East Asian Studies CoursesFor Distribution Requirement purposes, (see page 27) all EAS courses are classified as HUMANITIES COURSES except for JMC301Y1 which is classified as both a Humanities and Social Science course.
EAS Language Courses:
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Chinese EAS100Y1 Intended for students with no or minimal background in any Chinese dialect, this course is an introduction to Modern Standard Chinese as a foreign/second language in listening, speaking, reading, writing and translation. Minimum of 550 Chinese characters will be covered. EAS101Y1 Designed for students who can speak and understand elementary Chinese of any dialect because of family backgrounds but have not studied pinyin, nor read and write enough to take a second-year course. Minimum of 700 single Chinese characters will be covered. EAS200Y1 As a continuation of EAS100Y1. Those who are suitable for this course but have not studied some content in EAS100Y1, especially pinyin, must make an effort to catch up by themselves. EAS201Y1 As a continuation of EAS101Y1. Those who are suitable for this course but have not studied some content of EAS101Y1, especially pinyin, must make an effort to catch up by themselves. EAS290Y1 For students who speak a Chinese dialect other than Mandarin and have acquired a basic knowledge of written Chinese. Gives basic knowledge of spoken Mandarin and ability to read both literary and modern texts. EAS300Y1 An intermediate level language course. Original writings chosen from the literature and social history of modern China. Oral discussion, written composition, selective translation, and techniques of reading for comprehension. EAS302Y1 Further development of Chinese proficiency by studying various genres of articles in newspapers, magazines and journals on contemporary Chinese society and culture. EAS400Y1 Further study of texts for a wide range of topics on Chinese society and culture EAS120Y1 An introduction to the basic elements of Jaapanese language, and the development of listening comprehension, speaking, reading and writing skills. Along with the hiragana and katakana systems of writing, approximately 220 kanji are introduced. Some cultural aspects are introduced as well. Both lectures and tutorials are mandatory. Open only to students with no background in Japanese. Those who have ever studied Japanese (e.g. at high school) and/or those who have ever lived in Japan need to attend an interview to receive permission to take this course EAS121H1 Appropriate for those who have learned Japanese for more than three months but less than a year in an academic institution. The knowledge of hiragana and katakana as well as 50 basic kanji is required. Must be familiar with ways to state past/non-past events and to describe things in a simple sentence. Some cultural aspects are introduced as well. Both lectures and tutorials are mandatory. Open only to students with some background in Japanese. Those who have ever studied Japanese (e.g. at highschool) and/or have ever lived in Japan need to attend an interview to receive permission to take this course EAS220Y1 An advanced beginners’ level language course. An introduction to complicated sentence structures and basic vocabulary for daily life. All four language skills are emphasized and approximately 300 kanji are introduced. Some cultural aspects are introduced as well. Both lectures and tutorials are mandatory. Open only to those whose Japanese level is equivalent to Level 4 of Japanese Language Proficiency test and/or to those who have successfully completed a full year Japanese language course at other academic institution. Those who have not taken EAS120Y1/EAS121H1 or do not have appropriate Prerequisite need to pass a placement test followed by an interview. EAS320Y1 This is a low intermediate level course. Appropriate for those who have learned Japanese for two years in an academic institution and/or who have passed Level 3 of the Japanese Language Proficiency Test. The knowledge of the strong foundation of the beginners’ level grammar and 500 basic kanji are required. Developing all four skills (speaking, listening, reading and writing) is equally focused. All the classes are conducted in a seminar setting. Those who have not taken EAS220Y1 or do not have an appropriate Prerequisite need to pass a placement test followed by an interview EAS460Y1 This is a high intermediate level course. Focused on oral/aural communication. Emphasis is on acquisition of vocabulary, spoken styles and commutation strategies that are required to carry formal/informal conversation in contemporary Japanese society. Native or near-native speakers are not permitted to take this course. Those who have not taken EAS320Y1 and/or do not have appropriate Prerequisite must attend an interview to receive permission to take this course.
