EAL 231 The Culture of the Lyric in Traditional China (4 Credits)

China grounds its literary tradition in lyric poetry. One enduring definition of lyric, or shi, in the Chinese tradition is the natural, direct expression and reflection of one’s inner spirit as a result of a unique encounter with the world. This course is an introduction to masterworks of the Chinese lyric tradition from its oral beginnings through the Qing dynasty. Through close, careful readings of folk songs, poems, prose and excerpts from the novel Dream of the Red Chamber, students inquire into how the spiritual, philosophical and political concerns dominating the poets’ milieu shaped the lyric language through the ages. All readings are in English translation; no knowledge of Chinese required. {L}

Fall, Spring, Variable

EAL 232/ WLT 232 Modern Chinese Literature (4 Credits)

Offered as WLT 232 and EAL 232. Can literature inspire personal and social transformation? How have modern Chinese writers pursued freedom, fulfillment, memory and social justice? From short stories and novels to drama and film, this course explores class, gender and the cultures of China, Taiwan, Tibet and the Chinese diaspora. Readings are in English translation and no background in China or Chinese is required. Open to students at all levels. {L}

Fall, Spring, Alternate Years

EAL 233 Chinese Travel Writing (4 Credits)

Who travels in China and for what reasons? What does a traveler write about--the scenery of a particular location or the experience of a journey itself; the homesickness or the joy of traveling; the philosophical and spiritual insights or the political implications? Much of Chinese literature is composed from the perspective of one who is, or has been, on the road: whether as exile, pilgrim, soldier, pleasure traveler, or even shaman. Through close reading of selected poems, diary entries, essays, and fictional writings, and visual images selected from across the centuries, we explore how various writers define such notions as "place" and "home." All readings are in English translation. {L}

Fall, Spring, Variable

EAL 234 Self and Society in Chinese Fiction and Drama (4 Credits)

This survey of traditional Chinese fiction and drama from roughly 800-1900 reads classical tales of the strange, vernacular stories, novels, zaju and chuanqi drama alongside official narratives such as histories and biographies, as well as popular genres like ballads, baojuan (precious scrolls) and tanci (plucking songs). The class considers the ways individuals, family, community and government appear in literature, along with the conflicting loyalties presented by romance, family and the state. All readings are in English translation; no previous knowledge of Chinese required. {L}

Spring

EAL 235 Class, Gender and Material Culture in Late Imperial China (4 Credits)

This class examines the continuum between subject and object in Chinese fiction, drama, and poetry from the 16th through the 18th centuries, discussing how individuals participate as agents and objects of circulation; how objects structure identity and articulate relationships; the body as object; and the materiality of writing, illustration, and the stage. We analyze historical constructions of class and gender and reflect on how individuals constructed social identities vis-à-vis objects and consumption. All readings in English translation. {L}

Fall, Spring, Variable

EAL 237 Chinese Poetry and Other Arts (4 Credits)

Poetry, painting, calligraphy and other visual and plastic arts are ways of expressing oneself and forms of communication. This course explores the relationships between words and images and the issues such as how poetry and other arts are inextricably linked; What makes a painting a silent poem? and a poem a lyrical painting? and how do poetry and painting inspire one another? How do they respond to one another? All readings are in English translation. {L}

Fall, Spring, Variable

EAL 240 Japanese Language and Culture (4 Credits)

This course introduces the historical, social and ideological background of "standard Japanese" and the Japanese writing system. The course looks at basic structural characteristics of the language and interpersonal relations reflected in the language, such as politeness and gender. The course also addresses fluidity and diversity of linguistic and cultural practices in contemporary Japan. This course is suitable for students with little knowledge about the language as well as those in Japanese language courses. All readings are in English translation. Enrollment limited to 30. {S}

Fall, Spring, Variable

EAL 241 Literature and Culture in Premodern Japan: Court Ladies, Wandering Monks and Urban Rakes (4 Credits)

A study of Japanese literature and its cultural roots from the eighth to the 19th century. The course focuses on enduring works of the Japanese literary tradition, along with the social and cultural conditions that gave birth to the literature. All readings are in English translation. {L}

Fall, Spring, Variable

EAL 242 Modern Japanese Literature (4 Credits)

A survey of Japanese literature from the late 19th century to the present. Over the last century and a half, Japan has undergone tremendous change: rapid industrialization, imperial and colonial expansion, occupation following its defeat in the Pacific War, and emergence as a global economic power. The literature of modern Japan reflects the complex aesthetic, cultural and political effects of such changes. Through discussions of these texts, the class also address theoretical questions about such concepts as identity, gender, race, sexuality, nation, class, colonialism, modernism and translation. All readings are in English translation. {L}

Fall, Spring, Variable

EAL 244 Japanese Women’s Writing (4 Credits)

