East Asian Studies Jump To: Jump To: Program Offerings A.B. Offering type A.B. In the contemporary global configuration, East Asia is a center of culture, economics, science and technology. The Department of East Asian Studies (EAS) offers a wide range of undergraduate classes at the highest standards of academic, linguistic and cultural competence focused on China, Korea and Japan. While the EAS major allows in-depth study and first-hand experience of East Asia, the minor programs in Chinese, Japanese or Korean language encourage students to combine their interests in East Asian languages and civilizations with other majors they pursue at Princeton.EAS students complete coursework in literature, history, anthropology, media and cultural studies of China, Korea and Japan. They engage in both transnational and local perspectives, and their work spans premodern and contemporary contexts. The Chinese, Japanese and Korean language programs offer instruction from elementary to highly advanced levels. All language classes are taught exclusively by professional instructors and operate entirely in the primary language in terms of reading materials, classroom discussion and assignments. Students also have the opportunity to participate in the Princeton summer language programs Princeton in Beijing (Beijing, China), Princeton in Ishikawa (Kanazawa, Japan) and Princeton in Korea (Seoul, South Korea). Goals for Student Learning The Department of East Asian Studies provides students with rigorous training in the study of China, Japan and Korea. The East Asian studies major builds on two pillars: rigorous language training that takes students beyond the third year in Chinese, Japanese or Korean, and diverse content courses that allow students to explore themes from ancient Chinese philosophy to Japanese anime to Korean women’s history. Its interdisciplinary curriculum is designed to provide a balance between broad-based knowledge of the region and deeper expertise in the languages and cultures of one or more of the region’s territories. The goal is for our students to gain proficiency with the challenging linguistic and analytical tools needed to conduct conscientious research, as well as to learn about the critical and theoretical models through which the region’s history and culture are interpreted. The core of this training is developed through guided coursework, of which language classes form a central part, and substantial independent work completed under the close auspices of faculty advisers. Advanced Placement Students seeking advanced placement should consult the director of undergraduate studies. All first-year students are welcome to take a language placement exam in Chinese, Japanese or Korean to determine their language proficiency in the summer before matriculation. Prerequisites One year of language study in one East Asian languageOne 200-level EAS course Program of Study Majors are required to achieve proficiency in one East Asian language through the third-year level and take eight departmental courses. The departmentals must include the junior seminar (EAS 300); at least two of the four transnational courses (HIS/EAS 207, HIS/EAS 208, HUM/EAS/COM 233, or HUM/EAS/COM 234); and at least one course on premodern East Asia. A single course may not be used to satisfy two requirements, with the exception of HIS 207 and HUM 233, which may be used to satisfy both the premodern and transnational requirements. A minimum of six of the eight departmentals must be EAS-prefixed courses. The remaining two may be language courses at or above the 300 level (after the three-year proficiency requirement is fulfilled), or any language courses in a second East Asian language. Departmental Course RequirementsEight departmental courses fulfilling the following requirements:Six EAS-prefix courses, which must include:The junior seminar (EAS 300) as an introductory methods survey course, generally taken fall of junior year.Two of the following transnational courses:History of East Asia to 1800 (HIS/EAS 207)East Asia since 1800 (HIS/EAS 208)East Asian Humanities I: The Classical Foundations (HUM/EAS/COM 233)East Asian Humanities II: Tradition and Transformations (HUM/EAS/COM 234)At least one course on premodern East Asia. Note: Either HIS 207 or HUM 233, when taken in fulfillment of a transnational course (2), may also be used simultaneously toward the premodern requirement (3), however, the course will only count toward one of the six required EAS-prefix departmentals.Two additional courses, which may be:EAS courses, including courses cross-listed with EAS.Cognate courses approved by the director of undergraduate studies.Language courses at or above the 300 level (after the three-year proficiency requirement is fulfilled).Any courses in a second East Asian language. Language Requirements Language proficiency through the third year in one East Asian language. Independent Work Junior YearIn the fall term the student participates in the departmental junior seminar (EAS 300) and also writes a junior independent work. In the spring, the student writes a second junior independent work under the supervision of an appropriate faculty member. At the end of junior year, the student begins to draft a proposal for the senior thesis.Senior YearEach student prepares a senior thesis in consultation with an appropriate member of the faculty. The senior thesis represents the culmination of the undergraduate curriculum. It should be an original contribution to scholarship on East Asia, based at least in part on source materials in the student's language of specialization.Scholarship aid is available for senior thesis research abroad. Students should review funding opportunities listed in the Student Activities Funding Engine (SAFE), and may also want to consult the websites of the Program in East Asian Studies (EAP) and the Office of the Dean of the College (ODOC) for further information. Senior Departmental Examination At the end of the spring term, the student appears before a faculty committee for an oral defense of the thesis. The defense will take the form of a conversation between the student and a faculty committee, and it will center on the senior independent work, as well as larger questions in the field of East Asian studies that inform it. Students will be asked to reflect on the process of their research: the original source of interest in their research topic; the process of fleshing out the architecture of their project; and difficulties and creative discoveries of their research and writing. The conversation will begin in the students’ primary research language: Korean, Japanese or Chinese. Study Abroad The Department of East Asian Studies offers varied opportunities for overseas study in East Asia. Major and non-major East Asian language students are encouraged to take advantage of intensive summer or year-long language study and/or internships. The programs hosted by East Asian studies are the intensive summer language programs, Princeton in Beijing (Chinese), Princeton in Ishikawa (Japanese) and Princeton in Korea (Korean). Upon graduation, students will normally be prepared to begin graduate work at a higher level because of such language experience and training. The department also encourages students to participate in extended internships or study programs in East Asia.Scholarship aid is available to majors and non-majors for both summer language study and senior thesis research abroad. Students should review funding opportunities listed in the Student Activities Funding Engine (SAFE), and may also want to consult the websites of the Program in East Asian Studies (EAP), the Office of International Programs (OIP) and the Office of the Dean of the College (ODOC) for further information. Additional Information Certificates in Chinese, Japanese and Korean language and culture will transition to minors beginning with the Class of 2025. Please consult the minor program offering sections for updated information on the Chinese, Japanese and Korean language minors.For more information on the minor in East Asian studies, please consult the Program in East Asian Studies offerings website. Faculty Chair Federico Marcon Director of Undergraduate Studies Xin Wen Director of Graduate Studies Steven Chung Professor Amy B. Borovoy Janet Y. Chen Thomas D. Conlan Sheldon M. Garon Martin Kern Federico Marcon Anna M. Shields Atsuko Ueda Associate Professor He Bian Ksenia Chizhova Steven Chung Paize Keulemans Brian R. Steininger Xin Wen Assistant Professor Paul A. Vierthaler Trenton W. Wilson Junko Yamazaki Associated Faculty Jonathan C. Gold, Religion Thomas W. Hare, Comparative Literature G. John Ikenberry, Schl of Public & Int'l Affairs Bryan D. Lowe, Religion Ryo Morimoto, Anthropology James M. Raymo, Sociology Stephen F. Teiser, Religion Rory Truex, Schl of Public & Int'l Affairs Cheng-hua Wang, Art and Archaeology Yu Xie, Sociology University Lecturer Shinji Sato Senior Lecturer Ho Jung Choi Hisae Matsui Tomoko Shibata Yukari Tokumasu Jing Wang Yuseon Yun Lecturer Patrick W. Caddeau Jin Dong Fang-Yen Hsieh Luanfeng Huang Xinyue Huang Susie Kim Taena Kim Jessica E. LeGare Yinqiu Ma Keiko Ono Ying Ou Zheyu Su Ding Wang-Bramlett Megumi Watanabe Fang Yan Namseok Yong Jieyun Zhu Visiting Professor Nicola Di Cosmo For a full list of faculty members and fellows please visit the department or program website. Courses CHI 1001 - Introductory Chinese I Spring CHI 1001 and CHI 1002, are introductory Chinese courses for true beginners. This course will be taught at half the pace of instruction compared to Elementary Chinese (CHI 101/CHI 102). The goal of this course is to develop students' four basic communication skills: listening, speaking, reading, and writing, using both the Pinyin system, and simplified Chinese characters. After taking CHI 1001 and CHI 1002, students will have developed basic abilities to handle simple survival situations in Chinese, to read and write over 300 Chinese characters, and be well prepared for more advanced and intensive study in Chinese. Three hours of class. Staff CHI 1002 - Introductory Chinese II Fall This course is a continuation of CHI 1001, an introductory course for true beginners. It is taught at half the instructional pace of Elementary Chinese (CHI 101/CHI102). The goal of this course is to develop students' four basic communication skills: listening, speaking, reading, and writing, using both the Pinyin Romanization phonetic system, and simplified (modern) Chinese characters. By the end of this course, students will be able to handle simple "survival situations" in Chinese, read and write over 300 Chinese characters, and be well prepared for more advanced and intensive study in Chinese. Three hours of class. Staff CHI 101 - Elementary Chinese I Fall An introductory course in modern spoken and written Chinese, stressing oral-aural facility and the integration of the four language skills: listening, speaking, reading, and writing. Five hours of class. Staff CHI 102 - Elementary Chinese II Spring Continued study of modern spoken and written Chinese, stressing listening, speaking, reading, and writing. Five hours of class. Staff CHI 103 - Intensive Elementary Chinese Fall An intensive course covering CHI 101 and CHI 102 in one semester for beginning heritage learners and students with fair fluency and limited ability in reading and writing skills. This course will emphasize the integration of the four language skills: listening, speaking, reading, and writing.. Prerequisite: instructor's permission (oral interview in Chinese). Five hours of class. Staff CHI 105 - Intermediate Chinese I Fall A study of modern spoken and written Chinese, this course shifts the emphasis to the reading of contemporary Chinese dialogues and short essays on daily life topics. While reinforcing the knowledge students have acquired thus far, this course will further develop the students' audio-lingual proficiency and bring their reading and writing ability to a higher level. Five hours of class. Staff CHI 107 - Intermediate Chinese II Spring Continuing the study of modern spoken and written Chinese, this course shifts the emphasis to the reading of contemporary Chinese cultural and social issues. Five hours of class. Staff CHI 107C - Intermediate Chinese II in Beijing A four-week summer intensive language course taught in Beijing, China, at Beijing Normal University, which is a continuation of 105C. This course continues the intensive study of modern spoken and written Chinese and includes the study of modern cultural and social issues. Admission by application. Prerequisite: 105C or equivalent. Five two-hour classes, five two-hour drill sessions, plus individual tutorial sessions. Staff CHI 108 - Intensive Intermediate Chinese Spring An intensive course that covers 105 and 107 in one semester for students who have completed CHI 103. This course will emphasize reading and writing skills and the analysis of grammar. After CHI 108, students are ready for third-year courses.. Prerequisite: CHI 103 or instructor's permission. Five hours of class. Staff CHI 301 - Introduction to Classical Chinese I Fall HA CHI 301 provides basic training for students in classical Chinese and introduces students to theme-based readings about important cultural aspects of pre-modern China, such as the concept of Dao, life and death, Confucian ethics, etc. Each theme consists of passages selected from Chinese classics and short essays or stories full of wisdom and wit from later dynasties. This course will not only improve your four skills in Chinese language (speaking, listening, reading, and writing) but will also enhance your understanding of traditional Chinese philosophy and culture. Three hours of class, conducted in Chinese. Staff CHI 302 - Introduction to Classical Chinese II Spring HA Following CHI 301, the purpose of this course is to introduce the fundamental grammar of classical Chinese and to read short, original texts from different periods and genres. It also provides theme-based readings about important cultural aspects of pre-modern China, such as conceptions of filial piety, warfare, conflicts between righteousness and