This is a high intermediate level course. Focused on advanced reading
and writing skills. Emphasis is on acquisition of advanced grammar, vocabulary/kanji
and expressions especially in authentic written Japanese texts. Native
or
near-native speakers are not permitted to take this course. Those who have
not taken EAS320Y1 and/or
do not have appropriate Prerequisite must attend an interview to receive permission to take this course. EAS110Y1 An introductory Korean language course open to students with no prior knowledge of Korean. Comprehension, speaking, reading and writing are covered but the main emphasis is given to spoken Korean. EAS210Y1 Students study grammatical structure in depth through reading various forms of writing. Attention given to idiomatic expressions with emphasis on the use of language in actual context. EAS216Y1 For students with limited prior background in spoken and/or written Korean. Reading, speaking, writing and grammar are equally emphasized. Access is limited and based on the results of a placement interview. EAS310Y1 Expansion of vocabulary, practice in reading comprehension and active skills of writing and conversation are emphasized. Students participate in discussions and compose short essays. Selected readings include different styles of work on Korean culture, history, society and literature. EAS410Y1 Emphasis on communicative skills, grammatical structure, efficient reading ability and composition. Readings from original writings on various aspects of Korean culture. EAS415Y1 This course provides various readings of original texts and newspapers for students with knowledge and language ability at least equivalent to those who have successfully completed EAS210Y1. Besides extensive reading, the course introduces 800 Chinese characters often used in mixed-scripts. EAS104Y1 An introductory course for students, with equal emphasis on reading, writing, speaking and grammar. EAS282Y1Y An introduction to the language of traditional Indian civilization. Good knowledge of grammatical terminology is necessary. EAS379H1 This course traces the origins and development of Hindi/Urdu via a multitude of Northern Indian dialects to the present day Modern Standard Hindi. The linguistic development in the late 19th and the 20th centuries is intimately linked to the emerging Indian, especially Hindu, nationalism. The politically complicated relationship between Hindi and Urdu will be highlighted. Knowledge of the devanagari script is required. EAS382H1/Y1 Continuation of the study of Sanskrit grammar with readings from Classical Sanskrit epic and narrative literature. EAS480Y1/H1 Reading in classical Sanskrit poetry and prose. EAS482H1 Technical Sanskrit: readings from alamkarasastra, dharmasastra, darsana and other non-literary texts. EAS Society-Culture CoursesEAS102Y1 Highlights of Chinese, Japanese and Korean civilization to about 1600.A.D. The focus is on political, social and intellectual history, as well as on the interactions among the three cultures. Required for students taking specialist, major and minor programs in East Asian Studies. HUM199H1/Y1 Undergraduate seminar that focuses on specific ideas, questions, phenomena or controversies, taught by a regular Faculty member deeply engaged in the discipline. Open only to newly admitted first year students. It may serve as a distribution requirement course; see page 47. EAS202Y1 Examines how various histories of East Asia can be written by examining specific themes in the history of China, Japan, and Korea from roughly 1600 to the outbreak of the Cold War. EAS206Y1 An introductory reading course in Classical Chinese with emphasis on Grammatical analysis and translation into English. Open only to students enrolled in an EAS Major or Specialist subject POSt.. EAS209Y1 Intended for EAS specialists and majors, this course introduces various approaches and methodologies for the advanced study of East Asian society and culture. Required for EAS specialists and majors. EAS211Y0 A survey of the visual arts of China from earliest times to the end of the traditional era: the aesthetics and historical/cultural context of painting, calligraphy, sculpture, architecture, and the other arts. Field trip is included. (Normally offered only in Summer) EAS215H1 This course examines the vibrant “middle period” of Chinese history – a period of profound transformation in which some of the most distinctively traditional forms of thought, religious belief, artistic and literary expression, and scholarly practices emerged and developed in China. Topics studied include: the establishment of empire as a norm in China (and its implications); the rise of the literati and literati culture; the examination system; Neo-Confucian philosophy; visual culture; the sciences of the body; and popular and print culture. EAS217Y1 A broad perspective on contemporary Korea. Emphasis is on the last 30 years of political dynamics on the peninsula which brought about the “Korean-style democracy” and “Korean-style economy” (chaebol), plus Juche ideology in North Korea. EAS233H1 An historical overview of Chinese theatre, a reading of selected texts, viewing of videotaped performances and class discussions of the characteristics