COURSE TITLE: Masterpieces of East Asian Literature
COURSE NUMBER: ASPA 302; ENGL 341
SECTION TIMES/DAYS: TR 10:50a.m- 12:05p.m.
INSTRUCTOR: Yanjie Wang
COURSE DESCRIPTION/PRINCIPAL TOPICS
This course introduces canonical works in the literary traditions of China, Japan, and Korea. The course aims for
students to gain deeper insights into East Asian cultures, and to enhance skills in literary analysis and critical thinking.
The readings cover a wide range of genres such as poetry, prose, drama, fiction, and philosophical and religious texts.
Major masterworks for discussion include The Classic of Poetry, Dao De Jing, Zhuangzi, Tang poetry and Tang tales, The
Story of the Western Wing, Journey to the West, Haiku poems, Noh drama, The Tale of Genji, and The Story of Ch’unhyang
etc. While exploring various ways of appreciating and interpreting East Asian masterpieces, we will also examine the
contexts that established these works’ cultural significance: the traditions they built upon, the social and intellectual
climates, the adaptations they generated in the contemporary era, and the cultural interactions and reverberations
among China, Japan, Korea, and beyond.
STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES
By the end of this course students should be able to:
Recognize and describe major works, authors, characters, and genres in East Asian literature.
Identify and interpret some crucial imagery, tropes, aesthetic concepts, themes in East Asian literary traditions.
Produce a nuanced appreciation for and, critical analysis of, literary pieces of East Asia from socio-historical,
psychological, and/or literary-critical perspectives in a research paper.
Continue to develop increasingly in-depth insights into East Asian literature, culture, and humanities, doing away
with stereotypical thinking and essentialism.
Assess the legacies of East Asian literature as an integral part of the world literary tradition.
PREREQUISITES/RECOMMENDED BACKGROUND
There is no prerequisite for this course. All readings are in English translation. This course fulfills the English major’s
requirements in Comparative in Literature.
REQUIRED TEXTS
Genji and Heike, translated by Helen Craig McCullough. Stanford University Press, 1994.
Wu Chengen, Monkey, translated by Arthur Waley. Evergreen Books, 1994.
The Memoirs of Lady Hyegyong, translated by Jahyun Kim Haboush. Univ. of California Press, 1996.
Additional readings on MYLMU Connect
COURSE WORK/EXPECTATIONS
Active participation; response papers, in-class presentation; midterm exam; final paper.
Page 1 of 19
COURSE TITLE: Economic and Political Issues in Contemporary Asia (Spring 2015)
COURSE NUMBER: ASPA 305.01
SECTION TIMES/DAYS: MW 4:30 p.m. — 5:45 p.m.
INSTRUCTOR: Jason Chiu
COURSE DESCRIPTION/PRINCIPLE TOPICS:
This course deals with the political economy of contemporary Asia, with particular focus on countries such as China,
Japan, and India. As the largest economies of Asia, these three nations have extraordinary influence over Asia’s
future; they also offer important political and economic lessons for the rest of the world. Topics include: East Asian
economic miracles; the Asian Financial Crisis of 1997; the “Lost Decades” of Japan; economic reforms in China and
India; economic convergence; East Asian demographic decline; international relations between China and the West.
In addition to the two books assigned, additional academic articles will be assigned throughout the quarter to ensure
student understanding of the class topic. This course fulfills the Understanding Human Behavior (EHBV) Core
Attribute.
STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES:
By the conclusion of this course students should be able to:
Describe the economic and political development of China, Japan and India in modern times;
Analyze how the three economies function today and the interaction of their political and economic systems;
Employ basic concepts from economics and political science to explain how a real-world political economy
functions;
Evaluate the usefulness and the limitations of Western economic and political concepts in understanding major nonWestern economies and societies.
PREREQUISITES/RECOMMENDED BACKGROUND:
There are no prerequisites for this course.