profit. Questions such as these were at the heart of Chinese intellectual debates. Three hours of class, conducted in Chinese. Staff CHI 303 - Third-Year Modern Chinese I Fall Designed to further develop the student's overall language skills through reading and discussion of contemporary affairs in both China and the U.S. in the form of dialogue and short essays. Prerequisite: CHI 105-107, or instructor's permission. Four hours of class, conducted in Chinese. Staff CHI 304 - Third-Year Modern Chinese II Spring A continuation of CHI 303, designed to improve the student's facility in written and oral expression through a close study of short essays selected and composed for advanced level students. Discussion topics are closely related to contemporary Chinese society. Prerequisite: CHI 303 or instructor's permission. Four hours of class, conducted in Chinese. Staff CHI 305 - Intensive Third-Year Modern Chinese I Fall Chinese 305 will further develop student's overall language skills through readings and discussion of contemporary issues published in Chinese media. This course is designed for students who have familiarity with spoken Mandarin or any Chinese dialect. Four hours of class, conducted in Chinese. Staff CHI 306 - Intensive Third-Year Modern Chinese II Spring A continuation of CHI 305, designed to further improve the student's facility in written and oral expression through a close study of essays selected and composed for advanced level students. Prerequisite: CHI 305 or instructor's permission. Four hours of class, conducted in Chinese. Staff CHI 401 - Advanced Classical Chinese I Not offered this year LA Intensive introduction to classical Chinese through the study of selections from ancient texts. Four hours of class, conducted in Chinese. Staff CHI 402 - Advanced Classical Chinese II Not offered this year LA Continuation of CHI 401. Intensive introduction to classical Chinese through the study of selections from ancient texts. Four hours of class, conducted in Chinese. Staff CHI 403 - Fourth-Year Modern Chinese I Fall Reading and discussion of selections from Chinese media on contemporary Chinese political, economic, and social issues. Prerequisite: CHI 304 or instructor's permission. Four hours of class, conducted in Chinese. Staff CHI 404 - Fourth-Year Modern Chinese II Spring A continuation of 403. Reading and discussion of scholarly writings in the fields of Chinese literature and modern Chinese intellectual history. Four hours of class, conducted in Chinese. Prerequisite: 403, or instructor's permission. Staff CHI 405 - Intensive Fourth-Year Modern Chinese I Fall CHI 405 is an intensive, advanced Chinese class designed for heritage learners. It consists of reading and discussion based on newspaper articles and essays by famous Chinese intellectuals on contemporary Chinese political, economic, and social issues. Students will also study Chinese literary writings. Prerequisite: CHI 306 or instructor's permission. Four hours of class, conducted in Chinese. Staff CHI 406 - Intensive Fourth-Year Modern Chinese II Spring Continued reading and discussion of social and cultural challenges China has faced in recent years and various aspects of contemporary Chinese society. Students will also read and discuss substantive issues that modern Chinse intellectuals have faced. Prerequisite: CHI 405 or instructor's permission. Four hours of class, conducted in Chinese. Staff CHI 411 - Readings in Modern Chinese Intellectual History (also EAS 411) Fall LA This course is designed for students who have had advanced training in modern Chinese. Readings will focus on modern Chinese intellectual history. Topics will include language reform, women's emancipation, the encounter of western civilization, the rise of communism, etc. Prerequisite: CHI 404/406 or advanced proficiency level in Chinese or instructor's permission. Three hours of class, conducted in Chinese. Staff CHI 412 - Readings in Classic Chinese Short Stories (also EAS 412) Spring LA Focuses on reading and discussing selections from Feng Menglong's Sanyan, the most popular and well-known collection of Classic Chinese short stories published in the late sixteenth century. Prerequisite: CHI 404/406 or advanced proficiency level in Chinese or instructor's permission. Staff CHI 418 - Advanced Chinese: Contemporary Literature and Film Spring LA This course is designed for students who have learned Chinese for three or more years. The goal is not only to improve student's ability to listen, speak, read and write in Chinese, but also to introduce them to the intellectual and literary development of China after 1949 by sampling literary masterpieces and representative movies. Genres covered in this course include critical essays, short stories, poetry, and visual arts such as posters and film. Through class discussion and writing assignments of formal essays with more advanced vocabulary, students will increase their Chinese skill to a new level. Staff CHI 462C - Fifth-Year Modern Chinese II in Beijing A four-week summer intensive language course taught in Beijing, China, at Beijing Normal University, which is a continuation of 451C. Continued readings and discussion on modern Chinese literature, film, and intellectual history. This course, which is designed to bring students to near-native competence in all aspects of modern Chinese, prepares students for advanced research or employment in a variety of China-related fields. Admission by application. Prerequisite: 451C or equivalent. Five two-hour classes, five two-hour drill sessions, plus individual tutorial sessions. Staff EAS 211 - Manga: Visual Culture in Modern Japan (also ART 225/COM 213) Not offered this year LA This course examines the comic book as an expressive medium in Japan. Reading a range of works, classic and contemporary, in a variety of genres, we consider: How has the particular history of Japan shaped cartooning as an art form there? What critical approaches can help us think productively about comics (and other popular culture)? How can we translate the effects of a visual medium into written scholarly language? What do changes in media technology, literacy, and distribution mean for comics today? Coursework will combine readings, written analysis, and technical exercises. All readings in English. No fine arts experience required. B. Steininger EAS 216 - Writing and Culture of Premodern Korea Fall HA This course is an introductory survey of the cultural history of premodern Korea-from early times until the turn of the twentieth century-focused on the primary sources. We will read various original materials (in English translation): myths, state histories, diaries, travelogues, and works of fiction, among others. Topics covered in this course include the imagination of the origins in myth, the idea of Confucian governance, everyday life and entertainment in Choson (1392-1910), and Korea's opening to the west in the late nineteenth century. K. Chizhova EAS 218 - The Origins of Japanese Culture and Civilization: A History of Japan until 1600 (also HIS 209/MED 209) Fall HA This course