of this art form. EAS235H1 Lectures and discussions on Japanese literary negotiations with China, the Chinese and Chineseness, ranging from celebration of the same cultural practice, to nativist resistance to China the hegemonic, to aestheticization of China the exotic/erotic. Required readings are available in English translation, which include: Tale of Genji, Tale of Middle-Councillor Hamamatsu (medieval romance); Haku Rakuten (No play); Battles of Coxinga (Kabuki play); Three-Cornered World (by Soseki); Wild Goose (by Ogai) EAS237Y1 How film aesthetics relate to the most profound socio-historical problems of Japanese modernity. How various film makers employ cinematic form to engage the social problems of their moment. EAS238H1 The art of narrative and poetry from Japan’s creation myths through medieval monk-poets. An introduction to Japan’s classical literature. (Readings in English) EAS245H1 A survey of the history of pre-modern Japan from earliest recorded histories to the disintegration of the feudal system in the 19th century. Uses a wide range of translated primary Japanese texts to illuminate the emergence of cultural forms and their conjunctions with social, economic, religious and political trends. EAS241H1 An historical and systematic introduction to the basic ideas of the main Chinese philosophical schools and their development, including Confucianism, Daoism, Buddhism, and Neo-Confucianism; the challenge of Western thought and the emergence of modern Chinese philosophy. EAS246H1 A survey of the history of pre-modern Japan from earliest recorded histories to the disintegration of the feudal system in the 19th century. Uses a wide range of translated primary Japanese texts to illuminate the emergence of cultural forms and their conjunctions with social, economic, religious and political trends EAS247H1 This course provides an historical narrative of the development of the capitalist mode of production in Japan, from the mid-19th century to the present day. Readings will include texts from various disciplines: economics, philosophy, social and labor history, literature. EAS256H1 A survey course of major works in premodern Chinese literature, including poetry, essays, and short narratives from the pre-Qin through Tang eras (11th BCE – 10th C CE). Readings are available in translation and in the original. All lectures and coursework are in English. Enrolment priority: Students enrolled in an EAS subject POST. EAS257H1 A survey course of major works in premodern Chinese literature, including poetry, essays, short narratives and drama from the Song through Qing dynasties (10thC – 19thC). Readings are available in translation and in the original. All lectures and coursework are in English. Enrolment priority: Students enrolled in an EAS subject POST. EAS271H1 A survey of the history of Korea from the Tonghak uprising and Sino-Japanese war of 1894-1895, through the colonial period, division, and civil war, to the democratization movement. EAS272H1 This course focuses on critical analysis of South Korean film and literature as a way of understanding political and cultural contexts of post-Korean War South Korean Society and Culture. This class is devoted to developing critical perspectives on historical context and cultural representation of Korea. In particular, it introduces students to ongoing construction of identities about marginalized Koreans through major political incidents, such as Kwangju uprising, and LA incident. EAS284H1 This course offers a critical examination of twentieth-century Chinese literature. It aims to explore the various ways of being modern as well as different meanings of writing Chinese literature. We will focus upon the important developments of literary writing over time, from the inception of New Literature in the 1910s, the development of realism and modernism of the 1930s, to the emergency of post-revolution and postmodernist writings of the 1990s. Great emphasis is also placed on generating a dialogue on interpretations of key works. In doing so, we will be exercising the skills of reading literary works in terms of aesthetic choices and strategies of cultural politics. EAS293H1 This course is designed for those who wish to develop a thorough knowledge of Japanese Grammar in order to advance all aspects of language skills to a higher level. All grammatical items introduced in elementary levels are examined from both linguistic and cultural perspectives in depth well beyond regular language courses. EAS295Y0 This course allows students to pursue the specialized study of specific topics tailored to the research and study opportunities available in Hong Kong and the expertise and interests of the instructor. Available only in the Woodsworth College Hong Kong Summer Program. EAS299Y1 Credit course for supervised participation in faculty research project. See page 47 for details. JMC301Y1 This course explores China’s efforts to construct a modern and effective political order in the face of powerful demographic and revolutionary challenges. The clash between competing ideologies, political and social movements and institutional alternatives in the context of rapid social and economic change are analyzed.