REQUIRED TEXTS:
Tarun Khanna, Billions of Entrepreneurs: How China and India Are Reshaping Their Futures and Yours (Boston: Harvard
Business School Press, 2011)
Nina Hachigian, Debating China: The U.S.-China Relationship in Ten Conversations (Oxford: Oxford University Press,
2014)
Additional reading assignments can be accessed via the public domain, or made available to students via the
instructor’s own personal website.
COURSE WORK/EXPECTATIONS:
Students will be expected to come to class on time with pre-assigned readings already completed. To ensure that
students are keeping up with the reading material and are able to connect the readings with the lecture component,
students will be asked to write several short paragraph essays throughout the quarter, respond to weekly quizzes,
complete a midterm and a final exam, as well as prepare for an oral presentation based upon a research paper.
Page 2 of 19
COURSE TITLE: Contemporary Chinese Cinema
COURSE NUMBER: ASPA 389; CMST 393
SECTION TIMES/DAYS: W 3:00-6:00pm
INSTRUCTOR: Yanjie Wang
COURSE DESCRIPTION/PRINCIPAL TOPICS
This course provides an introduction of contemporary Chinese cinema. In the past three decades, Chinese cinema has
undergone tremendous stylistic transformations. Meanwhile, it has played a crucial role in shaping contemporary
Chinese popular consciousness. In this course, we examine both the aesthetics and the politics of contemporary
Chinese cinema. In addition, we perceive Chinese cinema as an inherently heterogeneous entity that encompasses
diverse filmmaking practices from Mainland China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and the Chinese diaspora. Situating these
practices in their socio-historical contexts, we focus on issues relating to tradition and modernity, gender and
sexuality, history and memory, migration and urbanization, colonialism and post-colonialism, class and family,
nationalism and globalization. Through lectures, readings, and intensive class discussions, this course enables students
to study Chinese cinema both as a unique genre of arts and as a powerful social and political discourse.
STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES
Upon successful completion of this course, students should be able to:
Identify and describe the stylistic characteristics and sociocultural concerns of major filmmakers in contemporary
China
Interpret the cinematic language by which Chinese filmmakers articulate their ideas and engage with social issues
Watch movies closely and critically
Produce in-depth written and oral analysis of various aspects of contemporary Chinese cinema
Value the perspectives gained from the study of Chinese cinema to become better informed and critically engaged
citizens of today’s world.
PREREQUISITES/RECOMMENDED BACKGROUND
There is no prerequisite for this course.
REQUIRED TEXTS
Gary G. Xu, Sinascape: Contemporary Chinese Cinema. Rowman & Littlefield Publisher, 2007.
Additional readings available on MYLMU Connect
COURSE WORK/EXPECTATIONS
Active participation, response papers; in-class presentations; midterm exam, and final paper
Page 3 of 19
COURSE TITLE: Popular Culture in East Asia
COURSE NUMBER: 397-01
SECTION TIMES/DAYS: MWF 10:00-10:50
INSTRUCTOR: Charlotte D’Evelyn
CORE AREA (IF APPLICABLE): Integrations: Interdisciplinary Connections
FLAGS (IF APPLICABLE): Writing
COURSE DESCRIPTION/PRINCIPAL TOPICS:
This course examines popular culture and identity formation in Japan, Korea, and China through a study of television,
print media, film, and popular music. Course units will focus specifically on: (1) Japanese manga and anime; (2)
Chinese martial arts film; and (3) Korean dramas and popular music. We explore how these cultural products, having
emerged largely through the combination of traditional and global forms of culture, have in turn profoundly affected
popular culture around the globe. Using an interdisciplinary approach to the study of culture, this course challenges
students to understand how popular media forms in Asia not only reflect social values and norms, but also challenge
and reconstitute them with crucial implications for gender, ethnicity, national identity, and transnationalism.
STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES:
Identify layered social meanings that exist in popular culture media and the way these media maintain or resist
political norms, hierarchies, and prejudices.