is designed to introduce the culture and history of Japan, and to examine how one understands and interprets the past. In addition to considering how a culture, a society, and a state develop, we will try to reconstruct the tenor of life in "ancient" and "medieval" Japan and chart how patterns of Japanese civilization shifted through time. T. Conlan EAS 219 - Japanese Literature to 1800: The Major Texts Spring LA This course provides an introduction to the Japanese literary tradition, with a focus on narratives of passion and renunciation. Love poems are found among the earliest Japanese writings, but they stand side-by-side with Buddhist-influenced works that stress the suffering inherent in emotional attachment. We will trace this binary of longing and denial through early folksongs, palace gossip, pious sermons, and ghostly pantomimes, against the changing backdrop of Japan's social and intellectual history. No knowledge of Japanese required. B. Steininger EAS 221 - Introduction to Modern Japanese Literature Not offered this year LA The course will cover major writers and works of the 20th century. We will examine how Japanese writers responded to modern fictional and linguistic forms imported from the West, how they negotiated what they had inherited from their long and illustrious literary past, and how postwar writers view their newly "democratized" world. A. Ueda EAS 223 - The Three Kingdoms Across Media: Characters in History, Fiction, and Video Games Not offered this year LA Video games have in the last 40 years morphed from lab experiments at MIT into a billion-dollar worldwide entertainment. How can we engage with this fast growing media platform in a critically engaged and humanities-based manner? This class does so by placing video-game culture in a much longer, two-thousand year old East Asian history of media transformations. Starting with a single historical event, The Three Kingdoms, we trace how this event was renarrativized and remediated through many incarnations from official dynastic history to contemporary video game and from Chinese novel and Japanese game to American gaming communities. P. Keulemans EAS 225 - Japanese Society and Culture (also ANT 323) Not offered this year SA An exploration of Japanese labor, gender and feminism, crime and social control, race and notions of homogeneity, nationalism and youth culture. The course considers Japan's struggle to come to terms with the West while at the same time integrating its past. It also looks at American misperceptions of Japanese society and economics. Two lectures, one preceptorial. A. Borovoy EAS 231 - Chinese Martial Arts Classics: Fiction, Film, Fact Not offered this year LA This course provides an overview of Chinese martial arts fiction and film from earliest times to the present day. The focus will be on the close-reading of literary, art-historical, and cinematic texts, but will also include discussion of the significance of these works against their broader historical and social background. Topics to be discussed: the literary/cinematic pleasure of watching violence, the relationship between violence and the law, gender ambiguity and the woman warrior, the imperial and (trans)national order of martial arts cinema, and the moral and physical economy of vengeance. P. Keulemans EAS 232 - Introduction to Chinese Literature Not offered this year LA The development of classical Chinese literature, traced through close readings of original texts in English translation. Topics include the nature of the Chinese language and writing system, classical literary thought, religious and philosophical influences, dominance of poetry, emergence of historical writing, and vernacular fiction. Two lectures, one preceptorial. A. Shields EAS 242 - Korean Women: Postmodern to Premodern (also GSS 243) Fall/Spring LA This course focuses on the images of women in Korean cultural production, spanning from contemporary to pre-twentieth-century periods. Analyzing the historical variations in the notions of femininity that appear in literary and filmic texts, we will use these feminine images as access points to the aesthetic conundrums produced at crucial historical junctures. These feminine images, produced locally and globally, will allow us to examine the experiences of immigrant diaspora, Korea's neo-colonial relationship with the United States, the Korean War, colonial modernity, and Confucian patriarchal kinship. K. Chizhova EAS 280 - Nomadic Empires: From the Scythian Confederation to the Mongol Conquest (also HIS 279) Fall HA In telling histories of East Asia, South Asia, the Middle East, and Europe, various groups of nomadic people often loomed large in the background and served as the foil to the travail of their sedentary neighbors. In this course we put the nomadic peoples of Inner Asia front and center, and ask how the nomadic way of life and mode of state building served as agents of change in pre-modern Eurasia. X. Wen EAS 300 - Junior Seminar Fall Designed to introduce departmental majors, in the fall of their junior year, to the tools, methodologies, and topics related to the study of East Asian history and culture. The focus of the course will vary each year, and will be cross-national and multidisciplinary, covering both premodern and modern periods. One three-hour seminar. X. Wen EAS 301 - The Passionate Eye: Documentary Film in East Asia Not offered this year LA The seminar will encourage students to think critically about the documentary as artistic medium and as socio-political practice. Some important questions will focus on the form itself: who has produced and watched these films and through what sorts of technologies? What are the codes through which documentaries make sense of their subjects and how do these change? Other questions will have wider scope: how can filmmaking impact politics and culture? How does it deal with the gap between reality and representation? What are the ethical issues of such work? What, if anything, is distinct about the life of documentary films in East Asia? S. Chung EAS 310 - Empire to Nation: 20th Century Japanese Fiction and Film LA This course will examine modern Japanese fiction and film that engaged with Japan's shift from "empire" to "nation" (roughly from 1930s to 1960s) with a specific focus on identity formation via race, ethnicity, and nationalism. A. Ueda EAS 312 - Mind, Body, and Bioethics in Japan and Beyond (also ANT 312) Not offered this year EM The seminar will examine key concepts of the mind, the body, and the nature-culture distinction. We will study these issues in the context of Japanese beliefs about the good society, making connections between "lay culture," Japanese notions of social democracy, and "science culture." Topics include: styles of care for the mentally ill, the politics of disability, notions of human life and death, responses to bio-technology, the management of human materials (such as organs), cultural definitions of addiction and "co-dependency," and the ethics of human enhancement. A. Borovoy EAS 320 - Early Japanese History HA The history