This course focuses on the writings of Japanese women from the 10th century until the present. The course examines the foundations of Japan’s literary tradition represented by such early works as Murasaki Shikibu’s Tale of Genji and Sei Shonagon’s Pillow Book. The course then moves to the late 19th century to consider the first modern examples of Japanese women’s writing. How does the existence of a "feminine literary tradition" in pre-modern Japan influence the writing of women during the modern period? How do these texts reflect, resist and reconfigure conventional representations of gender? The class explores the possibilities and limits of the articulation of feminine and feminist subjectivities, and investigates the production of such categories as "race," class and sexuality in relation to gender and to each other. Taught in English, with no knowledge of Japanese required. {L}

Fall, Spring, Variable

EAL 245 Writing, Japan and Otherness (4 Credits)

An exploration of representations of "otherness" in Japanese literature and film from the mid-19th century until the present. How was (and is) Japan’s identity as a modern nation configured through representations of other nations and cultures? How are categories of race, gender, nationality, class and sexuality used in the construction of difference? This course pays special attention to the role of "otherness" in the development of national and individual identities. The course also addresses the varied ways in which Japan is represented as "other" by writers from China, England, France, Korea and the United States. How do these images of and by Japan converse with each other? All readings are in English translation.

Fall, Spring, Variable

EAL 253 Korean Cinema: Cinema and the Masses (4 Credits)

This course offers a survey of Korean film history in light of cinema's relationship to the masses. As a popular art form, cinema has always been in close contact with its audiences. Cinema has contributed to the emergence of modern masses. By examining how cinema has shaped its audiences and vice versa, this course charts the development of Korean cinema as a popular entertainment as well as an art form during the last hundred years. This course starts from the globalization of Korean cinema and its transnational audiences and chronologically harks back to the colonial period. Enrollment limited to 35. {H}{L}

Fall, Spring

EAL 254 Modern Korean Literature in Translation (4 Credits)

This course is a survey of modern Korean literature from the 1990s to the present. It charts the formal and thematic development of Korean literature by examining how literature illuminates Korea's history and politics. The class engages in the close reading of medium and full-length fictions in English translation, while considering their historical and cultural contexts. {L}

Fall, Spring, Variable

EAL 263 Romance and Martial Arts in Chinese Popular Fiction (4 Credits)

Do you like love stories? Kung fu movies? Feel embarrassed admitting it and wonder why? This course investigates the cultural, political and aesthetic significance of romance and martial arts in Chinese popular fiction and some films from the 16th to the 20th centuries. Students read works in these two major genres, learn key frameworks from cultural studies and explore scholarship on the aesthetic and political interventions of Chinese romantic and martial arts fiction in local, national and global contexts. Students end the course as more knowledgeable, aware consumers of popular culture in general. {L}

Fall, Spring, Variable

EAL 266 Taiwan: on Page, on Stage, and on Screen (4 Credits)

This course explores the representation and construction of Taiwanese identity by examining various forms of cultural expression, including literature, film, and performance arts. Through close reading of texts, analysis of films, and study of performances, it encourages students’ critical engagement with a variety of texts and media to understand how Taiwanese identity is expressed, shaped, and contested. All readings are in English translation. {L}

Fall, Spring, Annually

EAL 273 Colloquium: Women and Narration in Modern Korea (4 Credits)

This class explores modern Korean history from women's perspectives. It charts the historical and cultural transformation in modern Korea since the 1920s by coupling key terms of modern history with specific female figures: (1) Colonial modernity with modern girls in the 1920s and 30s; (2) colonization and cold-war regime with "comfort women" and "western princesses" from the 1940s to the 1960s; (3) industrial development under the authoritarian regime in the 1970s with factory girls; and (4) democratization and multiculturalism with rising feminists in the new millennium. {H}{L}

Fall, Spring, Variable

EAL 274 Voices From Japan's Margins (4 Credits)

Reflecting their marginalized status in Japanese society, minority groups in Japan, including Ainu, burakumin, Korean-Japanese, and Okinawans, have until recently received minimal recognition in modern Japanese literature. This course examines “minority literature” in Japan in order to develop students’ knowledge of the experiences of ethnic minorities in Japan as well as the ways in which these experiences have been reflected in literature and film. The class considers how this literature has been received in Japan and how “minority” subjects have utilized the media of film and literature to present their own voices. {L}

Fall, Spring, Variable

EAL 281 Colloquium: Revising the Past in Chinese and Taiwanese Film and Literature (4 Credits)

This colloquium explores how China and Taiwan recollect, reflect and reinterpret their past and how multifaceted traditions are represented in a new light on the world stage. The class reflects on perceptions and receptions of the past through close readings of films and literature from China and Taiwan. The course explores what aspects of the past are erased, re-packaged or re-imagined, and why. These preeminent figures and events – in history or fiction – presented in film and literature include, but are not limited to, Confucius, the First Emperor of China, Mulan, Qiu Jin, and Nie Yinniang. All readings are in English translation. Chinese text is provided upon request. Enrollment limited to 20. {L}