Utilize a wide variety of disciplinary approaches to the study of popular culture, including the fields of media studies,
gender studies, cultural studies, political science, and ethnomusicology.
Integrate multiple disciplinary approaches into an original research project on a topic related to East Asian popular
culture and identity.
Create an original argument based on evidence from a variety of media forms.
Use clear and structured prose to COMMUNICATE how historical shifts, political and social hierarchies, and localglobal dynamics have affected forms of popular culture in Japan, Korea, and China.
PREREQUISITES/RECOMMENDED BACKGROUND:
No prerequisite courses. Some background knowledge of Japan, China, and Korea will be helpful.
REQUIRED TEXTS:
All course readings will be posted on blackboard.
COURSE WORK/EXPECTATIONS:
Students are expected to complete all assigned readings, reading responses, and assignments by the dates scheduled,
and to come to class prepared to discuss the readings. Students should budget **at least 4-5 hours of time** for
readings and reading responses each week.
Page 4 of 19
COURSE TITLE: Asia Media Practicum, section 11
COURSE NUMBER: 76140 ASPA 398
SECTION TIMES/DAYS: MWF 10:00-10:50
INSTRUCTOR: Tom Plate
COURSE DESCRIPTION
Students are required to contribute to the ASIA MEDIA (asiamedia.lmu.edu) and/or help organize a series of Skype
seminars in April with a media politics class in the Journalism School of Fudan University in Shanghai, China. The
professor will assign duties to students, who will meet with him at least once per week in UH3319, the Asia Media
office. Learning outcome is to enhance either student writing ability or sophistication of understanding of
international politics, especially in Asia. Students will be held to a high standard of work and performance and will be
graded accordingly. Students are required to have and read IN THE MIDDLE OF CHINA’S FUTURE/TOM PLATE
ON ASIA, whether via e-book or bookstore purchase.
Page 5 of 19
COURSE TITLE: Pop Hinduism
COURSE NUMBER: 398
SECTION TIME/DAYS: 398.07 at 10am/MWF and 398.13 at 11am/MWF
INSTRUCTOR: Tiemeier
CORE AREA: Integrations: Faith and Reason
FLAGGED: Information Literacy and Writing Flags
COURSE DESCRIPTION/PRINCIPAL TOPICS
This course examines Hinduism and its representation in American popular culture. Theologies from diverse Hindu
traditions are put into dialogue with representations of Hinduism in film, television, music, comics/graphic novels,
and video games. The class also draws on critical theory to assess how American popular culture has received and
reinterpreted Hindu theology in creative and sometimes problematic ways. Students will analyze the relationship
between theology and culture, employ the academic disciplines of theology and popular culture studies, examine the
diverse theological traditions of Hinduism, evaluate popular representations of Hinduism, and appreciate the extent
to which Hinduism has become a part of American popular culture.
STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES
* Value the existential importance of ultimate questions.
* Understand the search for God as a culturally and historically embedded process.
* Analyze theological ideas and religious institutions in light of critical theory.
* Compare different perspectives on religious, ecclesial, and spiritual traditions
* Identify and examine Hindu theological traditions.
* Employ critical theory and theology to analyze the representation of Hinduism in American popular culture.
* Appreciate the extent to which Hinduism has become a part of American culture.
* Exercise critical thinking in oral discussion and writing.
* Demonstrate clear, scholarly, and reflective writing.
* Produce an annotated bibliography on a selected topic in the study of Hinduism and popular culture.
