Please check back for updates.

 This lower-division survey course introduces students to the domestic politics and political systems of Japan, China, Taiwan and North and South Korea.  For each country, we explore key political institutions and processes from theoretical, historical, and comparative perspectives. Along the way, we touch on many of the questions that have intrigued scholars of East Asian politics, including the region’s distinctive models of economic development and paths to democracy, the legacies of strong states, and the nature of state-society relations. In so doing, we explore a number of relevant political science concepts and theories (e.g., authoritarianism, democratization, the “developmental state,” rational choice, historical institutionalism, civil society, and social movements) and assess their applicability to the region. By the end of the semester, students will have acquired the background knowledge to not only interpret current events in East Asia but also to pursue more in-depth scholarly study of this critically important part of the world.           

Prerequisites:

            None.

Texts:

            Students are not required to purchase textbooks.  All readings will be posted under Modules on the Canvas site for the course.

Requirements:

1. Quizzes on readings (approx. 8)                                                               15%

2.   In-class exam #1:                                                                                     25%

3.   Take-home essay assignment:                                                                   30%

In lieu of this assignment, students may write a short

(5-6 pp) research paper on a topic of their choice

4.    In-class exam #3 (cumulative):                                                                 30%

Please check back for updates.

This course surveys the central beliefs and patterns of life of living religious traditions of Asia. It will focus particularly on the basic texts or narratives of these traditions, on their essential histories, and on the concepts of humanity, the world, and the divine that are distinctive of each. In addition, the course will explore not only what people believe religiously but also what they do religiously. Part of the course, therefore, will consider the ways of life, forms of social action, and rituals practiced by different communities. Not all Asian traditions can be included in a one-semester survey. The traditions chosen originated in Asia, have large numbers of adherents, possess particular historical significance, and represent different cultural areas. By the end of the course, students will have a understanding of the basic histories and orientations of these religious traditions.

Written assignments comprise four interpretive essays on primary texts assigned in the course and two exams. 

Principal required texts:

Willard Oxtoby, Roy Amore, (and Amir Hussain), World Religions: Eastern Traditions (3rd or 4th ed.). Oxford.
R.K. Narayan, tr., The Rāmāyaṇa. Penguin.
Patrick Olivelle, tr., The Buddhacarita: Life of the Buddha (posted on Canvas)
Burton Watson, tr., Zhuangzi: Basic Writings. Columbia. [=B. Watson, Chuang Tzu: Basic Writings]
Hiroaki Sato, tr., Basho's Narrow Road: Spring and Autumn Passages. Stone Bridge.

There will also be additional short readings to be posted on Canvas.

This course introduces students to the histories, literature, religions, social organizations and stratifications, festivals, and material culture of the people of South Asia, with a primary focus on contemporary India, Nepal, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. We start with the seemingly simple question “What is South Asia?” challenging ourselves from the outset to consider both the arbitrariness and the consequences of boundaries. In addition to studying various aspects of culture emerging from this region, students will learn to recognize their own biases and to view phenomena through various lenses. Course content will be drawn from primary sources in translation, scholarly literature, documentaries, newspapers, and online forums. Students write analyses of current events using multiple sources, present group research projects, and attend South Asia related talks/events on campus and in the community.

We will focus on "classics" of Japanese literature, film, and theater that engendered countless adaptations over the years. Our texts will range from the eleventh-century The Tale of Genji to the 1954 B-movie Godzilla; from midieval Noh plays to contemporary manga (comic books) and anime (animated films). We will consider how and why modern artisits repeatedly turn to the "classics" for creative inspiration. We will look at how the adaptation process has been influenced by a number of factors, including the cultural, political, and gendered identity of the artist, and how it has been shaped by differences in genre and medium. Our goal is to become familiar with a wide range of Japanese art, including premodern, modern, and contemporary legends, literature, film, and popular culture, and to learn to think, discuss, and write critically on the process of adaptation by considering not only content, but also form and socio-historical context. This class requires no background in Japanese language, film, or history. All literature will be read in translation, and all films are subtitled in English.