Fall, Spring, Variable

EAL 282 Colloquium: Topics in East Asian Languages and Literatures-Honglou meng--The Dream of the Red Chamber (4 Credits)

This course focuses on exploring and comprehending human nature through The Dream of the Red Chamber, a well-known Chinese novel also known as The Story of the Stone. It delves into the various themes and issues presented in the book, including fate and human will, art, gender, philosophy, religion, love, social class and politics, by examining the lives of thirteen protagonists, including Baoyu and the Twelve Beauties. Since the novel encompasses characters from different classes and professions, the course also explores how their lives intersect with each other and with the thirteen protagonists. All readings are in English translation. Enrollment limited to 20. {L}

Fall, Spring, Variable

EAL 291 Writing Empire: Images of Colonial Japan (4 Credits)

This course explores the development of Japanese and colonial identities in literature produced in and about Japan’s colonies during the first half of the 20th century. Students read literary works written during and about the Japanese empire by Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Okinawan and Taiwanese writers. By bringing together different voices from inside and outside of Japan’s empire, students gain a deeper understanding of the complexities of colonial hegemony and identity. Taught in English: no knowledge of Chinese, Japanese or Korean required. {L}

Fall, Spring, Variable

EAL 292sh Topics in Japanese Popular Culture-The Shojo (Girl) (4 Credits)

This course focuses on representations of the shōjo/shoujo (girl) in Japanese anime, manga, film and popular fiction. The course examines the development of this image from the early 20th century until the present and considers the ways this image reflects historical, cultural and social changes inside and outside of Japan. Using different literary and cultural studies approaches, the course considers the significance of the shōjo in discussions of gender, sexuality, bodies, nationality, globalization and modernity. Students also develop a critical awareness of the influence of popular culture on national, regional and global levels.  Restrictions: EAL 292 may be repeated once with a different topic. Enrollment limited to 20. {L}

Fall, Spring, Variable

EAL 292tc Topics in Japanese Popular Culture-Traditional Context (4 Credits)

This course studies features of contemporary Japanese popular culture by placing it in the context of tradition. Students gain a working knowledge of traditional Japanese literature and culture in order to examine the ways in which this tradition is re-worked and re-invented in contemporary popular works of literature, manga, anime and film. Restrictions: EAL 292 may be repeated once with a different topic. Enrollment limited to 20. {L}

Fall, Spring, Variable

EAL 360bh Seminar: Topics in East Asian Languages and Literatures-Book History and Print Culture in East Asia (4 Credits)

This course explores print and media cultures of the 16th through the 20th centuries in China, Japan, Korea and Taiwan. Students read literary and popular works in the context of the cultural, intellectual and technological transformations that defined these texts' creation, circulation and reception. Students study historical and theoretical scholarship on topics such as language reform, the book market and changing literacies for men and women. The course also considers how media developments shape the experience of Asian modernity. All readings in English translation. Prerequisite: one 200-level EAL course or equivalent. Restrictions: Juniors and seniors only. Enrollment limited to 12. Instructor permission required. {L}

Fall, Spring, Variable

EAL 360rw Seminar: Topics in East Asian Languages and Literature-Notorious Trailblazers: Reading Women's Lives, Past and Present (4 Credits)

The seminar is for students who want to design and deeply engage in their own independent research project to explore the following questions on East Asian Women’s life experiences: What does one really know about the social, political and literary roles that women play in pre-modern society? Do women throughout history always occupy a position inferior to their male counterparts? And when they rise to a powerful position, how are they perceived and through what lens? How about their self-perceptions and self-representations through writing? How does modern society understand women’s voices when the traditional perspective still has its impact? Is one still accustomed to reading women’s life experiences in a stereotypical and narrow way? Are they represented to fit into a modern prejudiced agenda? This course focuses on women’s experiences, past and present in East Asia, through critical exploration of representation, reception and agency. Restrictions: Juniors and seniors only. Enrollment limited to 12. Instructor permission required. {L}

Fall, Spring, Variable

EAL 360tr Seminar: Topics in East Asian Languages and Literatures-Travel and East Asia (4 Credits)

This course explores the treatment of travel within the literary traditions of China, Korea, Japan and Taiwan. Students read texts from the premodern era to the present day that portray different forms of travel including religious pilgrimages, political exile, colonialism, emigration, study abroad and tourism. Situating these texts within their specific cultural and historical contexts, the course considers how these literary journeys reconfigure such notions as space and time, nature, identity and home. All readings in English translation. Prerequisite: one 200-level EAL course, or equivalent. Restrictions: Juniors and seniors only. Enrollment limited to 12. Instructor permission required. {L}

Fall, Spring, Variable

EAL 400 Special Studies (1-4 Credits)

For students engaged in independent projects or research in connection with Japanese, Chinese or Korean language and literature. Instructor permission required.

Fall, Spring

EAL 430D Honors Project (4 Credits)

Department permission required.

Fall, Spring

EAL 431 Honors Project (8 Credits)

Department permission required.

Fall