Asian Studies

The Cultural Revolution (1966-1976) was a defining episode in modern China. In ten years, it dismantled the state, party, and economy with widespread social upheaval and violence, followed by unrelenting oppressive campaigns. It dramatically exploded the inherent contradictions of the Communist State. It has exerted a major impact on the direction of Chinese politics, economic reforms, and public protests. This course explores the causes, processes, and impact of the Cultural Revolution (CR), asking why millions of people participated, who were the agents responsible, what determined its multifaceted courses, and what legacy it left for the following reform era and the coming future. It introduces key intellectual ideas and methodologies from various disciplines – history, political and social science, literature, and film.

This course introduces the operation of the Chinese legal system or legal institutions. It examines how laws are used in the social, economic, and political activities of the Chinese people. The course focuses not on the Chinese laws per se but on how laws are used in people's daily lives. Examples or cases are used extensively in the course to illustrate the topics included. Major topics discussed include the interactions between legal institutions and the party-state (i.e., the party and the government), the behavior of legal workers (e.g., judges, police officers), citizens' use of civil lawsuits and administrative litigation, and some important mechanisms through which citizens or other social actors seek justice in China.

This course covers the historical evolution of regional order, evolving East Asia geopolitical landscape, China's rise, American pivot to Asia, and U.S.-China hegemonic rivalry, Japan's quest of a normal state, and the Korean equation. The course also covers the North Korean nuclear problem, Korean unification and strategic choice. The course examines the interplay of economics and community-building in East Asia. It traces historical evolution of economic transformation in East Asia focusing on China, Japan, and South Korea. It looks at patters of cooperation and integration in the region. Other topics include U.S.-China trade friction, prospects for peace and denuclearization in Korea and the future of community-building in East Asia.

This course analyzes key examples of Buddhism from the nineteenth century to present day with special emphasis on its history and character in local settings, including specific traditions such as Tibetan Nyingma and Japanese Zen, as well as the development of a modern and global Buddhism. Two dichotomies frame the course's exploration of Buddhism: how representations of Buddhism in the modern era have been shaped by an increasing rate of flow of people, material, information, and money from one place to another within globalization; while also being shaped by the emergence of the modern nation-state and by the ideology of secularism. The course discusses topics including conflict with empiricism, scientific worldviews, and the global spread of biomedicine; Buddhist articulations of political ideologies, specifically critical and positive engagement with communism, capitalism, democracy, and nationalism; an analysis of modern religion using current methods in the interdisciplinary study of religion; and values and tensions in specific narratives about Buddhism as “traditional” or “modern.”

This course introduces central issues pertaining to the study of Asia. It surveys the region's history and contemporary developments from an interdisciplinary perspective, including geography, history, culture, religion, economics and politics. The course examines how historical, cultural, religious and philosophical traditions have intersected with contemporary political, economic and social developments in Asia, Central Asia, South Asia, Southeast Asia and Northeast Asia. Texts: Miller, A., Wich, R., BECOMING ASIA and Wan, M.L THE POLITICAL ECONOMY OF EAST ASIA. Assessment: attendance and participation (20%), two quizzes (10%), midterm exam (35%), final exam (35%)

The culture of a community encompasses social and personal behaviors, language and dialects, visual and performing arts, economic activities and the ideas, beliefs, and customs of its people. As a traditional genre of performing arts unique to Hong Kong, Cantonese opera has a long history of development and is entwined with all such aspects of Hong Kong culture. Set within the socio-cultural context of Hong Kong, this course explores the genre in terms of its course of development, repertory, plots, script structure, performing techniques such as singing, acting, reciting and fencing, troupe organization, training of artists, performing venues including theater and the bamboo stage, and its marketing strategies, aiming at unfolding to the students how an art form should be appreciated through both the aesthetic and functional perspectives.

This course focuses on the intersection of economics, politics, and culture in Asian societies. The course transcends the borders of academic disciplines and includes topics such as long-run economic development, intra-regional cooperation, social change, political and economic institutions, and the changing global role of Asian countries. It pays attention to topical issues such as the trade and the financial relations between China and the rest of the world. The goal of this course is to understand economic issues and economic developments in contemporary Asian societies in their social, cultural, and political context. Prerequisite for this course is Principles of Economics.