Overview

Faculty

Usman Hamid

Emiko Stock

Program Committee

Abhishek Amar (Religious Studies)

Alexsia Chan (Government)

Mariam Durrani (Anthropology)

Usman Hamid (Asian Studies)

Jessie Jia (Chinese)

Masaaki Kamiya (Japanese)

Kyoko Omori (Japanese)

Julie Starr (Anthropology)

Lisa Trivedi (History)

Zhuoyi Wang (Chinese)

Thomas Wilson, director (History)

Steven Yao (Literature and Creative Writing)

The Asian Studies Program offers an interdisciplinary approach to studying the cultures, societies, and languages of Asia. Concentrators may study one of three tracks that focus on China, Japan, or South Asia. Students may, in consultation with the program director, elect to develop a comparative course of the study of Asia.

A concentration in Asian Studies consists of nine courses distributed among at least three departments: Anthropology, Art History, EALL (Chinese, Japanese), English, Government, History, Religious Studies, and Theatre. Concentrators must (1) successfully complete ASNST-180, (2) take at least three courses at the 300 level or above, and (3) study an Asian language through the intermediate level in coursework at Hamilton or appropriate language study off campus. Concentrators fulfill the College SSIH requirement through successful completion of ASNST-180 and are encouraged to pursue the study of structural hierarchies in the senior project. Students fulfill the senior project requirement through successful completion of ASNST-550. Honors in Asian Studies will be awarded to concentrators with at least an 3.3 (88) average in the concentration and who complete ASNST-550 with a grade of at least A-.

A minor in Asian Studies consists of five courses, including ASNST-180 and four electives approved by the program director.

Building upon this interdisciplinary approach, Asian Studies concentrators are well-prepared for study in an Asian country. In the senior year, concentrators draw together their knowledge from coursework and experiences in Asia to complete senior projects.

Students double majoring in Asian Studies and East Asian Languages and Literatures (EALL) may use upper-level Chinese or Japanese language courses to satisfy the Asian Studies requirements, providing they are not used to count toward the EALL concentration.

There are three tracks within the Asian Studies concentration: China Studies, Japan Studies, and South Asia Studies. Ordinarily, students choose to focus their coursework and language study in one of these three regional areas. Students with thematic interests in Asia may pursue a comparative course of study in consultation with the Director. A partial list of courses regularly offered in each of these three areas follows a list of requirements for each track.

China Studies track

ASNST-180 Exploring Cultures in Asia
Asian Language: The completion of intermediate language study, CHNSE-140. In consultation with the program director, students may fulfill this requirement through appropriate language study abroad or through an intensive summer program. Chinese language courses numbered 140 and higher may be used to meet this requirement. (Language courses numbered 140 and above may also be counted toward the 7 core courses.) Students are strongly encouraged to pursue advanced language courses beyond the intermediate level.
Core Courses: In consultation with the program director, students design their concentration through the completion of seven courses chosen from at least two departments. Besides ASNST-180, one other 100-level course may be counted toward the concentration. At least three of these courses should be at the 300 level or above.
Senior Project: Students complete the senior project by enrolling in ASNST-550.

Japan Studies

ASNST-180 Exploring Cultures in Asia
Asian Language: The completion of JAPN-140. In consultation with the program director, students may fulfill this requirement through appropriate language study abroad or through an intensive summer program. Japanese language courses numbered 140 and higher may be used to meet this requirement. (Language courses numbered 140 and above may also be counted toward the 7 core courses.) Students are strongly encouraged to pursue advanced language courses beyond the intermediate level.
Core Courses: In consultation with the program director, students design their concentration through the completion of seven courses chosen from at least two departments. No more than two 100-level courses may be counted towards the concentration. At least three of these courses should be at the 300 level or above.
Senior Project: Students complete the senior project by enrolling in ASNST-550.

South Asia Studies

ASNST-180 Exploring Cultures in Asia.
Asian Language: The completion of intermediate level Hindi, offered through Critical Languages. (Language courses numbered 140 and above may also be counted toward the 7 core courses.) In consultation with the program director, students may fulfill this requirement through appropriate language study abroad or through an intensive summer program. Hindi language courses numbered 140 and higher may be used to meet this requirement. Students are strongly encouraged to pursue advanced language courses beyond the intermediate level.
Core Courses: In consultation with the program director, students design their concentration through the completion of seven courses chosen from at least two departments. Besides ASNST-180, one other 100-level course may be counted toward the concentration. At least three of these courses should be at the 300 level or above.
ASNST-550 Senior Project.