Religions in Contact

What happens when religions come in contact with each other? This course discusses the ways in which religious actors respond to challenges posed by the encounter with people, beliefs, or practices which, for them, do not belong to their own religion. Such responses range from curiosity, dialog, or acceptance to apologetics, hostile polemic, or persecution. Examining case studies from several geographical regions and time periods, we will discuss various forms of rhetorical and practical responses to the “religious other.” Part of this discussion is an analysis of the respective motives, which are sometimes related not only to religious conviction but also to competition over economic resources, social status, and political power.

The course will introduce students to relevant theories and scholarly categories, such as religious othering, conversion, reinterpretation, appropriation, subordination, eclecticism, syncretism, intersection, tolerance and intolerance, dialogue, inclusivism, pluralism, and more. These will be critically discussed and tested on the case studies. The goal of the course is to gain a deeper understanding of the ways in which religious actors grapple with religious plurality, draw boundaries – or ignore them –, and form religious identities.

At the end of the semester, students (1) will have gained insights about important features of the religions discussed in the case studies (especially Buddhism, Hinduism, Jainism, Islam, Christianity, Greek and Roman religion); (2) will have learned to analyze various aspects and dimensions of religious encounter in a systematic way; and (3) will be able to suggest alternative perspectives that may help to resolve conflicts related to religious encounter.

Readings:
Course packet.

Grading:
Attendance/participation: 25% 
Reading journal: 20%
Oral presentation and moderation of class discussion: 20%
Individual case analysis: 25% (essay 15%, presentation 10%)
Response to two case analyses: 10%

Please check back for updates.

Contemporary Taiwan’s claims of an ethnic identity distinct from the Chinese mainland reference a history of multiple colonizations and migrations to and from the island.  This course will explore questions of ethnicity, empire, and modernization in East Asia from the sixteenth century to the present through encounters between aborigines, Han Chinese, Dutch, Portuguese, the imperial Qing, Fujianese, Japanese, mainlander KMT, and the United States on Taiwan.

Shih-Shan Henry Tsai, Maritime Taiwan: Historical Encounters with the East and the West (M.E. Sharpe, 2009)

Texts:

Denny Roy, Taiwan: A Political History (Cornell University Press, 2003)
Vivian S. Louie, Compelled to Excel: Immigration, Education, and Opportunity among Chinese Americans (Stanford University Press, 2004)
Additionalreadings available on CANVAS

Grading:

Map quiz:  5%

Exam: 30% Short IDs and essay

Class participation and attendance: 15%

Writing assignments: 50% Three 5-6 page essays, with one rewrite required.

South Asia is bounded on the south by the Indian Ocean and on land by West Asia, Central Asia, East Asia, and Southeast Asia. This sub-region comprises eight developing countries—Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, the Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. South Asia is home to well over one fifth of the world's population, making it the most populous geographical region in the world.

Since the end of the Cold War, South Asia has become a focal point of growing international attention and concern by nuclear proliferation, the rise of Islamic militancy and the anti-terror war, the emergence of India as a global power, and regional effort for cooperation. South Asian nations have also been experiencing a profound political evolution of democratization.

This course provides students with a comprehensive and systematic introduction to the comparative political study of the eight nations of South Asia. Organized in parallel fashion to facilitate cross-national comparison, the course sections on each nation address several topical areas of inquiry: political culture and heritage, government structure and institutions, political parties and leaders, and social conflict and resolution. India, the preeminent power of the subcontinent, will receive more attention. In terms of the international relations of the region, this course will address several predominant region-wide issues: the India–Pakistan conflict, the rise of Islamic militancy and the AfPak war, and regional cooperation under the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC).

Prerequisites:

This is an introductory course, a background in Asian studies or Government is recommended but not required.

Grading Policy:

Two mid-term exams (60%). 

One short term paper of 6-7 pages (30%, first draft 15% and final draft 15%)

Overall class participation/attendance may be reflected in a plus or minus up to l0 points in determining the course grade.

In terms of the mid-term exams, any student missing a mid-term exam with a verified medical excuse or for an official university event with a letter from the responsible university authority may choose to take a makeup exam or do an alternative assignment.

We will adopt UT's new "plus & minus" grading system in this course. The following is a list of letter grades, their corresponding GPA values, and the percentage values that I plan to use for your assignments. Note that these percentage scores will not be noted on your transcript.

