Asian Studies

This course on contemporary Asia focuses on the integration and synthesis of culture, economics, and politics in Asian societies to increase an understanding of the region in its contemporary social-political and cultural setting. This course transcends the borders of academic disciplines and domains and deals with topics such as modernity and public policy; politico-cultural obstacles for intra-regional cooperation; social change and prosperity; inter-cultural interaction; and cultural forces in society. 
No specific required knowledge. Exchange students should have finished their first year of Bachelor study.

This course adopts an interdisciplinary perspective to examine Korean digital cultures. The course covers topics ranging from the local histories of the internet and digital media to its censorship in the South and the North; from online activism to mukbang micro-celebrities and Instagram influencers; from right-wing trolls of ilbe to K-pop virtual idols; from gamers subcultures to Seoul's experiments with the metaverse. 

This course examines China's major traditions of philosophy and practice through English translations of key texts as well as authoritative secondary studies. It covers diversity and polemics in early Chinese thought, developments in Daoism, Buddhist thought and influence, and Neo-Confucian (Daoxue) thought.

This course introduces Taiwanese literature, film, and culture on a national and international level. It provides an overview of the basics of literary and film history in Taiwan, providing an opportunity to read literary works in English translation as well as watch movies by Taiwanese cultural producers.  Engagement with these selected literary works and films will provide insights into fundamental issues and keywords such as history, place, gender, and migration. 

The course aims to refine students' abilities to critically analyze and write about literature and film, as well as to develop a better understanding of Taiwanese literature and culture from the Japanese colonial period to the contemporary era. Class weekly meetings are divided into two parts: the first 50 minutes is devoted to lecture and the second 50 minutes is devoted to  discussion. 

This course examines the rapidly changing notions of gender and family against the historical and cultural transformations of East Asian societies. It focuses on the changing forms of families in East Asia and how families and relationships are portrayed in films and dramas.

Introduce the history of Chinese book collection and explain the genealogical editing style.

Introduce papermaking plants and traditional papermaking technology, and learn about papermaking plants on campus.

Introduce traditional Chinese paper and ink, printing technology, watermark printing techniques.

Teach traditional engraving techniques and create engravings (genealogy charts, library tickets).

Experience traditional papermaking in the paper workshop.

Lecture on traditional printing methods, printing works on homemade handmade paper.

Introduce traditional Chinese binding art, ancient book layout, and paper dyeing art.

This course explores China's domestic political and economic reform after Deng Xiaoping (1978 to present).  The course outlines China's political system and its evolution, discussing the social consequences of China's economic liberalization. 

This course provides an interdisciplinary and critical analysis of the impact of globalization on Hong Kong culture. It demonstrates how postcolonial Hong Kong culture can offer new ways to understand the relation between the colonial past and the present world order of global modernity. The course introduces key concepts and theories of globalization by focusing on cultural analyses and critical responses to globalization. Particular emphasis is placed on the creative media, transnational culture industries, and global cultural phenomena relevant to everyday Hong Kong experience. This includes the analysis and critique of Hong Kong's image and role as depicted in the popular press, the Internet, film, literature, theater, the built environment, the visual arts and cultural production and consumption. The global-local cultural dynamics that drive Hong Kong into the future are also explored. Assessment: midterm exam, essay, workshop, tour report, participation, discussion, presentations.

This course has been specifically designed for students in the Department of Korean Language and Literature AND the University of California Education Abroad Program (UCEAP). It surveys modern Korean history through close readings of selected major literary works. Rather than offering a mere narrative of the peninsula’s history, it focuses on particular episodes, events, influences, and historical ruptures that have shaped how Korean writers have interpreted and understood their past. The course looks at the use of a form of writing (“the novel”) as a historical source. It examines the development of the long story form, the formalistic aspects of narrative, and its cultural impact. Major themes include the country’s opening to the West, its colonial experience and subsequent fratricidal war, and the divergent post-colonial paths of the two separate Koreas. Throughout, we address the tensions of Korean nationalism, authoritarianism, and industrialization in conjunction with the politics of gender and class. The latter half of the semester will focus primarily on the diaspora and migrant workers in South Korea.