China Studies

Anthropology

ANTHR-232 Comparative Ethnographic Study of Asia

ANTHR-317 Body, Self and Health: China and the Biomedical

ANTHR-338 The Anthropology of Globalization and Transnationalism

Art History

ARTH-154 Arts and Cultures of Asia

ARTH-258 Political Power and Cultural Authority: The Arts of China

ARTH-352 Contemporary Chinese Art in the Global Cultural Economy

East Asian Languages and Literatures - Chinese

CHNSE-160 Modern China Through Film

CHNSE-200 Third-Year Chinese I

CHNSE-210 Modern and Contemporary Chinese Literature: Traditions and Modernists

CHNSE-215 Chinese Literature in Translation

CHNSE-220 Third-Year Chinese II

CHNSE-240 Exploring the Roots of Contemporary Issues in China

CHNSE-260 Place, Memory, and Empathy: Japan and Its Others

CHNSE-380 Transcultural Chinese-Language Cinema and Hollywood

CHNSE-420 Introduction to Taiwanese Society and Culture

CHNSE-425 Current Issues in Greater China

CHNSE-430 Masterpieces of Chinese Literature

CHNSE-442 Cinematic Heroes and Heroines in Post-Mao China

CHNSE-450 Remembering the Chinese Revolution through Film

Government

GOVT-211 Politics in China

GOVT-329 Authoritarian Politics

History

HIST-180 Exploring Cultures in Asia

HIST-233 Laozi and Confucius in History

HIST-235 Women in Modern Asia

HIST-280 Chinese Culture in Imperial Times

HIST-285 Modernity and Nationhood in China

HIST-305 Nomads, Conquerors and Trade: Central and Inner Asia

HIST-337 Confucian Traditions

HIST-309 Seminar on Asian Temples in a Virtual World

HIST-363 Seminar: Colonial Encounters in Asia

HIST-396 History of Gods

Literature and Creative Writing

LIT-283 Introduction to Asian American Literature

Religious Studies

RELST-225 Buddhist Worlds in the USA

RELST-425 Seminar in Mahayana Buddhism

Japan Studies

Anthropology

ANTHR-232 Comparative Ethnographic Study of Asia

Comparative Literature

356 Introduction to Japanese Film

East Asian Languages and Literatures - Japanese

JAPN-160 Modern Selves and Ways of Seeing: Japanese Film, Animation, and Literature

JAPN-200/JAPN-220 Advanced Japanese

JAPN-205 Topics in Japanese Linguistics

JAPN-219 Language Acquisition

JAPN-239 Modern Life and War in Japanese Literature

JAPN-255 The Languages of East Asia

JAPN-260 Place, Memory, and Empathy: Japan and Its Others

JAPN-356 Introduction to Japanese Film

JAPN-401 Selected Readings in Japanese

JAPN-402 Japanese Textural Analysis and Translation

History

HIST-180 Exploring Cultures in Asia

HIST-235 Women in Modern Asia

HIST-309 Seminar on Asian Temples in a Virtual World

HIST-360 Mythical Histories in China and Japan

HIST-363 Seminar: Colonial Encounters in Asia

South Asia Studies

Asian Studies

ASNST-160 Everyday Islam

ASNST-180 Exploring Cultures in Asia

ASNST-209 Islamic History and Culture

ASNST-211 Islamic Spirituality, Mysticism and Devotion

ASNST-218 Smart Films for a Smart World

ASNST-228 History of Iran

ASNST-256 Islam and Modernity in South Asia

ASNST-329 Art of Devotion: Visual and Material Culture of Islam

Art History

ARTH-125 Sacred Art of South Asia

ARTH-219 Painting in South Asia

ARTH-245 Hindu, Buddhist and Islamic Arts of India

ARTH-248 Paths to Enlightenment: The Art and Architecture of Buddhism

ARTH-266 Art of the Islamic World

ARTH-329 Art of Devotion: Visual and Material Culture of Islam

History

HIST-180 Exploring Cultures in Asia

HIST-220 Culture & Politics of India

HIST-235 Women in Modern Asia

HIST-239 The Making of Modern India, 1526-1947

HIST-247 "Cracking India:" Historical and Literary Perspectives on Partition

HIST-256 Islam in South Asia

HIST-305 Nomads, Conquerors and Trade: Central and Inner Asia

HIST-309 Seminar on Asian Temples in a Virtual World

HIST-363 Seminar: Colonial Encounters in Asia

HIST-375 Gandhi: His Life and Times

HIST-396 History of Gods

Literature and Creative Writing

LIT-230 Bollywood Film

LIT-283 Introduction to Asian American Literature

Religious Studies

RELST-143 Sacred in South Asia

RELST-144 Indian Buddhism

RELST-211 Islamic Spirituality, Mysticism and Devotion

RELST-244 Religious Conflicts

RELST-256 Islam in South Asia

RELST-357 Death, Dying and Afterlife

RELST-256 Islam and Modernity in South Asia

Asian Diaspora and Other Courses

HIST-124 Silk Road

LIT-283 Introduction to Asian American Literature