Asian Studies, BA

215 Mather Memorial
Phone: 216.368.5362
Lihong Shi, Program Advisor
lihong.shi@case.edu

Degree: Bachelor of Arts (BA)
Major: Asian Studies

Program Overview

Asian studies has become an increasingly important area of study in North American colleges and universities. This is due in part to a growing acknowledgment that Asian cultures are of significance both regionally and globally. The Asian Studies Program offers students the opportunity to explore these cultures from a multidisciplinary perspective so that they are able to understand the social, cultural, political, and other forces that shape and have shaped Asian nations.

The Asian Studies Program draws on faculty and courses from such departments as anthropology, art history and art, economics, modern languages and literatures, history, philosophy, political science, and religious studies. A current list of approved courses is available from the program advisor.

Students are encouraged to take courses in different disciplines in order to obtain broad exposure to the languages, literature, art, culture, religious traditions, and political, economic, and social institutions of Asian countries. The Asian Studies Program also offers an honors program to qualified majors.

In addition to course offerings, the Asian Studies Program sponsors extracurricular activities that enhance the formal study of Asia and give students additional opportunities to explore and understand Asia’s importance in the global community. The program sponsors lectures and films and administers a website devoted to Asia. It also encourages students to participate in study abroad programs in Asian countries and to utilize Asian resources at the Cleveland Museum of Art and other local institutions.

Undergraduate Policies

For undergraduate policies and procedures, please review the Undergraduate Academics section of the General Bulletin.

Accelerated Master's Programs

Undergraduate students may participate in accelerated programs toward graduate or professional degrees. For more information and details of the policies and procedures related to accelerated studies, please visit the Undergraduate Academics section of the General Bulletin.

Department Faculty

Lihong Shi
Associate Professor, Department of Anthropology; Program Advisor, Asian Studies

Beth Carter
Assistant Professor, Department of Modern Languages and Literatures

Ananya Dasgupta
Associate Professor, Department of History

Jue Liang
Severance Professor in the History of Religion; Assistant Professor, Department of Religious Studies

Kelly McMann
Lucy Adams Leffingwell Professor, Department of Political Science

Deepak Sarma
Professor, Department of Religious Studies

Yasuhiro Shirai
Professor, Department of Cognitive Science

Jonathan Tan
Archbishop Paul J. Hallinan Professor in Catholic Studies; Associate Professor, Department of Religious Studies

Peter Yang
Associate Professor, Department of Modern Languages and Literatures

Program Requirements

Students seeking to complete this major and degree program must meet the general requirements for bachelor's degrees and the Unified General Education Requirements. Students completing this program as a secondary major while completing another undergraduate degree program do not need to satisfy the school-specific requirements associated with this major.

The Asian Studies major, which leads to a Bachelor of Arts degree, consists of 31 credit hours, including:

At least 16 credit hours (two years) of Chinese or Japanese language
15 credit hours of Asia-related courses, selected in consultation with the program advisor

The 15 credit hours in Asia-related courses must be at the 200- or 300-level and come from at least three different departments.

Language Courses:

Course List
Code	Title	Credit Hours
Chinese Language Courses:
CHIN 101	Elementary Chinese I	4
CHIN 102	Elementary Chinese II	4
CHIN 201	Intermediate Chinese I	4
CHIN 202	Intermediate Chinese II	4
CHIN 301	Advanced Chinese I	4
CHIN 302	Advanced Chinese II	4
CHIN 320	Chinese Popular Culture	3
CHIN 330	Chinese Cinema	3
CHIN 350	China and Green Cultural Transformation	3
CHIN 350D	China and Green Cultural Transformation	3
CHIN 381	Contemporary Chinese Texts II	3
CHIN 399	Independent Study	1 - 3

Course List
Code	Title	Credit Hours
Japanese Language Courses:
JAPN 101	Elementary Japanese I	4
JAPN 102	Elementary Japanese II	4
JAPN 201	Intermediate Japanese I	4
JAPN 202	Intermediate Japanese II	4
JAPN 215	The World of Manga	3
JAPN 225	Japanese Popular Culture and Society	3
JAPN 235	The Japan Experience: Kyoto - Language, Culture & Exchanges	3
JAPN 245	Classical Japanese Literature: Enduring Aesthetics in Poetry, Prose, Musings, and Plays	3
JAPN 255	Modern Japanese Literature in Translation	3
JAPN 265	Constructing the Samurai: Images of Japanese Warriors from 1100's to the Present	3
JAPN 301	Advanced Japanese I	4
JAPN 302	Advanced Japanese II	4
JAPN 315	Origins of Anime: Classical Texts, Modern Manga, Anime, and Tales	3
JAPN 335	Japanese Linguistics	3
JAPN 337	Love and Loss: Reading The Tale of Genji	3
JAPN 350	Contemporary Japanese Texts I	3
JAPN 351	Contemporary Japanese Texts II	3
JAPN 355	Modern Japanese Novels and the West	3
JAPN 397	Senior Thesis I	3
JAPN 398	Senior Thesis II	3
JAPN 399	Independent Study	1 - 3