This course aims to teach how East Asian modern societies were engineered
through projecting women into particular being/positions. “New women” discourse in early 20th century and industrial motherhood/wifehood to late 20th century in Japan, China, and Korea wil be the central theme. EAS305H1 A survey course of works of Chinese painting and calligraphy theory and literary criticism from the pre-Qin period to the Qing dynasty. Readings are available in English. EAS306Y1 The course helps students gain more in-depth control of grammatical structures, read classical materials with greater ease and discuss academic and scholarly topics more articulately. EAS307H1 The course analyses both historically and systematically the development of Chinese political philosophy from ancient times to the present day. EAS309H1 A survey of representative works of prose written by twentieth-century Chinese writers. This course focuses on reading texts, as well as analyzing their textual structure, aesthetic values, and historical context. Readings are available in translation and in the original. EAS311H1 This course will examine the historical development of Japanese monsters, from roughly the 7-8th centuries to modern times. We will focus on how the changing understanding of monsters in society has embodied certain fissures in Japanese culture, especially with regard to gender and class. EAS318H1 Modernism is one of the important cultural heritages of the last century that call for critical reflections in light of novel perspectives and new methodologies. Postmodern critical thinking and postcolonial scholarships have in particular made significant impact on ways of rethinking modernism across national histories. This course takes various forms of modernism(s) across China, Taiwan and Hong Kong as the object of study, and the postcolonial and postmodernist approaches to modernism as the refashioned methodological possibilities. Readings of main modernistic writings, studying cinema and arts originated from the above different localities. Discussions on such questions as how can theoretical generalizations about modernism be adequately grounded in interconnected histories, languages, as well as experiences of colonialism and modernity? How does the temporality of modernism get translated across different locations of writing? How do we understand the lines of solidarity and tension among artists and writers of different camps or localities? The goal of this course is not to find a better definition for modernism but to release modernisms to fresh ways of thinking and imagination. EAS324H1 In this course we will explore the topic of mysticism in East Asia by paying close attention to and questioning the relation between the metaphors, experiences, texts, behaviors, practices, and objects that we often label “mystical.” Sources from Daoism, Buddhism, local cults, medicine, new religions, and popular media in East Asia will be consulted. EAS325H1 In this course we will examine the history of the body and its relation to particular forms of religiosity in East Asia. What influence did the religious traditions of this region have on the way in which the body was constructed and disciplined? What role did the body play in the development of these traditions? Both pre-modern and modern forms of religiosity will be considered. EAS327H1 The focus is on modern Japanese literature, with special attention given to literature’s relation to the nation. Students track how this literature transforms throughout Japanese modernity and how its meaning and effects function to simultaneously tie together and pull apart national identity. EAS330H1 Discussion of narratives by Natsume Soseki, Mori Ogai, Tanizaki Jun’ichiro, and Ibuse Masuji, with attention to issues in narratology and contemporary narrative studies such as: the voice and perspective; the gender and power relationships of the narrator-narratee-narrated; the act of narrating, writing, listening and reading; and metafictional paradox. Reading are assigned from secondary and theoretical materials. All readings are available in English.
This course considers the problem of colonial modernism through a
close reading of literary and other cultural tests from early 20th century
Korea. It asks
what it means to enter modernity under colonial rule, and questions the
relationship between imperialism, writing and subjectivity in particular.
Topics covered
include the role of literature in elaborating new concepts of subjectivity,
literature and the fine arts as assimilatory practices, the emergence of
urban space and consequent reconfiguration of notions of the rural, and
changing notions of time and space in the cultural products of nativism.
Readings
of literary works will be accompanied by showings of paintings and photographs
from the period, as well as discussion of theoretical essays on modernism. EAS334Y1 The development of Chinese fiction from earliest times with emphasis on the twentieth century. Readings in English translation; lectures in English. Normally offered during summer. EAS338H1 This course will examine some major issues of classical Daoist thought, such as Dao and cosmos, body and self, human nature, language and knowledge, political visions etc., based on both textual and ideological analysis of some Daoist works such as the Laozi, the Zhuangzi, and some Huanglao Daoist texts, to be updated with recently unearthed manuscripts in silk and bamboo slips. EAS340Y1 The course explores issues of identity, self, and community among other topics in a broad exploration of cultural transformation in China. EAS342H1 Experience, ritual, discipline and training in Japanese art and religion. Art as religion, and religion as art. Shinto, mountain cults, shamanism, divination, esoteric Buddhism, Zen, the folk arts movement, music, internationalism in modern Japanese culture. Illustrated with slides and other material. EAS344H1 This course addresses selected themes and issues in China’s complex process of modernization and reform, the format and requirements to vary according to theme, and class and instructor preferences and interests. EAS345Y1 This course looks at China in regional perspective, including issues of Taiwan, Hong Kong and People’s Republic of China economic