PREREQUISITES/RECOMMENDED BACKGROUND
Junior Standing
REQUIRED TEXTS
American Veda (Philip Goldberg): ISBN 0385521359/9780385521352
Hindu Primary Sources (Carl Olson): ISBN 0813540704/9780813540702
The Many Colors of Hinduism (Carl Olson): ISBN 0813540682/9780813540689
A Pocket Style Manual, 6th Ed. [Spiral Bound] (Diana Hacker and Nancy Sommers): ISBN 0312542542/9780312542542
COURSE WORK/EXPECTATIONS
30%--Active Participation
40%--Analysis Paper Project (Full Draft, Peer Review, Revised Paper)
30%--Research Paper Project (Annotated Bibliography, Full Draft, Revised Paper)
Page 6 of 19
COURSE TITLE: Asian Mythology
COURSE NUMBER: ASPA 487.01
INSTRUCTOR: Dr. Kinga Jamro
COURSE OBJECTIVES
This class will examine mythology and folktales from various Asian traditions: China, Japan, Korea, the Philippines and
India. We will study the reading materials through psychological (Freudian), philosophical (religious) and cultural
approaches: a) how myth is central to our civilization in the past and present; b) how myth relates to the meaning of
the universe; and c) how myth manifests the significance of human life itself.
Topics included in our discussion will be: 1) creation myths, 2) heaven and hell, 3) the mythic hero, 4) metamorphosis
and 5) immortality.
Emphasis will be on a comparative study of what are the common and different elements from various traditions.
Moreover, students will be trained in the skill of literary analysis. We will discuss the issues of theme,
characterization, structure, symbol, metaphor, etc. which make up literature. This course also fulfills the CORE
requirement.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS
There will be two essay exams, weekly essays, quiz, and class plays. Each student will do one oral presentation. On the
day of the presentation, the student must send his/her powerpoint with a bibliography to the instructor. A hard copy
of the powerpoint should also be turned in.
REQUIRED TEXTS
R.K. Narayan trans. The Ramayana and assigned readings on Electronic Reserve.
Page 7 of 19
COURSE TITLE: The Future of the United Nations
COURSE NUMBER: POLS 396 - 01 (3226) or ASPA 498 – 01
SECTION TIME/DAYS: Days: 7:15-9:45PM WEDNESDAY Venue: UNH 4802
INSTRUCTOR: Tom Plate (UH 3319, Wednesdays from noon-7pm, by appointment) DISTINGUISHED SCHOLAR OF
ASIAN AND PACIFIC STUDIES
COURSE DESCRIPTION/PRINCIPLE TOPICS
Since the end of the Second World War, the United Nations has not only served (and was designed) as a central
negotiating ground for governments but also as a theoretical bridge to the further evolution of global political
integration, if not world government. But it has been a rocky road for the UN since 1945. In particular, the Security
Council (the central action point for serious UN intervention) has come to seem a political dinosaur, and the General
Assembly, with 193 quarrelling members, is often viewed as something of a modern-day Tower of Babel. But at the
same time, the various branches of the greater UN family, dealing with poverty, children’s issues and emergencies
around the globe, are generally acknowledged to provide vital international services. And at the top of this complex
and sometimes contradictory organization sits the UN Secretary General, the world’s diplomat-in-chief and, in effect,
its secular pope. This course examines the evolution, current state and future prospects for the UN, drawing on
research materials used by the instructor in writing ‘Conversations with Ban Ki-moon’, who is the current UNSG.
This work includes video as well as print excerpts from exclusive interviews conducted at the Secretary General’s
official residence in Manhattan in 2010 and 2011.
Students will not only be asked to keep pace with the reading but, as this is a four-credit course, participate in
simulated UN Security Council assignments, as members of national-government delegations, during class time.
These assignments are designed to underscore the point that member states, whether of the General Assembly or the
SC, almost always act in their national interests - which is at least sometimes at odds with a world or international
interests. There are now 193 member states of the General Assembly, and 15 members of the SC (of which 10 serve
elected 2-year terms and 5 are permanent members with what is in effect a veto power – that is, if any one of the 5
fails to agree, a substantive resolution cannot pass into the international law of the UN). It thus may be that what is
interesting at the United Nations is not how little it does but how, under these structural circumstances, it manages to
get anything accomplished at all.