of Japan from the origins of the Japanese people to the establishment of Tokugawa rule in 1600, using the epic war tale The Tale of the Heike as a lens. Particular emphasis will be placed on institutional and cultural history. One three-hour seminar. T. Conlan EAS 321 - Early Modern Japan (also HIS 321) Not offered this year HA The history of Japan during the period of Samurai rule. Distinctive features of Tokugawa society and culture from the foundation of the regime in 1600 to its decline in the 19th century, the opening of Japan to Western contact, the course of economic development, and the consolidation of the Meiji State. Two lectures, one preceptorial. Staff EAS 331 - Chinese Poetry (also COM 331) LA Close reading of classical Chinese poetry through transliteration, word-to-word explication, notes on allusions and background, and literal translation. Discussion of Chinese theories of poetry and the comparison between Chinese and Western poetic traditions. Knowledge of the Chinese language is not required or expected. One three-hour seminar. M. Kern EAS 334 - Modern Chinese Literature and Film Not offered this year LA Analysis through selected literary and cinematic works of authors' ideas, hopes, and worries about the fate of modern China. Consideration of literary and cinematic technique as well as the larger historical context. Readings in English. P. Keulemans EAS 343 - Modern Japanese Literature: Early Years Not offered this year LA An introduction to major literary works in the early modern period when Japanese literature was attempting to re-establish itself through Western influences. Readings in English translation include works by Ogai, Soseki, Ichiyo, Toson, and Shiga. Topics include the evolution of modern Japanese fiction vis-a-vis the modernization of Japan, representations of self, individualism, and nationalism. A. Ueda EAS 344 - Postwar Japanese Narrative: Modern to Postmodern (also COM 344) Fall LA A critical survey of important literary, critical, and popular texts in postwar Japan. Readings and discussion of translated texts by writers and thinkers such as Kawabata, Oe, Maruyama, and Abe as well as by lesser-known women writers, avant-garde poets, and comic writers. Topics include the impact of war and urbanization, existentialism, ethnicity, postmodernism, and feminism. One three-hour seminar. A. Ueda EAS 349 - North Korean Imaginaries Not offered this year SA North Korea is the subject of an array of often contradictory political and aesthetic representations, each of which make claims to truth. This course sets out to scrutinize these very real and productive imaginaries. Primary engagements will include official speeches and documents, artistic productions and defector testimonies from North Korea, as well as historical research, policy analysis, journalism, and non-state activities from outside the nation's borders. The task of understanding this most troubled of states will be challenged by visits from journalists, former intelligence or policy consultants, defectors, and religious groups. S. Chung EAS 351 - Korean Cinema Not offered this year LA This is a broad historical examination of Korean cinema from both sides of the DMZ. We start with some rare surviving colonial period films and work our way to the very recent films of the "Korean wave" era. Our thermatic focus will be post-coloniality, ideological division, war, national reconstruction, democratization, and intensified global capitalism; our critical focus will be on problems of nation, class, and gender. At the heart of work for the course will be attention to the films themselves, where we will try to account critically for shifts in style and form. S. Chung EAS 370 - Brainwashing, Conversion and Other Technologies of Belief Contagion Not offered this year SA The seminar explores conversion in media discourses and practices of the Cold War, with a focus on Asia. Conversion is approached as a protean figure spanning religious doctrine, forces of economic mobility, cross-cultural encounters, and states of political subjectivity. Its media forms include portrayals of brainwashing, control of networks and content, and ideas about media's hypnotic power. The seminar inquires into how conversion attained heightened conceptual force during the Cold War and will examine quasi-scientific notions of brainwashing, the proliferation of religious cults, and the hardening of ideological binarism. S. Chung EAS 415 - Intellectual History of China to the Fifth Century (also HIS 444) Not offered this year EM Considers the developing repertoire of ideas in China to the end of the Chin period, with key philosophical, political, ethical, and scientific concepts treated in terms of their social context and subsequent influence. One three-hour seminar. A prior course in East Asian studies is desirable but not required. Staff EAS 416 - Intellectual History of China from the Ninth to the 19th Century Not offered this year HA The main facets and changes in the outlook of the intellectual elite in society and politics from the establishment of the literati in the 11th century to their survival under the Manchu conquest and incursions from Western powers. The focus is on the preservation of cultural integrity in the face of internal and external political and ideological challenges. One three-hour seminar. A prior course in East Asian studies is desirable but not required. Staff JPN 101 - Elementary Japanese I Fall An introduction to modern Japanese stressing oral-aural facility but including an introduction to written Japanese. Two classes, three hours of drill and conversation. No credit is given for JPN 101 unless followed by JPN 102. Staff JPN 102 - Elementary Japanese II Spring A continuation of 101. An introduction to modern Japanese still stressing oral-aural facility but including an introduction to written Japanese. Prerequisite: JPN 101. Five 50-minutes classes. Staff JPN 105 - Intermediate Japanese I Fall Continued study of modern Japanese by consistent review and reinforcement of major grammatical points and more advanced vocabulary and grammar. This course will develop conversational as well as reading and writing skills. Prerequisite: JPN 102 or equivalent. Five 50-minute classes. Staff JPN 107 - Intermediate Japanese II Spring A continuation of JPN 105. The course aims at a thorough mastery of modern Japanese by consistent review and reinforcement of major grammatical points. Emphasis will increasingly be on reading; however oral work will still comprise fundamental aspect of the course. Prerequisite: JPN 105 or equivalent. Five 50-minute classes. Staff JPN 301 - Advanced Japanese I Fall Further reading in modern written Japanese with subsidiary grammatical and oral-aural training. The course covers some authentic materials and includes videotaped materials to increase oral-aural comprehension. Three 80-minute classes. Staff JPN 302 - Advanced Japanese II Spring A continuation of 301. Further reading in modern written Japanese with subsidiary grammatical and oral-aural training. The course covers some authentic