A                                                                                  4.00                                                     94-100 %

A-                                                                                3.67                                                     90-93

B+                                                                                3.33                                                     87-89

B                                                                                  3.00                                                     84-86

B-                                                                                2.67                                                     80-83

C+                                                                                2.33                                                     77-79

C                                                                                  2.00                                                     74-76

C-                                                                                 1.67                                                     70-73

D+                                                                                1.33                                                     67-69

D                                                                                  1.00                                                     64-66

D-                                                                                0.67                                                     60-63

F                                                                                  0.00                                                     59 & below

===================================================

Textbooks:

The textbooks are all electronic resources and students can read them online or download them by purchase. We will just choose several chapters from each book as reading assignments.

1. Robert C. Oberst, et al, Government and Politics in South Asia, 7^th Edition

New York: Westview Press, 2013. (Electronic Resource) [GPSA]

1. T.V. Paul ed., South Asia’s Weak States, Stanford, Calif.: Stanford Security Studies, 2010. (Electronic Resource) [SAWS]
2. Lawrence Saez, The South Asian Association of Regional Cooperation (SAARC),

Hoboken: Taylor & Francis, 2012. (Electronic Resource)

1. During the course of the semester, additional latest articles on South Asia may be added and distributed as required readings in class.

References:

Yek Raj. Pathak, SAARC: South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (Kathmandu: Rashtriya Samachar Samiti, 2014). (PCL: DS 331 S229 2014).

Selected topics in south and east Asian anthropology, economics, history, geography, government, art, music, and philosophy.  Please check with the Asian Studies academic advisor for more information.

Selected topics in south and east Asian anthropology, economics, history, geography, government, art, music, and philosophy.  Please check with the Asian Studies academic advisor for more information.

Selected topics in south and east Asian anthropology, economics, history, geography, government, art, music, and philosophy.  Please check with the Asian Studies academic advisor for more information.

Selected topics in south and east Asian anthropology, economics, history, geography, government, art, music, and philosophy.  Please check with the Asian Studies academic advisor for more information.

Flag: Global Cultures

This course introduces key trends in the economies of the US and Asia, with emphasis on the links between these two major trading blocs. The class addresses the rise of China and India as well as the development of Japan, the “Tiger” economies (South Korea, Taiwan, Singapore, Hong Kong), and Southeast Asia. The course examines the connections between Asia and the US in trade, technology and knowledge transfer, and outsourcing, considering key sectors such as manufacturing, technology, finance, and infrastructure. Importantly, the class addresses professional and labor migration between Asia and the US, including the growth of the Asian American population and a globalized professional class. The approach is historical and comparative (quantitative analysis is not required), and the reading includes scholarly works and case studies as well as articles by business leaders, industry analysts, and journalists.


The course features three modules: 

I. The Making of the Global Economy
II. Asia as the World's Largest Trading Block
III. Global Economies: Asia and the U.S.



Grading:

15% -- Class Participation and Canvas Posts
45% -- 3 Quizzes (no final exam)
20%  --  Individual Paper (~6 pages)
20%  --  Group Project

Instructor:  Shingavi, S

Unique #:  35060

Semester:  Spring 2018

Cross-lists:  AAS 320, ANS 361

Restrictions:  n/a

Computer Instruction:  No

Prerequisites:  Nine semester hours of coursework in English or rhetoric and writing.

Description:  Two important historical trends have marked the development and recognition of “Indian literature” as a global (rather than a strictly national) phenomenon.  First, the patterns of migration of South Asians since the beginning of the Raj moved Indians to various parts of the British Empire and created a network of ambassadors and webs of affiliation throughout the world for South Asian culture; the fact of colonial schools which produced English-speaking Indians is not incidental.  Second, the celebrity of Rushdie as the premiere Indian writer helped to produce a niche market within the publishing world for books about and by South Asians (usually represented by the big, national novel).  To this must also be added the contemporary rise of India as a leading world economy which has raised the demand for and curiosity about Indian culture within the global marketplace.  This course will investigate the production of a “global Indian literature” – paradoxically cosmopolitan and national – as made up of the intersecting experiences of Indians outside of India and the demands of the literary market (international publishing houses and the big literary prizes).  All of the writers that we will consider have won major national and international prizes (the Nobel, Man Booker, Commonwealth Writers, Pulitzer, etc.), and this will allow to think about what kinds of issues, what kinds of histories, and what kinds of forms tend to predominate in this body of writing.

