1. ASIAN STUDIES 180W (one course): Exploring Culture in the Great Cities of Asia This course introduces the variety of cultures in Asia (China, India, and Japan) by examining the growth of civilizations in the ancient cities of the Indus River valley in India, along the Yellow River of China, and on the Kanto plain of Japan. The ancient cities of these diverse civilizations were the center of state worship of the gods at altars and temples, trading centers that were connected with regional and global economies, and political organization of societies under the rule of royal courts and civil bureaucracies. Particular attention in this course is paid to students' understanding of the materials as expressed in their writing, thus this course is taught in relatively small sections as a writing intensive course. (Same as History 180W and Art History 180W)
2. FOREIGN LANGUAGE (one course): Chinese 140 or Japanese 140 or an equivalent to a fourth semester in an Asian language course not offered at Hamilton in an overseas program or summer intensive language program to be decided in consultation with the program chair (Jay Williams).
3. NATIONAL SURVEYS (TWO 200-level survey courses; one in A. History and Culture and one in B. Society and Politics: both courses may also fulfill requirement #4 below.
4. In consultation with the program chair, concentrators design their program of study in Asian Studies with either a primary focus on one Asian country (see A. Area Studies) or a theme or problem in several Asian countries (see B. Comparative Studies). Relevant courses may also fulfill requirement #3 above. At least two courses must be at the 300-level in two separate disciplines (i.e., Anthropology, Art History, Comparative Literature, East Asian Languages and Literature, Government, History, Religious Studies, Theatre). In selecting these upper-level courses, concentrators should anticipate areas of expertise needed to conduct advanced research in Asian Studies 550.
A. AREA STUDIES:
B. COMPARATIVE STUDIES:
5. SENIOR PROJECT: Asian Studies 550
A research project culminating in substantial paper. Students work with two members of the Asian Studies committee in two separate departments or areas. Students are expected to develop a theoretical or methodological sophistication in one discipline prior to the semester of the senior project by completing upper-level course work in that discipline. In formulating a research topic, the student needs to demonstrate that prior course work provides the necessary foundation for advanced research in the senior project. Students meet together with AS 550 coordinator throughout the semester to discuss their research, present preliminary and final projects to their peers.
Getting help on reading Chinese and Japanese characters on the web
East Asian Libraries
Cooperative: links to research resources on Asia maintained at the Ohio State
University Classical Chinese
Historiography for Chinese History: valuable bibliography of sources on
pre-twentieth century Chinese history maintained by Professor Benjamin Elman at Princeton Wesleyan
Neo-Confucian Etext Project: Chinese character versions of the Four Books and
major writings by Zhu Xi, Wang Yangming, and Liang Qichao The Fairbank Chinese History
Virtual Library at Harvard University: links to websites on late Qing,
Republican, and PRC periods of Chinese history China Daily: English
language news source on China Taiwan News Center: links to several Chinese language electronic newspapers Asashi News: Japanese and English news source on Japan
A MINOR in Asian Studies consists of five courses, including Asian Studies 180; one national survey (see NATIONAL SURVEYS above); and three electives listed under #4 above, at least one of which is a 300-level course or above. Courses must be selected from two disciplines.
Created by:
Thomas A. Wilson
Last Modified: November 3, 2003