Asian Studies

Course Overview

This course provides a more than 3,500-year historical overview of the cultural and political entities we now know as “China,” “Korea,” “Vietnam,” and “Japan” from roughly 1500 BCE until the present.  For most of this period, East Asia developed in isolation from Western influence, and one goal of this course is to uncover what makes “East Asian civilization” unique.  Accordingly, we will seek to understand shared belief systems that define the area, such as Confucianism, Daoism, and Buddhism.  At the same time, we will explore how – despite considerable philosophical and political overlap – China, Korea, Vietnam, and Japan each evolved into distinct cultures.  By the end of the fall semester, students will have a clear understanding of the historical trajectory of pre-modern East Asia as a whole, as well as an appreciation for the aesthetic traditions, forms of government, and social structures of each country.  Then, in the spring semester, we will chiefly examine East Asia’s evolving encounter with the West.  Broadly speaking, the period from 1800 until the present has been marked by East Asia’s steep decline and its equally sharp rise.  We will trace the many twists and turns of this path, learning how the region struggled to survive foreign incursions and severe domestic rebellions, as well as bouts of ideological extremism and intense cultural critique, to emerge where it is today.  Questions that we will ask in the spring include: What constitutes “East Asia”?  What does it mean to be “modern”?  And what relationship should East Asian nations pursue with each other and with the rest of the world?  By the end of the school year, students will be well acquainted with one of the most dynamic and significant areas on earth.  They will also gain empathy for the perspectives of commoners and elites who sought to defend and improve their fortunes in tumultuous times.