Asia-related Courses:

Course List
Code	Title	Credit Hours
Anthropology Courses:
ANTH 312	Ethnography of Southeast Asia	3
ANTH 331	The Most Ancient Near East	3
ANTH 333	Roots of Ancient India: Archaeology of South Asia	3
ANTH 353	Chinese Culture and Society	3
ANTH 354	Health and Healing in East Asia	3

Course List
Code	Title	Credit Hours
Asian Studies Courses:
ASIA 132	Introduction to Modern East Asia	3
ASIA 288	Imperial China: The Great Qing	3
ASIA 289	Reform, Revolution, Republics: China 1895 to Present	3
ASIA 320	Chinese Popular Culture	3
ASIA 330	Chinese Cinema	3
ASIA 398	Honors Thesis	1 - 4
ASIA 399	Independent Study	1 - 3

Course List
Code	Title	Credit Hours
Art History Courses:
ARTH 203	The Arts of Asia	3
ARTH 302		3
ARTH 341	Issues in the Art of Japan	3
ARTH 398	Independent Study in Art History	1 - 3

Course List
Code	Title	Credit Hours
History Courses:
HSTY 132	Introduction to Modern East Asia	3
HSTY 137	Introduction to Modern South Asia	3
HSTY 157	Women's Histories in South Asia	3
HSTY 288	Imperial China: The Great Qing	3
HSTY 289	Reform, Revolution, Republics: China 1895 to Present	3

Course List
Code	Title	Credit Hours
Political Science Courses:
POSC 353	Political Thought and Political Change in China	3
POSC 370D	The Politics of China	3

Course List
Code	Title	Credit Hours
Religious Studies Courses:
PHIL 253	Religion and Philosophy in China	3
RLGN 108	The History of Yoga: The Yoga of Transformation and the Transformation of Yoga	3
RLGN 153	Introducing Chinese Religions	3
RLGN 154	Introducing Hinduism	3
RLGN 216	Hinduism	3
RLGN 217	Buddhism	3
RLGN 221	Indian Philosophy	3
RLGN 228	Asian Americans: Histories, Cultures, Religions	3
RLGN 243	Bollywood, Social Justice, Gender and Sexuality: Contemporary Bollywood Movies with a Social Message	3
RLGN 253	Religion and Philosophy in China	3
RLGN 348	Buddhism and Cognitive Science	3
RLGN 353	Hindu and Jain Bioethics: Special Focus on Women's and Gender Studies	3

Honors Program

Asian Studies Honors is a semester-long program for Asian studies majors, normally taken during the senior year, which involves researching and writing an honors thesis. Honors program requirements include the completion of 12 credit hours of approved Asia-related courses, at least two semesters of study of an Asian language, and maintenance of a GPA of at least 3.0 overall and 3.2 in Asian studies courses.

A participating student enrolls in ASIA 398 and writes a thesis under the direction of an Asian Studies faculty member. The student also receives guidance from a second reader, who must be a member of the Asian Studies Program. A third reader, who need not be a member of the Asian Studies Program, is optional. Each student must maintain regular contact with the supervising faculty member in the various stages of researching and writing the thesis. Detailed guidelines and deadlines for the course are available from the program advisor.

Asian Studies (ASIA)

ASIA 132. Introduction to Modern East Asia. 3 Units.

This course is an introduction to the histories of modern China, Japan, Korea, and Vietnam from the "dawn of the global world" in the 17th century to present. Taken together these regions make up the geographic and cultural unit commonly referred to as "East Asia." Over the course of the term, we will investigate the usefulness of this concept of "East Asia" by examining its origins as well as the sometimes convergent, sometimes divergent relations between this region and the rest of the world. We will also challenge the stereotype of a monolithic and static East Asia and see to develop a critical understanding of the internal and external forces integrating and dividing this region. We will examine how international diplomatic, commercial, military, religious, and cultural relationships shaped the individual countries as well as their relationships with each other and the world. The course sweeps over large regions of time and space. It aims to put the contemporary discussion of globalization into historical perspective by examining the long-lasting interactions of East Asian countries with each other and the rest of the world. These connections were economic, political, cultural, and psychological. Topics include: global silver and trade flows, warfare and military technology, imperial domination and revolutionary resistance, and the role of historical memory, as in Nanking or Hiroshima. Sources include historical documents, pictures, films, and memoirs. As we move through the course material our goal is not to gain total knowledge of modern East Asia, nor of China, Japan, Korea nor Vietnam. Rather, by the end of the term you should be able to identify some of the main organizing themes in modern East Asian history and develop a greater understanding of the construction and nature of historical knowledge itself. Offered as HSTY 132 and ASIA 132. Counts as a CAS Global & Cultural Diversity course.