The LMU UN Security Council will examine one, or at most two, major crisis issues that is or recently has been
under actual, formal UNSC scrutiny. Delegations – two students per Sc member-state – will prepare position papers
on the issue at hand and help formulate a UNSC Resolution for formal vote. The emphasis here is not on formal
procedure but on issue-substance. We will shortcut aspects of the UNSC’s procedural rotundity to focus on the
argumentation of the issues in a manner reasonably reflective of actual member-delegation positions at the SC in New
York.
Student who are interested in international relations and how nation-states relate on the diplomatic level will be
keenly interested in this course. But this is not a sit-back and receive the lecture experience, but a proactive learning
approach in which the student will get out of it as much as she or he puts into it. The professor, for the SC sessions,
will assume the role of UN Secretary General, assisted by from one-to-three Secretariat aides in the preparation of
policy and precedent memos to delegates, and in response to formal questions to the SG. Students unable to
overcome shyness will be supportively encouraged to do so. The ideal enrollment for this course is 33 (two times 15;
plus 3 Secretariat staffers).
Page 8 of 19
STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES
The goal is to allow the student to become familiar in a sophisticated and contemporary way with the key issues of the
UN, including and especially reform of the UN Security Council and the strengthening of the Office of UN Secretary
General; – and perhaps to imagine the possibility of playing a public-service role in its future. Students will have the
opportunity of writing official UN memos and participating on a continuing UNSG exercise. This is aimed at bridging
the theoretical and historical into the practical and the present. A final paper on REFORM OF THE SECRITY
COUNCIL or of THE OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY GENERAL will be required and will be graded to a high
standard.
PREREQUISITES/RECOMMENDED BACKGROUND
An interest in international relations or international organizations; otherwise none prereqs.
REQUIRED TEXTS
(Note: These required books can be purchased from the campus bookstore in the Political Science section under
POLS 396 – 01)
UN Security Council: Practice and Promise, Edward C. Luck. Routledge (Taylor & Francis Group) 2006 |
ISBN-10: 0415355311 | ISBN-13: 978-0415355315 |
The United Nations: A Very Short Introduction, Jussi M. Hanhimaki. Oxford University Press, 2008.
Conversations with Ban Ki-moon. Tom Plate. Marshall Cavendish International, 2012.
COURSE WORK/EXPECTATIONS
Students are expected to attend every lecture, read all assigned materials, and to be quizzed on readings. Students will
be asked to produce at least one policy paper on high profile UN issues, from the perspective of the various members
of the Security Council, and from the Office of the Secretary General, as part of the ongoing class exercise. There will
be one comprehensive final exam. They will be assisted by Blackboard Learn postings from The Great Convergence:
Asia, the West and the Logic of One World, Kishore Mahbubani. Public Affairs. 2013. And by material on
important URLs, including webtv.un.org and www.securitycouncilreport.org.
The GRADING FORMULA IS AS FOLLOWS:
CLASS QUIZES
There will be 10 short quizzes during the semester. Each
will be on reading due that day for discussion.
Note: As a courtesy, the lowest grade will be dropped.
Due to expected class size, no make-ups can be offered.
20%
FINAL EXAM
Format: One third m/c, one third fill-in,
one short essay
40%
UN SECURITY COUNCIL SEMESTER EXERCISE
15%
SECRETARY GENERAL OR SECURITY COUNCIL
MEMO
20%
ATTENDANCE AND DEPORTMENT
5%
Page 9 of 19
This is a 4-credit class and will go UNTIL 7p.
Unexcused absences or early departures from
class will result in a minus 1 in this category. NO MAKEUPS FOR TESTS/FINAL UNLESS A DOCTOR’S NOTE
IKS PRESENTED OR OTHER SUBSTANTIAL REASON
Page 10 of 19
COURSE TITLE: Integrated Senior Thesis
COURSE NUMBER: ASPA 500
SECTION TIME/DAYS: Tuesday; 4:30 pm
NSTRUCTOR: Dr. Robin R Wang
COURSE DESCRIPTION
This course is the capstone requirement for students in Asian and Pacific Studies. It offers a unique opportunity for
students to draw together the various strands in the different academic courses taken and to focus much more closely
on a specific Asian topic interested. The thesis must have integrated and interdisciplinary elements.
