ASIA 3300 Introduction to Asian Studies: An overview of central issues relevant to the study of East Asia, Southeast Asia, and other Asian regions through multidisciplinary approaches. Examines the interrelationships of history, policies, philosophy, religion, economics and the arts to achieve this goal. May be team-taught by bringing in special speakers or faculty.

HIST 3334 Pre-Modern East Asia: Survey of East Asian societies, focusing on China, Japan, and Korea from prehistory to the 1600s; designed to offer insights into the separate cultural, economic, political, and religious traditions of each society, but at the same time allowing students to examine the whole of East Asia as a unit within the larger global history perspective.

HIST 3335 Modern East Asia: Survey of East Asian societies, focusing on China, Japan, Korea, and Taiwan from the 1600s to the present; designed to offer insights into the separate cultural, economic, political, and religious traditions of each society, but at the same time allowing students to examine the whole of East Asia as a unit within the larger global history perspective.

PHIL 3340 Asian Philosophies: A consideration of classical Asian philosophical texts and traditions. Topics are normally selected from either the Chinese or Indian traditions. A course on classical Chinese philosophy would focus upon the principal texts of Confucianism and Daoism. A focus upon Indian philosophy would lead to a consideration of schools such as Advaita Vedanta, Upanishadic Theism, and Nyaya.

RS 3310 Major World Religions: Brief examination of the world’s major religions, followed by an in-depth study of one religion, such as Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, or Judaism. Course may be repeated for credit when main focus of the course varies.

POLS 3339 Comparative Political Systems: An examination of theories and methods used in comparative political analysis with illustrative cases drawn from a variety of political cultures.

OPTIONAL COURSES

ANTH 3306 Cultural Diversity: A cross-cultural comparison of human behavior addressing the areas of family life, marriage, kinship, and ritual. The course will also deal with the potential for misunderstandings that arise in the context of cross-cultural interactions.

ASIA 3350 Special Topics in Asian Studies: To accommodate special topics offerings from various departments on a proposal-by-proposal basis. This is intended to offer a space for departments which don’t already have a regular course offering in the given area. Examples might include courses in Asian art traditions, music, film, etc.

ENGL 3331 World Literature (when the focus is Asia): Study of a selected world literature and culture in translation. Topics and authors to be determined by professor.

ENGL 3317 Postcolonial Literature: A study of literatures produced by writers who come from countries with a history of colonialism.

ECON 4325 International Economics: Principal theories of international trade: foreign exchange markets, international capital flows, barriers to trade, international economic institutions, and the economics of regional trade integration.

HIST 2301 World History: An analysis of the development of societies in Asia, Africa, Europe, and the Americas from the origins of mankind to 1500 CE.

HIST 2302 World History: An analysis of the development of societies in Asia, Africa, Europe, and the Americas from 1500 to the present, with an emphasis on their global interactions.

HIST 3324 The U.S. in Vietnam and Southeast Asia: American relations with Southeast Asia in the twentieth century, focusing on the American acquisition and governance of the Philippines, the American response to Asian nationalism during and after World War II, and the war in Vietnam.

HIST 3338 History of Modern China: Introduction to modern Chinese history from the late 18th century to the present. Topics include imperialism, modernization, the end of the Qing Dynasty, the republican period, warlordism, the war against Japan, the Chinese Civil War, the establishment of the PRC, the turbulent Mao years, and finally, the economic and social reforms under Deng Xiaoping.

HIST 3339 Pyramids and Prophets: Examines the distinct series of circumstances that led to the development of civilization in the Ancient Near East. [Director’s note: This course includes substantial attention to the history of the Silk Road and trade with China.]

HIST 3390 20th Century China via Fiction and Film: In this course, we will use selected literary and cinematic works, in context, to study China from the beginning of the 20th century to the present. Topics will include the fall of the Qing dynasty, warlords, the May Fourth Movement, the war against the Japanese, the Civil War, the many trials and tribulations under Mao Zedong, and China after Deng Xiaoping’s economic and social reforms.

HIST 3390 Special Topics (when the focus is Asia):

POLS 3360 International Relations: The theory and practice of international politics with particular attention to the forces and processes contributing to conflict and cooperation among global political structures and institutions.

POLS 3332 Political Geography: The study of political phenomena and the impact of decision-making in their spatial context.

POLS 3334 Politics in World Regions (when the regional focus is Asia):

POLS 4314 Women, Power and Politics: Focuses on the distribution of power between women and men in society and the political implications of that distribution.

POLS 4348 Politics of Developing Countries: The study of political culture, institutions, and processes of developing countries. Emphasis is placed on institution building, economic development, and ethnic conflict.

POLS 4364 International Political Economy: An examination of the relationship between international politics, national policies, and economics regarding international trade, investments, debt, monetary policy, and oil.

POLS 4365 International Organizations: Examines the development of international organizations, such as NATO and the United Nations, and considers the legal and constitutional aspects of their creation. It also presents the tools to evaluate the success of international organizations in the management of conflict and the advancement of social, economic, and political cooperation.

RS 3350 Special Topics in Religious Studies (when the focus is Asian religion):