materials and includes videotaped materials to increase oral-aural comprehension. Prerequisite: JPN 301. Three 80-minute classes. Staff JPN 305 - Integrative Advanced Japanese I Fall Designed to enhance reading, writing, and oral skills of students who need class work to achieve proficiency. Prerequisites: JPN 302 or its equivalent. Two 90-minute classes. T. Shibata JPN 306 - Integrative Advanced Japanese II Spring A continuation of JPN 305. Designed to enhance reading, writing, and oral skills of students who need class work to achieve advanced proficiency level. Prerequisites: JPN 305 or its equivalent. Two 90-minutes classes. T. Shibata JPN 401 - Readings in Modern Japanese I (also EAS 401) Fall This course is targeted to students whose Japanese proficiency is at an advanced or superior level. Students will discuss various issues using dramas, short novels, and editorials, and learn Japanese in academic or professional settings. Prerequisite: JPN 306 or equivalent. Two 90-minute classes. Staff JPN 402 - Readings in Modern Japanese II (also EAS 402) Spring Selected readings from short stories, essays, and newspapers. Two 90-minute classes. Prerequisite: 401 or instructor's permission. Staff JPN 403 - Introduction to Classical Japanese Not offered this year Introduction to the fundamentals of classic Japanese grammar. This course trains students to read premodern Japanese historical and literary texts. Texts: Taketori monogatari, Makura no soshi, Tosa nikki, etc. Prerequisite: two years of modern Japanese. Three hours. K. Ono JPN 404 - Readings in Classical Japanese Spring HA Close reading of selected premodern Japanese texts from Nara to Meiji. Texts: Oku no hosomichi, Uji shui monogatari, etc. Prerequisite: 403 or instructor's permission. Three hours. K. Ono JPN 405 - Readings in Selected Fields I Not offered this year Designed to give students who have had advanced training in modern Japanese an opportunity for directed readings in their own fields. Three classes. Prerequisite: 402 or instructor's permission. Staff JPN 406 - Readings in Selected Fields II Not offered this year Designed to give students who have had advanced training in modern Japanese an opportunity for directed readings in their own fields. Three classes. Prerequisite: 402 or instructor's permission. Staff JPN 407 - Contemporary Japanese Language and Culture I Fall This course emphasizes continued development of the four skills (reading, writing, listening, and speaking) used in academic or professional settings. Materials include novels, essays, reports, films, and documentaries. Prerequisite: JPN 402 or equivalent. Staff JPN 408 - Contemporary Japanese Language and Culture II Spring A continuation of JPN 407. This course emphasizes continued development of the four skills (reading, writing, listening, and speaking) used in academic or professional settings. Materials include novels, essays, reports, films, and documentaries. Prerequisite: JPN 407 or equivalent. Staff KOR 101 - Elementary Korean I Fall Elementary Korean is designed for beginning students who intend to build a solid foundation for further study in the Korean language. The course provides four balanced language skills - listening, speaking, reading, and writing - needed for basic communication. It emphasizes the ability to use Korean appropriately and introduces students to useful information concerning culture and daily life in Korea. Staff KOR 102 - Elementary Korean II Spring A continuation of KOR 101. Continued development of proficiency in basic communication by balancing four language skills - listening, speaking, reading, and writing. Staff KOR 103 - Intensive Korean I Fall The first part of Intensive Korean is designed for heritage students who have already had considerable amount of exposure to the Korean language and culture but have not received any formal instruction before their arriving at Princeton. It covers the Elementary Korean material focusing on vocabulary building, grammar, reading and writing. Staff KOR 105 - Intermediate Korean I Fall Intermediate Korean is designed for students who have learned the basics of the Korean language and want to improve their competence to a higher level. Complex sentences and grammar are covered while the basics are reviewed. Balancing four language skills -- listening, speaking, reading, and writing -- is emphasized. Staff KOR 107 - Intermediate Korean II Spring A continuation of KOR 105. Continued development of four skills (speaking, listening, reading, and writing) in Korean. Complex grammatical structures and irregularities are taught while the basics are reviewed. Idiomatic expressions are introduced. Journals are kept for writing practice. Staff KOR 108 - Intensive Korean II Spring A continuation of KOR 103, this course covers the Intermediate Korean material focusing on complex grammatical structures, reading, and writing. Journals are kept for writing practice. Staff KOR 301 - Advanced Korean I Fall Advanced Korean is designed to develop fluency in both oral and literary skills. Expansion of vocabulary, practice in reading comprehension as well as active skills of conversation and writing are stressed through short readings and class discussion. Readings include different styles of writings on various topics including Korean culture, society, and history. Staff KOR 302 - Advanced Korean II Spring A continuation of KOR 301. Continued development of proficiency in speaking and reading through short readings and class discussion. Vocabulary learning and discourse skills are emphasized. Staff KOR 303 - Integrative Korean I Fall Integrative Korean course is designed to promote students' proficiency to the advanced-mid level and to enhance their continued development of literacy skills in Korean. Various authentic reading and audiovisual materials are reviewed in class discussion, presentation skills are emphasized, and a wider range of formal vocabulary is introduced. Staff KOR 308 - Integrative Korean II Spring CD A continuation of KOR 303. Focusing on stabilizing literacy development through a variety of authentic reading materials, class discussions, presentations, and various writing assignments. Expanding advanced-level vocabulary is also emphasized. Staff KOR 401 - Contemporary Korean Language and Culture I Fall The fifth-year Korean language course is designed to accelerate students' proficiency to the high-advanced level and to promote a deeper level of understanding of contemporary Korea and its people. A wide range of social, cultural and economic issues are covered through the use of various media resources (e.g., dramas, films, songs, commercials, newspapers, websites) as well as short essays. Classroom discussions are conducted in Korean. Staff KOR 402 - Contemporary Korean Language and Culture II Spring LA Reading and discussion of thoughts and issues related to the contemporary Korean society. Readings drawn from a variety of sociocultural and historical as well as sociolinguistic topics include family, marriage, education, technology and changes in the Korean language. Class discussions