LEARNING OUTCOMES
By completing this 40 paged thesis students are able to:
Describe and identify a special theme/topic in the field of Asian and Pacific Studies;
Recognize and interpret theoretical, practical, historical and cultural importance of a particular issue in Asian and
Pacific region;
Analyze and formulate a perspective on this issue for further study and research;
Demonstrate and employ academic writing competency in constructing a critical and reflective thesis;
Evaluate and integrate the contributions of Asian culture to the world civilization.
PREREQUISITES/RECOMMENDED BACKGROUND
Students must be of senior standing
COURSE WORK/EXPECTATIONS
A public presentation
A 40 paged thesis
Page 11 of 19
COURSE TITLE: Japanese Society and Politics: Domestic and International Challenges
COURSE NUMBER: POLS 598 / ASPA 398
SECTION TIMES/DAYS: TR: 1:35 PM—2:50PM
INSTRUCTOR: Gene Park
COURSE DESCRIPTION/PRINCIPAL TOPICS:
Over the course of more than a century and a half, Japan has gone through a dizzying series of political, economic and
cultural transformations from an isolationalist feudal regime to an imperial power to a pacific economic giant to a
nation facing growing domestic and international challenges. This course will delve into these transformations
focusing particularly on the period since World War II to understand the origins and development of Japan’s modern
political and economic institutions. Despite rapid economic growth and relative political stability for much of this
period, Japan now confronts a new set of challenges that may be setting the stage for yet a new transformation. We
will also explore these challenges which include: 1) political instability; 2) an extended period of economic
stagnation; 3) a shrinking and aging population; 4) rebuilding after the massive earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear crisis
known as “3/11”; 5) struggles with national identity as the country debates its immigration policy; and 6) a rapidly
changing international environment with the rise of China as an economic and military powerhouse.
The class will include guests and local field trips to explore Japan’s relations with the US and other nations. Learn
how about how some of these issues are playing out right in our backyard in Southern California.
To bring to life our discussions, the class will travel to Japan during Spring Break. The trip will include a visit to
important cultural, historical and political institutions and will give students from LMU to meet college students in
Japan. Schedule permitting the trip will also include a short excursion to the region of Japan hit by a massive tsunami
to help students understand the challenges of rebuilding after this devastating disaster.
*Note:
Lab fee: $1300 plus airfare
The BCLA Dean's office is providing support for this trip to keep the lab fee as low as possible. Additional financial
support may be provided for students to offset costs on an as-needed basis. The actual amount of support will depend
on the final class enrollment.
STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES:
Gain knowledge. Students should learn the basic political history of Japan, how its political system and economy
function, and some of the domestic and international challenges facing the country.
Enhance writing skills. This is a writing intensive course. Students will write numerous short papers and one
research paper. Students are required to submit proposals and bibliographies and to consult with the instructor.
Improve oral presentation. Students will make presentations and lead debates so that they can enhance their ability to
communicate effectively and persuasively.
PREREQUISITES/RECOMMENDED BACKGROUND:
No prerequisites. Courses in international relations, comparative politics and Asian studies useful for background.
REQUIRED TEXTS:
To be determined.
Page 12 of 19
COURSE WORK/EXPECTATIONS:
Assignments
Four short papers
Research paper
Class participation
Presentations
40% (10% each)
30%
20%
10%
*Subject to change
Page 13 of 19
COURSE TITLE: Modern Chinese Literature and Culture
COURSE NUMBER: CHIN 407.01; CRN 76064
SECTION TIMES/DAYS: T R 3:00 - 4:15 pm
INSTRUCTOR: Prof. Yanjie Wang
COURSE DESCRIPTION/PRINCIPAL TOPICS
This course introduces students to select works and key topics in modern Chinese literature, cinema, and culture.