Texts:  Tagore, Home and the World; Rushdie, The Golden House; Roy, The Ministry of Utmost Happiness; Mistry, A Fine Balance; Lahiri, Interpreter of Maladies; Naipaul, House for Mr. Biswas; Chatterjee, The Mammaries of the Welfare State; Ghosh, Sea of Poppies; Seth, Golden Gate; Desai, Clear Light of Day.

Requirements & Grading:  Weekly blog posts, 250 words (20%); Midterm (20%); Final (30%); Paper, 6-7 pages (20%); Participation (10%).

Selected topics in south and east Asian anthropology, economics, history, geography, government, art, music, and philosophy.  Please check with the Asian Studies academic advisor for more information.

This is a three-part course that examines the shifting nature of modernity between precolonial and colonial periods in the Indian subcontinent. The first part immerses students in plural ways of thinking, inhabiting and performing gender. They will be asked to read Sufi and Bhakti poetry, distinguish between biological personhood and social selfhood, place relationships of men and women in wider matrixes of kinship, caste-jati, economy and class formations. The second part will enable students to explore British colonial legal, administrative and economic processes in 1700-1900. These processes reconstituted older codes of gender as well as the structures within which women experienced marriage, abortion, inheritance, divorce and death. In the final segment, each student will evaluate how these developments empowered some women while disabling others. They will learn to assess the contradictory movements by undertaking direct research into one of the reform movements of the nineteenth or twentieth century, or by writing a review essay based on the available books on this theme in the UT library.


Required Reading: 1 text book, 1 novel, and multiple articles and primary documents posted by the instructor on Canvas ( Students must buy:  Geraldine Forbes, Women in Modern India (Cambridge University Press, revised edition) and  Bapsi Sidhwa, Ice Candy Man (older title) Cracking India (new title, Penguin Books, 1989, 1991, 2006).


Required Written Work: 1 map quiz (10), 2 short responses (20) , 1 mid-term with IDs (30), 1 final essay (20).

Grading is based on Attendance (10), in-class discussion of a document (10), and all segments of written work (80)

This undergraduate seminar focuses on South Asia during the era of the Mughal empire.  Much of the Indian subcontinent came under the control of the Mughal dynasty, ushering in a period of peace and prosperity during which long-lasting economic and cultural linkages were formed between the various regions of the subcontinent.  Aside from its cultural splendor, political might, and booming economy, Mughal India is also important for the many ways in which it shaped South Asia's development in subsequent centuries.  We will therefore look not only at Mughal India at the height of imperial power between approximately 1550 to 1750, but also at the continuing legacies and symbolic relevance of the Mughal dynasty in British India and in India today. 

The basic political history of the period will be covered in the course, through occasional lectures by the instructor and readings drawn from recent secondary scholarship on the Mughal empire.  However, the emphasis will be on exposing students first-hand to original sources from the Mughal period such as court chronicles and European travel accounts, as well as material from more recent eras such as films and historical novels.  Considerable class time will also be spent on the painting and architecture of the era, as well as on the religious patronage and social composition of the court elites.  By the end of the semester, students should be familiar with the main developments of the Mughal era and have a sense of how the Mughal dynasty has been remembered by later generations.

Texts:

1) Michael Fisher, A Short History of the Mughal Empire

2) Audrey Truschke, Aurangzeb: The Life and Legacy of India's Most Controversial King

3) Wheeler M. Thackston trans., Baburnama: Memoirs of Babur, Prince and Emperor

4) course pack

Grading:

6 reading responses (300 words each)              20%

2 drafts of short paper (5 pages)                          25%

research paper proposal                                         5%

2 drafts of research paper (8-10 pages)             30%

attendance & participation                                     20%

This course will explore the political economy of South Korean development during the postwar period. The purpose of this course is to develop critical understanding of history, society, and culture of South Korea. Topics include compressed modernity, developmental state, social movements, gender politics, financial crisis, urbanization, migration, and recent globalization of Korean popular culture. In the context of the relations among state, society, and culture, this course will address the tensions of industrialization, nationalism, authoritarianism, democracy, and globalization in Korea. We will read various audio-visual sources (photo, film, drama, music, cartoon, podcast, and blog), as well as scholarly articles, as a lens through which to reflect upon various sociocultural issues in Korea.  

