Asian Studies

Demons, ghosts, and monsters have populated the cultural landscape in Japan for centuries. Appearing in anime, manga, games, and movies, mysterious creatures continue to form the core of contemporary popular culture, and have sparked a global obsession with Japanese monsters. This course explores the cultural history of the strange and supernatural in Japanese literary, visual, and performing arts. Engaging with primary and critical sources from the eighth century to the present, the course considers the social roles that representations of the "weird" have played in Japan.

The course will explore Shanghai’s modern social and cultural development from the perspective of China-West cultural exchange. It will cover Shanghai's geography, the arrival of Jesuits, the opening of the port, language interactions, the press and publishing industry, education, modern life, and business development. 

This course will introduce the historical development of Chinese culture and its changes from ancient times to the present, important common sense (involving various aspects such as thoughts, systems, and life), and the impact and changes of the world on Chinese culture.

This course delves into labor in China through an anthropological lens and pays attention to various aspects, including skill and livelihood; institution and reform; culture and technology, and gender and family, based on relevant literature and first-hand fieldwork materials obtained through the teacher’s research. The concept of "labor" is not confined to Marxism, but it is extended by specific materials from anthropological labor studies. The course aims not only to lead students to master multiple situations of labor in the Chinese context, but also encourages a reflexive exploration of students finding their own positions in society.

This course examines the East Asian philosophical and religious traditions of Confucianism, Daoism, and Buddhism both from an internal perspective – how did each tradition represent its own values, goals, practices and methods of devotion – and external perspectives – how did the traditions spread across the East Asian subcontinent, assimilate with traditional cultural norms, and influence art and architecture. In addition to these so-called “three teachings,” we also discuss popular religion in South-east Asia, new combinatory religions such as Aum Shinrikyo and Cao Đài, and the impact of East Asian religious ideas on the West. We will also address religion in modern times, understanding how traditions continue to carve out roles for themselves in a secular world.

This course examines city and representation in Asia. Our period focus is the uneven context of modernization. The course will roughly cover developments beginning in the 1850s through the 1970s (and today). Topics discussed will include geography, landscape, and the inscription and uses of historical memory (The Past City); modernism and the rise of urban culture in the twentieth century (The Modernist City); urban forms in the age of imperialism (The Colonial City); and developmentalism and its critique in the post-war/post-independence periods (The City of the Future). it concludes with an exploration of diasporic formations, including in Vancouver—The Diasporic City.

This course examines various arts and themes from a region now called Asia, from the past to the present. Rather than providing a chronological or regional survey, it is designed to introduce students to the similarities and differences among cultures, their histories, and the skills needed to critically analyze visual materials from these regions. The primary focus will be on China, allowing students to utilize external resources such as museums and art galleries in Hong Kong. The course aims to highlight key ideas and themes in Asian art history, including how these concepts are transmitted, adapted, and transformed across different regions. Students will gain insights into fundamental aspects of Asian art, such as Buddhism, the Confucian code of authority, the significance of ink and brush painting, and contemporary art discussions that have global impact.