ASIA 217. Buddhism. 3 Units.

From India to Indonesia, from Tibet to the United States, the reach of Buddhism has been pervasive and persistent throughout the past millennia. What makes Buddhism so popular? Why are there so many Buddhist traditions all over the world, and what are those? What makes them different, and what sets of core tenets do they share, if any? In this course, we will explore together the basic teachings of Buddhism in its manifold emanations. Using Buddhism as an example, we will also begin to think about religion as a tool of social organization or resistance, as a cosmopolitan language to converse with other cultures, and as an integral part of human lives past and present. Offered as ASIA 217 and RLGN 217. Counts as a CAS Global & Cultural Diversity course. Counts as a Understanding Global Perspectives course.

ASIA 288. Imperial China: The Great Qing. 3 Units.

This course is an introduction to the history of Imperial China, from the fall of the Ming Dynasty in 1644 to the creation of the Chinese republic in 1912. We will explore the major historical transformations (political, economic, social, and cultural) of the last imperial dynasty, the Qing (1644-1911), and develop an understanding of the major social, political, economic, and intellectual cultural forces shaping the formation of modern China. Contrary to commonly-held ideas in both West and in China that traditional Chinese society was timeless or stagnant, historians now see dramatic and significant changes during this period--to the economy, to gender relations, to religion, and to many other aspects of life. This course surveys the social, political, economic, and cultural history of this era, with emphasis on recent research. The main goals of the course will be to acquaint students with the key changes and to show the interplay between economic, social, and cultural changes on the one hand and political developments on the other. By the end of the semester you should have a good sense of how Chinese society was transformed over the course of the 17th through early 20th centuries. The topics we will discuss include urbanization and commerce; gender, family and kinship; education and the examination system; opium and free trade; and ethnicity and nationalism. Offered as ASIA 288 and HSTY 288. Counts as a CAS Global & Cultural Diversity course.

ASIA 289. Reform, Revolution, Republics: China 1895 to Present. 3 Units.

Completes a two-term sequence of the Chinese history survey, although HSTY 288 is not a prerequisite for this course. Beginning with the First Sino-Japanese War (1895), we review the historical development of intellectual discourse, public reaction, and political protest in later Imperial China through the creation of the People's Republic in 1949 forward to contemporary times. In contrast to the conventional description of China from a Western point of view, this course tries to explain the emergence of modern China in the context of its intellectual, political, and socio-economic transformation as experienced by Chinese in the late 19th and into the 20th century. By discussing the influence of the West, domestic rebellions, and political radicalism, we examine how the Chinese state and society interacted in search for modernization and reforms, how these reforms were continued during the Republican period, and to what extent historical patterns can be identified in China's present-day development. Offered as ASIA 289 and HSTY 289. Counts as a CAS Global & Cultural Diversity course.

ASIA 320. Chinese Popular Culture. 3 Units.

In this course we are going to study Chinese (including Mainland China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Chinese Diaspora) popular culture since the 1980s. By examining different forms of popular culture, including popular literature, film, music, TV programs, posters, the Internet, etc., we will be looking into their political, ideological, sociological, cultural, and psychological mechanisms. The film viewing will take place outside the class. Offered as CHIN 320, ASIA 320 and WLIT 320. Counts as a CAS Global & Cultural Diversity course.

ASIA 330. Chinese Cinema. 3 Units.

This course is an exploration to the history of and critical issues in Chinese cinema: we will discuss early film making in Shanghai, leftist melodrama, Socialist films, the Chinese New Wave, underground films, the film making in the era of globalization, and etc. Themes and genres that will be investigated include melodrama, the "Fifth Generation", underground film making, filmic representations of women, minority films, and historical epics. Films from mainland China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and diasporic communities will be discussed to illuminate what it means to be "Chinese." All of the films in this course come with English subtitles; the film viewing will take place outside the class. Offered as CHIN 330 and ASIA 330. Counts as a CAS Global & Cultural Diversity course.

ASIA 398. Honors Thesis. 1 - 4 Units.

Intensive study of a topic or problem under the direction of a faculty member, resulting in the preparation of an honors thesis.

ASIA 399. Independent Study. 1 - 3 Units.

Tutorial in Asian Studies.

2024-25 General Bulletin