This course carries the Global Cultures flag. Global Cultures courses are designed to increase your familiarity with cultural groups outside the United States. You should therefore expect a substantial portion of your grade to come from assignments covering the practices, beliefs, and histories of at least one non-U.S. cultural group, past or present.

(Meets with LIN 350) 

Required Texts:  (Available at University Co-op Bookstore)

William G. Boltz, The Origin and Early Development of the Chinese Writing System

 Recommended Texts:  (Available at University Co-op Bookstore)

(Selections available on Canvas/Files)

Jerry Norman, Chinese

Tsuen-hsuin Tsien, Written on Bamboo and Silk – The Beginnings of Chinese Books and Inscriptions, Second Edition, 2004.

Further Reading (selections available on Canvas/Files):

John DeFrancis, The Chinese Language: Fact and Fantasy

S. Robert Ramsey, The Languages of China

Michael Sullivan, The Three Perfections: Chinese Painting, Poetry and Calligraphy (Revised edition: George Braziller, 1999) [Out of print]

Course Description

This course will provide an introduction to the history of the evolution of the Chinese writing system and language. This course is open to all students and while recommended, no background in Chinese language, culture or linguistics is required. Course emphasis will be given to the study of the writing system and the cultural contexts that have preserved such a unique orthography from ancient to modern times. In this context, the course will include some discussion of the history of the Chinese language, including Chinese dialects. Lectures and discussions will focus on the cultural, historical, social, and political background against which Chinese writing and language have evolved.

            Introduction – Chinese Language and Writing; What is writing?  What is an alphabet?

1. The Beginnings – Ancient Writing Systems, Proto-Writing, the Shang Bronze Age
2. The Han Dynasty Milestone – Old Text/New Text Debates, Invention of Paper, “radicals” and the influential role of the Shuowen jiezi
3. The Song Dynasty Milestone – Calligraphy, Painting, Invention of Printing, and “handwriting”
4. The Modern Milestone – Language Reform, Script transformation, Japanese/Western influence
5. Contemporary Times – Chinese writing in the cyber age, influence of the English language/alphabet

Statement on Global Cultures Flag:

This course carries the Global Cultures flag. Global Cultures courses are designed to increase your familiarity with cultural groups outside the United States. You should therefore expect a substantial portion of your grade to come from assignments covering the practices, beliefs, and histories of at least one non-U.S. cultural group, past or present.

COURSE EXPECTATIONS

This course will be graded on the Plus/Minus system.

There is a class attendance policy for this course (attendance is graded).  More than 10 absences will result in a failing grade for the course.  

Your grade for this course will be based on the following (see below for details):

• There is no written final exam.

I. 10% Attendance, Class and online discussion, participation and “preparedness” (informal

           writing)

II. 60% Reading and Discussion Questions

III. 20% Two Oral Presentations

IV. 10% Final Roundtable Group Presentations

Individual instruction for Asian studies majors and nonmajors. Discussion, research, and the writing of papers about various general and specialized Asian subjects.  Prerequisite: Six semester hours of coursework in Asian studies and
written consent of instructor on form obtained from the undergraduate adviser.

Please check back for updates.

Please check back for updates.

Asceticism, as a concept and a way of life, exists in many religious traditions. Ascetics commit to bodily restraints that can be manifold and are practiced at various levels of intensity. From specific food restraints (for example, vegetarianism) to fasting to death; from celibacy to self-castration; from wearing simple robes to going naked; from shaving one’s head to severe self-mutilation; from living in a monastic community to locking one-self in a cell to constant wandering. Using case studies from various religions, this course discusses the concepts, practices, and goals associated with this radical way of life. It also introduces students to scholarly approaches to asceticism, which includes theories of the body and of culture more generally. Other topics discussed in class are the social status of the ascetic; asceticism and gender; asceticism and devotion; and asceticism and violence. Historical examples will be taken primarily from India (Buddhism, Hinduism, Jainism) and Mediterranean late antiquity (Greek/Roman religions, Christianity, Judaism).