are conducted in Korean. Staff KOR 405 - Readings in Modern Korean l (also EAS 405) Fall LA The sixth-year Korean language course is designed to advance students' reading and writing skills to the superior level and to promote a deeper understanding of the Korean language, culture, society, and history. Readings cover various types of authentic materials (e.g., editorials, think pieces, essays, and contemporary literary short stories). Discussion and presentation skills in formal settings (i.e., academic and professional) are also emphasized. Class discussions are conducted in Korean. Staff KOR 407 - Readings in Modern Korean II (also EAS 406) Spring LA Continued development of literacy skills to the superior level. Focusing on critical thinking through reading and writing in Korean. The course covers a wide range of sociocultural and political as well as sociolinguistic issues presented in classic short stories, poems, and historical texts. A term project is assigned for the second half of the course. Staff ART 216 - Aesthetics and Politics of Chinese Painting (also EAS 213) Fall LA Thematic introduction to the role of painting in Chinese cultural history, with attention to the interaction of stylistic standards, materials, and techniques; the impact of regional geographies on landscape painting; the influence of class, gender, and social behavior on figure painting; the engagement of art with traditional philosophies and 20th-century socialism; and the shape of time in art-historical development. For department majors, this course satisfies the Group 2 distribution requirement. Three lectures. C. Wang ART 217 - The Arts of Japan (also EAS 217) Fall LA Surveys arts of Japan from the pre-historic period through the present day. Painting, sculpture, and architecture form the core of study. Examines critical role of other forms, including calligraphy, lacquer, and ceramics. Takes close account of the broader cultural and historical contexts in which art was made. Topics include ongoing tension in Japanese art between foreign and indigenous, role of ritual in Japan's visual arts, re-uses of the past, changing loci of patronage, and formats and materials of Japanese art. For department majors, this course satisfies the Group 1, 2, or 3 distribution requirement. Two lectures, one preceptorial. A. Watsky ART 350 - Chinese Cinema (also EAS 356) Not offered this year LA Thematic studies in Chinese film (Republic, People's Republic, Taiwan, Hong Kong), from the 1930s to the present with emphasis on recent years, viewed in relation to traditional and modern Chinese visual arts and literature, colonialism and globalism, Communist politics, gender and family values, ethnicity and regionalism, melodrama and the avant-garde, the cinematic market, artistic censorship, and other social issues. For department majors, this course satisfies the Group 3 distribution requirement. One three-hour seminar, one evening viewing session. Staff ART 351 - Traditional Chinese Architecture (also ARC 310/EAS 357) Not offered this year LA Thematic introduction to traditional Chinese architecture, urban design, and garden building, with attention to principles and symbolism of siting and design; building techniques; modularity of structures and interchangeability of palace, temple, tomb, and domestic design; regional variation. For department majors, this course satisfies the Group 2 distribution requirement. Two 90-minute classes. Staff ART 423 - Landscape Art in China (also EAS 423) Not offered this year LA A course about Chinese concepts of nature and human nature, theories and traditions of landscape art. Weekly consideration of such themes as replicating and transforming the landscape; submission to/control of nature; landscape as political allegory; pilgrimage and exile; gardens and artists' studios; landscape magic in ancient China; endangered pandas, power dams, and the technology of modern art. For department majors, this course satisfies the Group 2 or 3 distribution requirement. One three-hour seminar. Staff ART 425 - The Japanese Print (also EAS 425) Not offered this year LA An examination of Japanese woodblock prints from the 17th through the 19th century. This seminar considers formal and technical aspects of woodblock prints, and the varied subject matter, including the "floating world" of prostitution and the theater, Japanese landscape, and burgeoning urban centers. Students explore the links between literature and prints, especially the re-working of elite classical literary themes in popular prints. For department majors, this course satisfies the Group 2 or 3 distribution requirement. Prerequisite: at least one course in art history or Japanese studies, or permission of instructor. One three-hour seminar. A. Watsky ECO 379 - The Chinese Economy (also EAS 346) Not offered this year SA Economic analysis of the Chinese economy after 1949. Economic planning, economic reform, economic growth and fluctuations, consumption, environmental problems, population and human capital, banking and financial systems, foreign trade and investment, legal and political systems and current issues. Prerequisites: 100 and 101. Two 90-minute lectures one preceptorial. Staff HIS 207 - History of East Asia to 1800 (also EAS 207/MED 207) Not offered this year HA General introduction to major themes in the cultural, intellectual, and institutional history of China and Japan, with some attention to Korea and Southeast Asia. Two lectures, one preceptorial. T. Conlan, X. Wen HIS 208 - East Asia since 1800 (also EAS 208) Spring HA An introduction to the history of modern East Asia, examining the inter-related histories of Korea, Japan, and China since 1800 and their relationships with the wider world. Major topics include: trade, cultural exchanges, reform and revolution, war, colonialism, Cold War geopolitics, socialism. Two lectures, one preceptorial. H. Bian, S. Garon HIS 282 - The Historian's Craft: Approaches to Asian History (also EAS 282/SAS 282) Spring CD or HA An intensive, documents-based introduction to methods and issues in Asian history, focusing on topics that embed Asia in the wider context of world history. Especially recommended for prospective concentrators. The problems investigated (Marco Polo in Asia, Jesuits in China, Russo-Japanese War, Japan's Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere, etc.) will vary. Emphasis will be on interpreting primary sources, framing historical questions, and constructing historical explanations. Two 90-minute classes. H. Bian, D. Cherian HIS 322 - 20th-Century Japan (also EAS 324/URB 324) Fall HA An analysis of change and continuity in modern Japanese society, with emphasis on industrialization, social discontent, parliamentary democracy, war, defeat, the "economic miracle," and Japanese preoccupation with national identity in a Western-dominated world. Divided between the prewar and postwar periods. Two lectures, one preceptorial. S. Garon HIS 324 - Early Modern China (also EAS 354) Not offered this year HA China between the 1570s and the 1860s, from its early involvement in