Short stories, films, essays, and television clips will be included and analyzed. We will examine the ways in which
these literary and cultural texts engage with modern Chinese experience. This course will help students acquire
language skills that allow them to formulate culturally informed and formally attentive interpretations of modern
Chinese texts. Through close reading exercises and discussions, students will also gain a deeper understanding of
modern Chinese culture and society.
STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES
Upon successful completion of this course, students will:
*Strengthen the proficiency in the four skills of listening, speaking, reading, and writing
*Be able to present, in both speech and writing, thoughtful arguments on topics related to Chinese literature, cinema, and
culture
*Enhance close reading ability, analytical skills and critical thinking
*Gain broader cultural literacy in areas such as modern Chinese literature, cinema, media, history and politics.
*Develop a deeper insight into Chinese culture and society
PREREQUISITES/RECOMMENDED BACKGROUND
CHIN 306 or consent of the instructor
REQUIRED TEXTS
Course materials are available on MYLMU Connect
COURSE WORK/EXPECTATIONS
Attendance; active participation; homework; in-class oral presentations; short essays; midterm; final
Page 14 of 19
Course Title: Arts of Asia: Zen
Course Number: ARHS 321-01 / ASPA 398-01
ARHS 321-02 / ASPA 398-03
Section Time: ARHS 321-01 / ASPA 398-01 : MW 9:00-10:15 am
ARHS 321-02 / ASPA 398-03 : MW 10:30-11:45 am
Instructor: Juliann Wolfgram
Course Description:
Arts of Asia: Zen is an upper-level course that examines Buddhist arts, with specific focus on the arts of Zen, by
utilizing art historical, historical, and philosophical methodologies to awaken sensibility to and promote selfengagement in the diverse cultural artifacts, aesthetics, and praxis that arise from the development of Buddhist
religions in the human experience in Asia. This course is cross-listed with Asian and Pacific Studies and will cover
the major monuments of Buddhist art from its inception in India through its cultural and doctrinal transformations
to its Zen revival in 18th-century Japan. Discussion will not only investigate the various artistic traditions that
developed, but it will also address issues of patronage, ideology, symbolism, nationalism, and regional aesthetics.
More specifically, martial arts, calligraphy, poetry, painting, architecture, gardens, and the tea ceremony will be
studied as artifacts that reify the Dharma. In the process, not only will this survey explore one of the world’s great
religions and investigate the ideas that define religious art, it will also introduce a variety of Asian cultural
sensibilities as a means to condition a better understanding of self and to explore one’s social responsibility in the
contemporary world.
Furthermore, this course is part of the Interdisciplinary Connections area of the core curriculum at LMU and
therefore emphasizes the education of the whole person through interdisciplinary approaches to learning. The
integration of primary sources, scholarly interpretations, and visual analyses will afford critical evaluation of
Buddhist Zen arts as they define perspectives of truth, virtue, compassion, and right action in culture, art, and
society. Accordingly, the course will provide a forum for the examination of the ways that individuals have
grappled creatively with the political, cultural, and social forces that shape society.
Prerequisites/Recommended Background: None
Required Texts: Buddhist Art and Architecture by Robert Fisher
The Art of Buddhism: An Introduction to its History and Meaning by Denise Leidy
Buddhist Religions: A Historical Introduction, 5th ed., by R. Robinson et al.
Zen Past and Present by Eric Cunningham
Recommended Texts: A Short Guide to Writing about Art, 11th ed., by Sylvan Barnet
The Experience of Buddhism: Sources and Interpretations, 3rd ed. by John Strong
Buddhist Art: An Illustrated Introduction by Charles Chicarelli
Page 15 of 19
ARHS 321-01 ASPA 398 01 Arts of Asia: Zen MW 9:00-10:15 am
ARHS 321-02 ASPA 398 03 Arts of Asia: Zen MW 10:30-11:45 am
Instructor: Juliann Wolfgram
Course Description:
Arts of Asia: Zen is an upper-level course that examines Buddhist arts, with specific focus
on the arts of Zen, by utilizing art historical, historical, and philosophical methodologies to awaken
sensibility to and promote self-engagement in the diverse cultural artifacts, aesthetics, and praxis
that arise from the development of Buddhist religions in the human experience in Asia.