Readings:

Course packet

Grading:

Attendance/participation: 20%

Reading responses: 20%

Partner project: 15%

Research essay: 45%

This course looks at literature written by key Japanese authors in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. We will learn to read, think, discuss, and write about Japanese literature critically and analytically with attention to a work’s content, style, and form. Equally importantly, we will think about our own individual tastes in literature - why we read fiction and how. We'll also consider the socio-historical context of the production and reception of literature and how it deals with themes like the breakdown of tradition and the crisis of individualism; nostalgia and nationalism; war memory and cultural amnesia; “women’s literature”; sexuality, gender, and power; and the dynamics of cross-cultural influence. This is a small discussion-based class that requires the active and engaged participation of all class members to ensure its success.

This course carries the Global Cultures flag. Global Cultures courses are designed to increase your familiarity with cultural groups outside the United States. You should therefore expect a substantial portion of your grade to come from assignments covering the culture of at least one non-U.S. cultural group, past or present.

Please check back for updates.

This course surveys the history of South Asia during the era prior to British colonial rule.  It begins ca. 1200 with the establishment of Muslim political power in North India and ends ca. 1750 with the emergence of British dominance in East India.  The large states which emerged in this period – the Delhi Sultanate, the Vijayanagara kingdom of South India, and the Mughal empire – incorporated  regions of South Asia that had previously been politically divided and stimulated the circulation of ideas, peoples, and goods throughout the subcontinent and beyond.  The increased scale of these political networks led to greater uniformity and communication in the society and economy of South Asia, as well as the growth of a pan-Indian elite culture.  At the same time, the diversity of South Asian culture and society increased during the timespan from 1200 to 1750, due to the influx of peoples and religions of foreign origin coming overland from Afghanistan and Persia and also overseas from Europe and elsewhere.   The roots of contemporary South Asia -– an area that is distinctly different from other parts of the world yet is also very diverse internally – thus lie in the precolonial era.

Texts:

1) C. Asher & C. Talbot, India before Europe

2) Banarsidas, Ardhakathanak: A Half Story, trans. Rohini Chowdhury

3) excerpts from The Rehla of Ibn Battuta, Hasan Sizji's Morals of the Heart, 
    Baburnama, Humayunnama, Michael Fisher's Visions of Mughal India etc.

Grading:

2 papers (4-6 pps each)= 40%

2 exams (ID & essay))= 50%

1 set of discussion questions=   5%

attendance & participation=   5%

Flag: Cultural Diversity in the U.S.

This course examines the South Asian diaspora in United States. We will cover migration of people from India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh to United States and other parts of the world. While studying the history and culture of South Asian America, we will discuss globalization, transnationalism, migration, assimilation, formation of a diaspora, discrimination, and gender and sexuality, all major themes in Asian American Studies. The course is arranged chronologically and thematically. We will start in the nineteenth century following the journey of the first South Asian migrants to US. We will then move on to studying the Bengali and Punjabi immigrants to U.S. and the formation of Bengali-African and Punjabi-Mexican communities. We will study how American immigration laws have facilitated or inhibited South Asian migration to US in the twentieth century. Topics covered include economic and social reasons for migration, adaptation to American life, cultural and religious assimilation, changing family structures, and discrimination and exclusion. We will end the semester by discussing South Asian American life in the twenty-first century.

Texts:
Karen Isaken Leonard, The South Asian Americans  
Vivek Bald, Bengali Harlem and the Lost Histories of South Asian America
Judith M. Brown, Global South Asians: Introducing the Modern Diaspora
Shamita Das Gupta edited, A Patchwork Shawl: Chronicles of South Asian Women in America
Knut A. Jacobsen and R. Pratap Kumar edited, South Asians in the Diaspora: Histories and Religious Traditions
Susan Kosby and R. Radhakrishnan edited, Transnational South Asians: The Making of a Neo-Diaspora           

Grades:
Attendance: 5%
Class Participation: 10%
Object Analysis Assignment: 5%
Exam 1: 25%
Exam 2: 25%
Research paper topic and bibliography: 5%
Research paper: 25%

Please check back for updates.