the new world economy to the crises of the Opium War era. Emphasis on the history and culture of the Qing empire, its success and challenges, with attention to family and society, religion, art, and literature. Two lectures, one preceptorial. H. Bian HIS 325 - China, 1850 to the Present (also EAS 355) Spring HA China's transformations and continuities from the civil wars of the mid-19th century to the economic reforms of the 1980s. Topics include the opium crisis, the impact of natural disasters, the fall of the imperial dynasty, China's struggle with Western and Japanese imperialism, and experiments in government and society on mainland China and Taiwan since 1949. Two lectures, one preceptorial. J. Chen HIS 342 - Southeast Asia's Global History (also EAS 342/NES 343) Not offered this year HA Provides an introduction to Southeast Asia and its prominent place in global history NES 343 through a series of encounters in time, from Marco Polo in Sumatra to the latest events in such buzzing cities as Bangkok, Jakarta, and Hanoi. For the early modern period we will read various primary sources before turning to consider a series of diverse colonial impacts across the region (European, American, and Asian), and then the mechanisms underpinning the formation of some of the most vibrant, and sometimes turbulent, countries on the world stage. Two 90-minute classes. M. Laffan HUM 233 - East Asian Humanities I: The Classical Foundations (also COM 233/EAS 233) Fall EM An introduction to the literature, art, religion, and philosophy of China, Japan, and Korea from antiquity to ca. 1400. Readings are focused on primary texts in translation and complemented by museum visits, films, and other materials from the visual arts. The lecturers include faculty members from East Asian studies, comparative literature, art and archaeology, and religion. Students are encouraged to enroll in HUM 234 in the spring, which continues the course from ca. 1400 into the 20th century. B. Steininger, T. Wilson HUM 234 - East Asian Humanities II: Traditions and Transformations (also COM 234/EAS 234) Spring EM An introduction to the literary, philosophical, religious, and artistic traditions of East Asia. Readings are focused on primary texts in translation. Lectures and discussions are accompanied by films, concerts, and museum visits. Lecturers include faculty members from East Asian studies, comparative literature, art and archaeology, and religion. K. Chizhova, X. Xia HUM 335 - A Global History of Monsters (also EAS 376/HIS 334) Fall CD or HA This class analyzes how different cultures imagine monsters and how these representations changed over time to perform different social functions. As negative objectifications of fundamental social structures and conceptions, monsters are a key to understand the culture that engendered them. This course has three goals: it familiarizes students with the semiotics of monsters worldwide; it teaches analytical techniques exportable to other topics and fields; it proposes interpretive strategies of "reading culture" comparatively beyond the stereotype of "the West and the Rest." F. Marcon POL 362 - Chinese Politics (also EAS 362/SPI 323) Fall SA Traditional politics; the rise of warlords, nationalists, and radicals; causes of the "Liberation," land reform, Hundred Flowers, Great Leap Forward, Cultural Revolution, and Four Modernizations; policies of Mao and Deng for development, health, law, and rights. Two lectures, one preceptorial. R. Truex REL 226 - The Religions of China (also EAS 226) Spring EM A thematic introduction to the history of Chinese religion. Topics include: cosmology, family, shamanism, divination, mortuary ritual, and women. Readings are drawn from a wide range of sources, including sacred scriptures, popular literature, and modern ethnography. Two lectures, one preceptorial. S. Teiser REL 228 - Religion in Japanese Culture (also EAS 228) Not offered this year HA An introduction to Japanese religion from ancient to modern times, focusing on its role in culture and history. Representative aspects of Shinto, Buddhist, Christian, and other traditions will be studied, as well as such topics as politics, death, myth, asceticism, and secularism. Two lectures, one preceptorial. B. Lowe REL 280 - Zen Buddhism (also EAS 281) Spring CD or EM Are Zen and other religions stable entities with identifiable essences? Or do they lack a core, gradually vanishing as each layer is peeled away? Do they take on different forms in relation to cultural and power configurations? Or can they themselves shape social and political structures? In order to understand these questions and ask better ones, we will examine Zen in diverse contexts, including China, Japan, Korea, Germany, and the United States, to consider the tensions between romanticized ideals and practice on the ground. We will grapple with studying complex religious traditions with complicated and sometimes troubling histories. B. Lowe REL 322 - Buddhism in Japan (also EAS 322) Not offered this year HA An examination of representative aspects of Buddhist thought and practice in Japan from the sixth century to the present. Possible topics include: major Buddhist traditions (Lotus, Pure Land, Zen, and Tantrism), meditation, ritual, cosmology, ethics, influence on literature, and interaction with other religions. Two 90-minute seminars. Staff REL 323 - Japanese Mythology (also EAS 358) Not offered this year CD or HA Myths are powerful. The stories we will read were first recorded around 1,300 years ago and continue to be told in the present day. We will ask why people -- both in Japan and humans more generally -- tell these types of tales. To answer this question, we will explore comparative approaches that search for universal patterns, myths as "ideology in narrative form" used as tools of legitimization, and appropriation of myths for new purposes in original contexts including feminist critiques. B. Lowe SOC 308 - Communism and Beyond: China and Russia (also EAS 308/RES 308) Spring SA A review of the stages of communism, including reform and dismantling. Comparisons of social classes and ethnic groups under the old system and their readiness for recent changes. Treatment of workers, farmers, intellectuals, officials, and new entrepreneurs. Comparative approach to China, Russia, and other countries formed from the Soviet Union. Two ninety-minute classes. D. Kaple TRA 304 - Translating East Asia (also COM 373/EAS 304/HUM 333) Fall CD or LA Translation is at the core of our engagement with China, Japan, and Korea, influencing our reading choices and shaping our understanding of East Asia. From translations of the classics to the grass-root subtitling of contemporary Anime movies, from the formation of the modern East Asian cultural discourse to cross-cultural references in theater and film, the seminar poses fundamental questions to our encounters with East Asian cultural artifacts, reflecting on what "translation" of "original works" means in a global world where the "original" is often already located in its projected "translation." M. Kern