Asian Studies

This course introduces the spread of Buddhist art and culture throughout South, Central, and Southeast Asia, including Tibet, by examining related architectures, sculptures and paintings. Each art history period from each region is closely examined throughout the duration of the course. Lecture topics include South Asia: the Early Period, Gandhara, Gupta period, Amaravati, Pala Period, Anuradhapura; and Polonnaruwa; Central Asia topics include areas include Afghanistan and West Turkistan; Southeast Asia topics include the Early Period, Sumatera and Java, Bagan, Angkor and Champa, and Thailand. The course concludes with discussion on Nepal and Tibet.

Lacking the basic grammar of “Western” modern constitutionalism, such as the separation of powers and judicial constitutional review, the Chinese constitutional law is key to understanding many controversies about China in the international community, especially those concerning human rights protection and the governance of autonomous regions (such as Xinjiang and Tibet) and special administrative regions (notably Hong Kong). To help better understand the characteristics of China's political and legal system and reflect on the role of the constitution in a state and how it should be enforced, this course provides a comprehensive introduction to the historical trajectory of constitution making and amending in China, the features of the current constitution, and the latest developments of its implementation, understood in the social, political, and economic contexts of China and from a comparative perspective vis-à-vis the “West.” At the same time, the course introduces some basic concepts in legal theory and constitutional law, as well as various approaches of comparative legal studies.

This course deals with premodern, modern, and contemporary Korean history from a global and historical perspective. 

This course aims to allow exchange/foreign students studying at Yonsei University to learn about Korean food and culture by exploring, experiencing, and enjoying them either firsthand or indirectly through related lectures, discussions, and research in addition to personal food experiences when it comes to Korean cuisine. It takes enrolled students on an enjoyable but also serious journey encompassing the history of Korea from the past to the present related to its food and culture and cover a wide variety of contents to offer a comprehensive understanding of K-food and K-culture. Students are encouraged to conduct original individual research and actively participate in class discussions to share their knowledge and experience with their peers.

Since the emergence of the feminist movement in Taiwan of the 1970s, Taiwanese society has seen more than a few women's issues proposed and discussed in an increasingly broad and extensive manner. Reflecting the changes in social, political, and cultural conditions, the general perspectives in which the same issue is discussed also changes. This course explores Taiwanese women's conditions of the twentieth century, with an emphasis on the more modern period, that is, the mid-to-late twentieth century. With a brief introduction of what Taiwanese women's traditions may involve and how Taiwanese women modernize, the course explores how the feminist movements unfolded, how they reflect or change Taiwanese women's social status, the rise of women's studies and/or feminist scholarship, sexual violence, sex work, and lesbian issues. The course also reflects on issues of migration and global human flow, and discuss how the introduction of immigrant spouses as well as migrant workers may compel us to rethink women's issues in contemporary Taiwan.

This course examines Japanese culture and thought from the Buddhist perspectives, making constant references to both common and different features in the ways of thinking between Chinese and Japanese peoples, and also to how Japanese Buddhism and culture including Zen Buddhism, tea ceremony, Japanese cuisine, and other cultural activities became a global phenomenon after the 19th century. T

This course traces the central features of the development of US-China relations from the end of imperial China to the present, including analysis of current issues and problems. The course provides a survey of the rise of China from the decline of the Qing dynasty to the triumph of Deng Xiaoping's ''Reform and Opening to the Outside World.'' It discusses the rise of China's neighbors, including Japan, Southeast Asia, and South Asia, as viewed from the perspective of the foreign policy interests of China and the US.

This course provides an overview of the key theoretical perspectives and empirical research examining the relationship between citizens and their representatives in Japan. The course evaluates how and if the interests of various social groups and popular preferences on major issues, such as economic inequality and foreign policy, have been reflected in electoral competition and decision-making. This seminar further delves into the current challenges affecting the quality of democratic processes in Japan, such as corruption, citizens’ disaffection with politics, as well as gender and generation gaps in representation.