Description:

This course will deal with the cultural significance and historical practices of veiling, “Hijab”, in the Muslim world. The issue of veiling as it relates to women has been subject to different interpretations and viewed from various perspectives, and with recent political developments and the resurgence of Islam, the debate over it and over women’s roles in Muslim countries has taken various shapes.  A number of Muslim countries are going back to their Islamic traditions and implementing a code of behavior that involves some form of veiling in Public /or segregation to various degrees for women. In some Muslim nations women are re-veiling on their own. In others, women resist the enforcement of such practices. We will examine the various perspectives, interpretations and practices relating to Hijab in the Muslim world with respect to politics, religion, feminism, culture, new wave of women converts and the phenomenon of “Islamic fashion” as a marketing tool.    

 Texts

 Reader Packet.

Will be announced where the Packet is sold

 Book:

Faegheh Shirazi. The Veil Unveiled: Hijab in Modern Culture. University Press of Florida, 2001, and 2003

Grading:

Active participation (assigned article with discussion questions/ is a group activity) 10%

Regular Class Attendance 5%

3 quizzes (Lowest grade will be dropped) 20%

Midterm Exam 30%

Final Research Paper (20%), and Oral Presentation %15 (This is a group activity)

Capstone Seminar (meets with HIS)

The Cultural Outsider: Memoirs and Travelogues of East Asia

The focus of the capstone seminar is on the cultural outsider’s perceptions of East Asia as addressed in greater literature originally written in English (with a few exceptions), in the genres of memoirs and travelogues dating from as early as the writings of Marco Polo up to works published in contemporary America. Works selected for the seminar are to be read and discussed within the broad context of “travel literature” by visitors to greater East Asia: China (including Hong Kong and Tibet), Taiwan, Japan, and Korea. These travelers include missionaries, colonizers, journalists, POW’s, scholars, students, and tourists. Through a sampling of these selected works, a main focus will be on the approach to the concept of “Asianness” in the distant and recent past as treated from the perspective of a cultural outsider.

REQUIRED [Selected excerpts available on Canvas]:

Isabella Bird, Unbeaten Tracks in Japan: The Firsthand Experiences of a British Woman in Outback Japan in 1878 (Abridged edition)

Fuchsia Dunlop, Shark’s Fin and Sichuan Pepper: A Sweet-Sour Memoir of Eating in China

Peter Hessler, River Town: Two Years on the Yangtze

Helie Lee, Still Life With Rice: A Young American Woman Discovers the Life and Legacy of Her Korean Grandmother

Marco Polo, The Travels of Marco Polo. Translated by Ronald Latham.

Paisley Rekdal, The Night My Mother Met Bruce Lee – Observations on Not Fitting In

Further Reading for Presentations and Research Projects available on Canvas course site

Course Grade Based On:

• This course is graded on the Plus/Minus System.
• There is a class attendance policy for this course. (Attendance is graded.)  More than 10 absences will result in a failing grade for the course. 
• There is no written final exam.

• 15%       Attendance, Class and online discussion, participation and “preparedness”; in-class

informal writing

• 60%       Critical and Analytical Writing (Discussion Questions/Weekly Written Responses; Final Inquiry Paper with First Draft)

• 20%       Two Short Oral Panel Presentations and Lead Discussant work
• 5%          Travelogue or Memoir “Revision"

Radical Religion: Ascetics and Holy Persons

Asceticism, as a concept and a way of life, exists in many religious traditions. Ascetics commit to bodily restraints that can be manifold and are practiced at various levels of intensity. From specific food restraints (for example, vegetarianism) to fasting to death; from celibacy to self-castration; from wearing simple robes to going naked; from shaving one’s head to severe self-mutilation; from living in a monastic community to locking one-self in a cell to constant wandering. Using case studies from various religions, this course discusses the concepts, practices, and goals associated with this radical way of life. It also introduces students to scholarly approaches to asceticism, which includes theories of the body and of culture more generally. Other topics discussed in class are the social status of the ascetic; asceticism and gender; asceticism and devotion; and asceticism and violence. Historical examples will be taken primarily from India (Buddhism, Hinduism, Jainism) and Mediterranean late antiquity (Greek/Roman religions, Christianity, Judaism).

Readings:
Course packet

Grading:
Attendance/participation: 20%
Reading responses: 20%
Partner project: 15%
Research essay: 45%