This course is cross-listed with Asian and Pacific Studies and will cover the major
monuments of Buddhist art from its inception in India through its cultural and doctrinal
transformations to its Zen revival in 18th-century Japan. Discussion will not only investigate the
various artistic traditions that developed, but it will also address issues of patronage, ideology,
symbolism, nationalism, and regional aesthetics. More specifically, martial arts, calligraphy,
poetry, painting, architecture, gardens, and the tea ceremony will be studied as artifacts that reify
the Dharma. In the process, not only will this survey explore one of the world’s great religions and
investigate the ideas that define religious art, it will also introduce a variety of Asian cultural
sensibilities as a means to condition a better understanding of self and to explore one’s social
responsibility in the contemporary world.
Furthermore, this course is part of the Interdisciplinary Connections area of the core
curriculum at LMU and therefore emphasizes the education of the whole person through
interdisciplinary approaches to learning. The integration of primary sources, scholarly
interpretations, and visual analyses will afford critical evaluation of Buddhist Zen arts as they
define perspectives of truth, virtue, compassion, and right action in culture, art, and society.
Accordingly, the course will provide a forum for the examination of the ways that individuals have
grappled creatively with the political, cultural, and social forces that shape society.
Prerequisites/Recommended Background: None
Required Texts: Buddhist Art and Architecture by Robert Fisher
The Art of Buddhism: An Introduction to its History and Meaning by Denise Leidy
Buddhist Religions: A Historical Introduction, 5th ed., by R. Robinson et al.
Page 16 of 19
Zen Past and Present by Eric Cunningham
Recommended Texts: A Short Guide to Writing about Art, 11th ed., by Sylvan Barnet
The Experience of Buddhism: Sources and Interpretations, 3rd ed. by John Strong
Buddhist Art: An Illustrated Introduction by Charles Chicarelli
Page 17 of 19
COURSE TITLE: Arts of Islam
COURSE NUMBER: ARHS 320.1/ASPA 398.10
SECTION TIMES/DAYS: W 4:30-7:00 PM
INSTRUCTOR: Aliaa El Sandouby, Ph.D.
COURSE DESCRIPTION/PRINCIPAL TOPICS:
The course investigates both the religious and courtly art and architecture of the Islamic world in the
period between the rise of Islam in the 7th century and late medieval times. The course seeks to provide
an overview of key themes in the arts and architecture of Islam as well as to critically discuss the issues
related to these themes and forms. The class will consider the historical and cultural contexts, as well as
the evolving meanings and patterns of use of buildings and objects by Muslim societies over time.
Students will be encouraged to understand the rituals and practices of Islam as a key method for
interpreting the artistic and visual legacies of the Islamic world.
STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES:
The course has several goals:
-To help students gain a historically grounded awareness of the diverse art and architectural legacies of Muslim
societies from the time of the Prophet to the late medieval period.
-To familiarize students with key principles and terminology relating to Islamic art, architecture and visual culture.
--Students will also learn about the teachings and practices of Islam and will be able to identify the various major
monuments and art forms of the various regions and dynasties of the Muslim world.
PREREQUISITES/RECOMMENDED BACKGROUND:
None.
REQUIRED TEXTS:
There is no textbook assigned for this course. All assigned readings will be posted Blackboard.
COURSE WORK/EXPECTATIONS:
Students will be expected to attend all lectures and participate in class discussion. Students will
be required to report orally and in writing on the weekly readings. In addition, students will sit for two
short exams and a final.
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