NEW COURSES FOR SPRING 2010 

East Asian Studies 191. Zen: History, Culture, and Critique
Catalog Number: 39452
James Robson
Half course (spring term). Tu., Th., 10–11:30. EXAM GROUP: 12, 13
This course is an introduction to the religious history, philosophy and practices of Zen Buddhism. Zen is the Japanese pronunciation of the Chinese word Chan, which is itself a transcription of the Sanskrit word dhyâna, meaning meditation. While meditation is the backbone of the Zen tradition, we will see that Zen has a number of different faces and will examine the rich diversity of the Zen tradition as it developed in China, Korea, and Japan.
Note: Offered jointly with the Divinity School as 3012.

East Asian Studies 195. Fighting Poverty in China: Redistribution, Social Rights & NGOs in Comparative Perspective
Catalog Number: 78777 Enrollment: Limited to 12.
Nara Dillon
Half course (spring term). M., 1–3. EXAM GROUP: 6, 7
This course is a research seminar on the political economy of poverty and inequality in China. Because China has tried such a wide variety of methods to combat poverty, it provides a useful "laboratory" for exploring the origins and impact of many different anti-poverty policies. After an introduction to cross-national concepts of poverty, inequality and social rights, students will examine famine relief, land reform, the welfare state, NGOs, and development programs targeted to the poor.

East Asian Studies 240. Arts of Asia (Graduate Seminar in General Education)
Catalog Number: 36034
Melissa M. McCormick
Half course (spring term). W., 1–3.
Explores Asian art pedagogy through original research of museum objects and a survey of the scholarship on Asian art. The seminar will design and develop a General Education course on these themes for undergraduates.

East Asian Buddhist Studies 256. Chinese Buddhist Texts: The Canon, Tools, and Early Translations
Catalog Number: 69666
James Robson
Half course (spring term). W., 1–4. EXAM GROUP: 6, 7, 8
This seminar focuses on the careful textual study and translation of a variety of Chinese Buddhists texts (biographical, doctrinal, ritual, historical-geographical) through the medieval period. All of the primary readings will be in classical Chinese.
Note: Offered jointly with the Divinity School as 3233.

Chinese History 265r. Topics in the History of China and Inner Asia
Catalog Number: 86687
Mark C. Elliott
Half course (spring term). W 2-4. EXAM GROUP: 7, 8
Review of scholarship on the history of China’s Inner Asian frontiers from pre-imperial times to the present. The focus in particular years may vary. This course is designed to aid in preparations for the general examinations and in developing a dissertation topic.

Chinese Literature 252. Readings in Chinese Shuochang wenxue
Catalog Number: 18935
Wilt L. Idema
Half course (spring term). Tu., 2–4. EXAM GROUP: 16, 17
Examples will be read and discussed of seven of the major genres of shuochang wenxue: bianwen, zhugongdiao, baojuan, cihua, liqu, zidishu, and tanci. Building on my chapter on these genres for the Cambridge History of Chinese Literature, the class also will offer an introduction to the secondary scholarship on these genres.
Note: Students will be expected to have good reading skills in modern Chinese and basic reading skills in Classical Chinese.

Japanese History 146. Kyoto: The Capital of Medieval Japan
Catalog Number: 21259
Tomoko Kitagawa
Half course (spring term). Tu., Th., 11:30–1. EXAM GROUP: 13, 14
Throughout the medieval times, Kyoto remained the capital of Japan. As the residence of emperors, this capital saw a unique set of physical and cultural developments. This course examines the various cultural elements of medieval Kyoto, as well as the conditions and changes in daily life, material productions and consumptions, and religious practices. 

Japanese Literature 162. Girl Culture, Media, and Japan
Catalog Number: 27841
Tomiko Yoda
Half course (spring term). T., Th., 2-3:30 p.m. and some additional evening screenings to be arranged. EXAM GROUP: 16, 17
The course examines the ways in which girlhood and girl culture have figured in the construction of gender, nation, and popular medias in modern to contemporary Japan, from the 1920s to the present. We will study visual and textual mediums, including novels, magazines, films, manga, and animation, paying attention to principal transformations that have marked the history of modern girl culture in Japan. No prior knowledge of Japanese language or history is expected.
Note: This course, when taken for a letter grade, meets the Core area requirement for Literature and Arts C.

Japanese Literature 163. Pre-modern Japanese Literature in Translation
Catalog Number: 80564
David James Gundry
Half course (spring term). Tu., Th., 10–11:30. EXAM GROUP: 12, 13
This course provides an overview of literary works produced in Japan from the 7th century to the early 19th century. The texts examined range from imperial court poetry of a rarified decorousness to bawdy tales produced by and for members of the urban middle class and a gorily melodramatic kabuki play. We will examine these diverse genres in light of the radically different social contexts in which they were produced and consumed.
Note: This course, when taken for a letter grade, meets the Core area requirement for Literature and Arts A.

Japanese Literature 164. Romance and Eros in the Fiction of Pre-modern Japan and China
Catalog Number: 29042
David James Gundry
Half course (spring term). Tu., Th., 11:30–1. EXAM GROUP: 13, 14
This course focuses on fiction produced in early-Tokugawa Japan and in Ming- and Qing-dynasty China, namely, selections from Ihara Saikaku’s tales and novels, and portions of The Plum in the Golden Vase and Cao Xueqin’s The Story of the Stone/Dream of the Red Chamber. However, because of the importance of literary allusion in Saikaku’s works, the course will begin with a brief examination of texts produced in Heian-period Japan and Tang-dynasty China.
Note: This course, when taken for a letter grade, meets the Core area requirement for Literature and Arts A.

Japanese Literature 221. Gender, Nation, and Japanese Literature
Catalog Number: 12734
Tomiko Yoda
Half course (spring term). M., 3–5. EXAM GROUP: 8, 9
This course explores the interrelated formation of gender, nation, and literature in the history of Japanese literature and literary criticism. The readings will include premodern and modern literary texts, as well as other historical and theoretical sources.

Korean Literature 140. Contemporary Korean Narratives in Film and Fiction
Catalog Number: 66375
Young-Jun Lee (Harvard University)
Half course (spring term). Tu., Th., 2–3:30. EXAM GROUP: 16, 17
This course offers a broad cultural examination of Korean narratives in contemporary film and fiction in historical context. We start with some post-democratization period fictions and films in the 1990s and work our way to the very recent works of the "New Women Writers" and the "New Wave Korean Films." Prerequisites: None. All readings are in English, and films are subtitled.

Tibetan History 100. A Cultural and Political History
Catalog Number: 10107
Leonard W. J. van der Kuijp
Half course (spring term). Tu., Th., 10–11:30. EXAM GROUP: 12, 13