integration. The role of overseas Chinese communities globally and in Southeast Asia also receives attention. The form and focus of the course varies according to class and instructor interests. Normally, offered only in the Hong Kong Summer Program. EAS346H1 In this seminar we will explore the diverse and intriguing ways in which subjectivity was conceived in pre-modern China (up to the twelfth century) by way of the various images thinkers invoked to make sense of it. Works studied include: Warring States philosophical treatises; Buddhist and religious Daoist texts on meditation and self-cultivation; literary theory and poetry; philosophical prose essays by literati; and painting. EAS347H1 The history of modern Japan around the problem of “everyday life” and its relationship to capitalism. Using a range of literary, philosophical, economic and ethnographic materials that deal with the development of capitalism in Japan, as well as Japanese colonialism, imperialism and fascism, explores ways to specify and critique what is called “everyday life”. EAS361Y1 This course will serve as an introduction to the Zen Buddhist traditions of China, Korea, and Japan. A heavy emphasis will be placed on the radical views of history, language, ritual, self, and enlightenment espoused by these traditions. The course will also examine issues related to Zen monasticism, the development of koans, and the definition of orthodoxy in both premodern and modern Zen. Students will be asked to explore these and other topics by paying close attention to the historical, doctrinal, and institutional contexts from which they arose. Readings will include both primary material in translation and secondary scholarship. EAS362Y1 Introduction to classical Japanese, followed by readings of various short works by classical authors. EAS368Y1 The philosophy of the Buddha as preserved in the Pali Canon and its development in the Early Schools in India. EAS369Y1 The course explores various forms of traditional Buddhist practice in relation to Buddhist philosophy, and observes the transformation of these practices in the contemporary world. Principal studies include Theravada tradition, Tibetan Buddhism, Chinese Pure Land and Chan traditions. To provide a foundational understanding of Buddhist philosophy and its relation to meditative practice. This course will also examine the influence of Buddhism on films and material culture. EAS372H1 This course is a survey of issues in early Korean history with particular attention to theuses of and approaches to ancient history in contemporary Korea. EAS373H1 This course examines various approaches - economic, social, gender, political, international, and cultural - to the history of Choson Korea. EAS374H1 This course interrogates the history of Modern Japan from the perspective of Japan’s colonial exploits in East Asia. The course will also address the political-economy and culture of the military Occupation of Japan by the Supreme Command of the Allied Powers. Texts from economics, philosophy and literature will be used.
Through a sustained reading of several novels this course studies Bildungsroman, the story of an individual’s “coming of age,” in the context of twentieth-century political, cultural, and social developments of imperialism, anti-colonialism, human rights discourse, and globalization. Our focus will be novels from the (post)colonial world and theoretical essays on the Bildungsroman form. The course aims to provide a model for rethinking literary history and literary genres within a global context. We will thus not read these novels as copies of European Bildungsroman, but consider how their form relates to social formations of colonialism and globalization. This will entail, for example, exploring the temporal structure which undergirds both the form of the novel and the notion of self-development that is then aligned with development of the nation, colony, or otherwise. Attention will be paid both to how these novels instantiate, resist or otherwise engage creatively with the novelistic conventions of human development, and to our own desire to read novels as Bildungsroman. Authors may include Yi Kwangsu Wu Zhuoliu Pramoedya Ananta Toer, Kang Younghill, Tsitsi Dangarembga, Camara Laye, amongst others.
EAS482H1 Technical Sanskrit: readings from alamkarasastra, dharmasastra, darsana
and other non-literary texts. EAS488Y1/EAS488H1 The political expression of Hinduism begins with religious reform movements in the 19th century, and develops into a Hindu nationalism. Although independent India is a secular state, Hindu “fundamentalism” remains a powerful political force. This course analyzes modern Hindu political ideology. EAS490H1 This course introduces Japanese grammatical items in a scientifically and theoretically oriented manner. The goals of the course are: to gain knowledge of the basic characteristics of sentence structure and meaning in Japanese; to become familiar with selected theoretical analyses; and to develop a repertoire of linguistic vocabulary. EAS493H1 This course provides an overview of theories and issues in second language teaching for those who are or will be involved in Japanese language teaching. The class discussion includes the theory and history of teaching methods and their theoretical implications. Students will also practice actual teaching in real classroom settings. EAS495Y1 A guided research course on a common topic of the student’s choice. Students are required to produce a 20-30 page paper based on the selected topic. EAS496H1 An in-depth study of Chinese, Japanese or Korean culture, history and/or literature. Content in any given year depends on the instructor. EAS497H1 This course will confront the ‘Orientalist’ view of the world by looking at one Asian nation regularly exempted from that paradigm-Japan. By examining, among other topics, Japan’s emperor system, its construction of a national history, and its own imperialism, this course hopes to point toward other ways of thinking about East and West. EAS434H1/Y1 EAS435H1/Y1 EAS436H1/Y1 EAS437H1/Y1 A scholarly project chosen by the student, approved by the Department, and supervised by one of its instructors. Consult with the East Asian Studies Undergraduate Handbook for more information. |
Prerequisite: