Asian Studies

Through this course, students will learn the most basic Chinese culture through Calligraphy. Topics include the changes of Yin and Yang balance, more and less, deficiency and reality, and calligraphy and painting homology.

This course explores aspects of traditional Japanese culture to enhance one's understanding of modern Japanese society and perspectives of Japanese people. The course covers the following topics, through guest lectures:

• The world of Sendai Miso
• Wadaiko - traditional Japanese drum
• Rakugo - traditional Japanese storytelling
• Nihonbuyo - Classical Japanese dance
• Kimono- traditional clothing
• Koto- traditional Japanese instrument
• Furoshiki -Wrapping cuture in Japan
• Shodo - Calligraphy

This class introduces the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution (1966-1976) in China, a landmark event that defines the early history of the People’s Republic of China. The course begins with an overview of the Cultural Revolution in Chinese history and Mao’s vision of a new China. It then examines the Cultural Revolution from various perspectives, from elite politics in Beijing to local factional struggles and international receptions; from the Red Guard movement to Sent-down Youth; and from the Mao cult and extreme violence to everyday life experience. Four decades later, the legacy of the Cultural Revolution has not faded as it remains a contentious issue in Chinese life and politics.

This course provides an introduction and historical analysis of East Asia since 1600 to the present day. It provides a foundational grounding in the histories of China, Korea, and Japan in the modern era since 1600. The course examines the distinctive features of national histories in East Asia, as well as the cross-regional qualities of traditions and contestations within the region. The course discusses how the Ming-Qing transition in 17th-century China affected political discourse in Korea and Japan; how Western imperialism was encountered and responded to in China, Korea, and Japan in the 19th century; and how the experiences and memories of the 20th century have defined the nature of political and cultural interactions in East Asia. This course develops a fundamental knowledge of major historical themes in modern East Asia, as well as an understanding of the nature of cultural transmission, interactions, and tensions within the region. It also examines the traditions and transformations of East Asian societies.

In this age of globalization and the Korean wave, as elements of Korean culture such as K-pop, television dramas, and film spread throughout the world, Korean literature is also gaining in popularity abroad. Thus it is important to examine how Korean literature has been expressed, interpreted, and understood outside Korea. In this context, this class examines works of Korean literature translated into English and how they are understood and interpreted in English-speaking countries, covering everything from classic to contemporary literature. In this way, students gain a deeper understanding of Korean literature from a new perspective and thus be better equipped to contribute to the globalization of Korean literature in the future.

This class studies how Korean literature is expressed, interpreted, and understood outside Korea, primarily through English-language translations of Korean literature. The survey spans from classical to contemporary literature, including both prose and poetry; naturally, it is not be exhaustive, but provides a representative sampling of popular works. Students gain a better understanding of Korean literature in a global context and be better equipped to contribute to its continuing globalization. The class is conducted in English, but students with at least a basic knowledge of Korean and ability to read Korean texts benefit most from the class.

As a democratized, globalized and multi-ethnic society, contemporary Taiwan is rich in cultural diversity. Not only is Taiwan often influenced by international trends, but its domestic environment provides a fertile ground for social innovations; as a result, Taiwan’s cultural landscape is undergoing a process of permanent revolution. Multiculturalism is not a proclaimed future goal ahead of us, but is taking place in our daily life. This course follows Raymond Williams in viewing culture “not only as a body of intellectual and imaginative work; it is also and essentially a whole way of life.” In other words, culture should not be taken narrowly as a prized property monopolized by an elite group of people, but various ways of acting and thinking embraced by different groups. A survey on contemporary Taiwan’s cultures necessarily sensitizes us to the complicated nature of social groupings. Differences in ethnicity, class, gender, region, age, sexual orientation, religious belief, and life-style give rise to highly diversified cultural expressions, among which contention and cooperation co-exist.

This course covers the connection between tourism and Chinese landscape culture, Chinese garden art, Chinese food culture, religious culture, folk culture, etc. 

This course introduces Chinese dietetic culture, traditional Chinese medicine and medicated diet in its background, and guides students to understand the concept and practice of traditional Chinese medicine. Students examine this practice for health preservation, so as to establish a correct and healthy diet and life concept, to explore and identify different health theories and viewpoints, to lay a professional foundation for students’ healthy diet lifestyle, and to pass on and carry forward the splendid Chinese diet and medicinal diet culture. The course looks at the similar origins of medicine and food. It introduces the Chinese traditional culture embodied in daily diet activities. This course introduces the ups and downs of Yin and Yang in the natural world, and through understanding the big universe in the natural world to understand the small universe of the human body, to appreciate the charm of the idea of harmony between heaven and man, and to guide students to inherit and carry forward Chinese traditional culture.