Asian Studies

The course is part of the LM degree program and is intended for advanced level students. Enrolment is by consent of the instructor. Combining the fields of migration studies and labor studies, the course introduces students to social issues connected with the Chinese presence in Africa and the African presence in China. The relationship between China and African countries is at the center of heated debates with Chinese investments, infrastructure construction, job creation, and raw material appropriation in Africa often portrayed in binary terms: China is either pitched as a predator and the new imperialist power in Africa, or else celebrated as a friend offering to the African counterpart a win-win cooperation. This takes place against a global background in which scholars and pundits alike are increasingly forced to take a stand as non-partisan analysis is in vertical decline and views on China have rapidly polarized. Using images and videos, the course offers a nuanced discussion of the many facets of the Chinese presence in Africa. At the same time, it delves into the action of African states, and agency enacted by African elites and the populace in relation to the Chinese presence and activism on the continent. The Chinese presence in Africa is not analyzed in isolation but is discussed in the framework of the “global China” phenomenon, visible in China's increasing outward flows of investment, loans, migrants, infrastructure, media, and international engagement. Additionally, the course also offers an introduction to visual sociology as a tool that enables students to elaborate sociological interpretations of the visual materials presented. Specific topics include: racialization and intersectionality in Africa-China Encounters; China in Africa; Chinese Soft Power; Chinese and African Labor in Africa; the gold rush in Ghana; China as a model for Africa; the African Perspective; development, aid, and the reproduction of dependency; and Africa in China.

This course examines and analyzes the worth of representative poets and masterpiece in Modern Korean poetry from the 1920s to the 2000s. It also introduces concepts, basic principles of modern Korean poetry and students get the pleasure of reading poems once again. This process is a time of the reenacted experience about historical experience, philosophical experience, sensuous experience in the modern poetry. In this lecture, students read Korean modern poetry and study basic poetics and theory of poetry at same time. In addition, we widen the extent of the understand by studying about variety of a cultural experience that appeared on modern Korean poetry. We  study Korean poetry along with multiple genre of art, as well as ideology of history, politics, folk, and themes such as love, food, fashion . Students contemplate 'What is poetic thing?' While all students who like poetry can enjoy this course, appreciation of poems at the University-level is beyond the level of that reading comprehension. By reading poems, students can find the important poetic spirit that penetrate contemporary culture.

The course consists of lectures, activities, and field trips regarding the environmental, historical, and sociocultural facets of Taiwan. The field trips supplement the lecture content. The course explores how Taiwan's past has shaped its modern state, and the subtle ways Taiwan incorporates foreign culture with its local culture. Course topics include: agricultural history and transformation; Taiwanese fold custom, ecology and nature, the national palace museum. Field trips locations include Jinguashi and Gold Museum, Taipei Guest House and National Taiwan Museum, and Longshan Temple and Huaxi District. Cultural activities include traditional craft, calligraphy, and Chinese mask. This course requires UCEAP students to complete an additional independent research paper on a topic of their choice.

This course examines the impact of Buddhism on East Asia by examining some of the key visual legacies of this tradition, including Buddhist imaginings of the afterlife, the development of the stupa, and the art of Zen Buddhism. The main focus is on the pre-modern era, but the course also covers the current manifestations of Buddhism in China, Korea, and Japan.

This course examines Chinese traditional culture. Topics include origin and context, social background, historical influence, core elements, and future developments.