14th century). Prerequisites: None.

7B. Introduction to Chinese Literature and Culture-Modern. An introduction to Chinese literature in translation in a two-semester sequence. In addition to literary sources, a wide range of philosophical and historical texts will be covered, as well as aspects of visual and material culture. 7B focuses on late imperial, modern, and contemporary China. Prerequisites: None.

Chinese 10

10. Intensive Intermediate Chinese. This 10-week course is designed to develop the student's reading, writing, listening, and speaking abilities in Chinese, and teaches both simplified and traditional characters. This course is equivalent to Chinese 10A-10B offered in the regular academic year. Prerequisites: Chinese 1B; or consent of instructor.

Chinese 10X

10X. Intensive Intermediate Chinese for Mandarin Speakers. This six-week intermediate-level course is designed for those who have lived in a Mandarin-speaking environment and have some facility with Mandarin in listening, speaking, reading, and writing. Textbooks are in both simplified and traditional characters. This course is equivalent to Chinese 10AX-10BX offered in the regular academic year. Prerequisites: Chinese 1BX; or consent of instructor.

Chinese 105

105. Business Chinese. This course is designed as an intensive six-week immersion course in Business Chinese. The courses will cover intensive instruction in Chinese with an emphasis on communicative skills and understanding language in a authentic environment (mass media, business market, pop culture, Chinese cuisine, etc. In addition to the regularly scheduled classes there will be enrichment courses. Weekly field trips to: porcelain town, tea factory, banks, corporate offices, night market place, industrial parks, National Palace Museum and natural scenic sites. Each week there will be a lecture given by a representative from different trades or corporate enterprises i.e., HP and the American Chamber of Commerce in Taipei. Prior to these special lectures and enrichment courses, students will be given background language and cultural training in the various target topics. Prerequisites: Consent of Travel Study Program.

Chinese 183

183. Traditional Chinese Culture. This course consists of lectures that provide a general overview of traditional Chinese culture from the early Zhou dynasty through the Tang (the 1st millennium BCE through the 9th century of this era). Special emphasis is given to the origins and development of philosophy, art, religion, prose, and poetry. The subjects to be covered include: the Chinese language and writing system, the classical canon, Confucianism and its opponents, historiography, the traditions and techniques of Taoism, hero cults and ancestor worship, burial practice, ghost stories, and the introduction of Buddhism and its role in early Chinese society. Prerequisites: None.

Japanese Language and Literature Courses

Japanese 1

1. Elementary Japanese - Intensive. This course is designed to develop basic speaking skills and to introduce hiragana, katakana, and approximately 300 kanji. Emphasis is on both spoken and written Japanese. This course is the equivalent of Japanese 1A-1B offered in the regular academic year.
Prerequisites: None.

Japanese 7A

7A. Introduction to Japanese Literature and Culture — Premodern. The first half of a two-semester survey of Japanese literature in English translation, 7A covers one thousand years of Japanese writing, including a myth-history detailing the origins of Japan, the development of the rich poetic tradition, female diaries, the classic, The Tale of Genji, medieval tales of wars and hermits, the no drama, and the haiku and travel diaries of Basho. It will focus on such key binaries as orality and literacy, poetry and prose, native and foreign, and masculine and feminine. The course will also stress student writing and principles of literary analysis. Prerequisites: None.

Japanese 7B

7B. Introduction to Japanese Literature and Culture — Modern. An introduction to Japanese literature in translation in a two-semester sequence. 7B provides a survey of important works of 19th- and 20th-century Japanese fiction, poetry, and cultural criticism. The course will explore the manner in which writers responded to the challenges of industrialization, internationalization, and war. Topics include the shifting notions of tradition and modernity, the impact of Westernization on the constructions of the self and gender, writers and the wartime state, literature of the atomic bomb, and postmodern fantasies and aesthetics. All readings are in English translation. Techniques of critical reading and writing will be introduced as an integral part of the course. Prerequisites: None.

Japanese 10

10. Intermediate Modern Japanese - Intensive. 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 in a manner appropriate for many social situations. Students are expected to participate fully in classroom activities and discussions. This course is the equivalent of Japanese 10A-10B offered in the regular academic year. Prerequisites: Japanese 1B; or consent of instructor.

Japanese 100.

100. Advanced Modern Japanese - Intensive. 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. This course is the equivalent of Japanese 100A-100B offered in the regular academic year. Prerequisites: Japanese 10B; or consent of instructor.

Korean language and Literature Courses

Korean 1

1. Elementary Modern Korean - Intensive. This 10-week course introduces students to beginning level Korean, including the basic structures and hangul (Korean script). Emphasis is on speaking, reading, and writing. This class is for students with minimal or no knowledge of Korean. This course is the equivalent of Korean1A-1B offered in the regular academic year. Prerequisites: None.

Korean 10

10. Intermediate Korean - Intensive. A second-year, 10-week course in modern Korean with about equal attention given to speaking, reading, and writing. Approximately 150 Chinese characters are systematically introduced. This course is the equivalent of Korean10A-1B offered in the regular academic year. Prerequisites: Korean 1B; or consent of instructor.