Upcoming New & Special Courses

The courses listed here address special subjects, are taught by visiting faculty, or are new to the course catalog (marked as "NEW"). Please note that special content courses and courses offered by visiting scholars represent opportunities that will not likely be available again. For previously offered special courses, click here.

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Autumn 2012

ASIAN 207A- A Thousand and One Narrators: Masterpieces of Story Literature From India and Beyond This course covers masterpieces of story literature from India and surrounding regions, with focus on The Mahabharata, The Adventures of Amir Hamza, and The Arabian Nights. Each of these texts has had wide influence on Eastern and Western literatures and continues to inspire rich performance and literary traditions today. Class sessions will cover historical and cultural context, and discussion of major themes such as curiosity and fate. No prior knowledge is assumed, and all works will be read in English translation. Prof. Jennifer Dubrow No Prerequisites MW 130-320 + F section VLPA/I&S SLN 10515 Course Flyer

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ASIAN 207B- Indian Mythology Overview of Indian mythology from the Vedic period to the present, with focus on contemporary representations. Compares different retellings of the most important stories about Hindu gods in Vedic, Epic, Puranic, vernacular, as well as popular culture adaptations, such as comic strips and film. Readings include translations of scripture and articles situating those in their historical context. Scholarly methods of myth analysis and socio-political adaptations of myths, including their internet and advertisement avatars.  No prerequisites. Prof. Heidi Pauwels No Prerequisites TTh 1230-220 + F section VLPA/I&S w/ W Credit Option SLN 10516 Course Flyer

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ASIAN 207C- Modern Korean Literature and Culture This course will survey modern Korean literature and culture of the twentieth century through close readings of selected literary works and films. All readings will be in English. Prof. Heekyoung Cho No Prerequisites MWF 130-250 VLPA/I&S SLN 10517

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JAPAN 321A- Japanese Literature I Introduction to the literature and culture of Japan from the earliest times until the mid-nineteenth century. Close readings of tales, poems, plays, and essays in English translation with an emphasis on understanding cultural and historical contexts.  Through readings, lectures, and discussions, students will come to understand how premodern/classical Japanese literature functioned as a changing system from earliest times to the mid-nineteenth century and understand how this system intersected with political, social, economic, religious, and intellectual systems over the same time frame.  No prerequisites.  No knowledge of Japanese required or presumed.  Several hundred pages of reading in English. Prof. Paul Atkins No Prerequisites TTH 930-1120 + section VLPA SLN 15500 Course Flyer

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JAPAN 360A- The Films of Kurosawa Akira The first Japanese director to gain a global reputation, Kurosawa Akira (1910-98) directed thirty films over six decades.  The director's works have been praised by many of the most famous directors of the last century, including Robert Altman, Ingmar Bergman, Francis Ford Coppola, Federico Fellini, Roman Polanski, and Steven Spielberg.  Martin Scorcese said, "Akira Kurosawa was my master, andŠ the master of so many other filmmakers over the years."  Kurosawa's cautious optimism about people's capacity to behave ethically in a fallen world continues to inspire viewers to this day.  We will be discussing ten of Kurosawa's greatest films to explore this and other themes that ran through the works. Prof. Ted Mack No Prerequisites MWF 130-250 VLPA SLN 15509

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JAPAN 360B- Japanese Avant-Garde & Contemporary Art Post-1945 Modern, contemporary, and avant‐garde art have thrived in postwar Japan. This course will introduce some of the most important movements of the postwar, beginning with realism and surrealism, moving through Anti‐Art, performance, experimental film, kitsch and subculture, simulationism and superflat, and ending with recent experiments in community arts. Along the way we will consider three recurrent themes: the relation of art to postwar political and social developments, the figuration of gender and sexuality, and the relationship between developments in Japanese art and contemporary Western art, particularly in the U.S. There are no prerequisites and no knowledge of Japanese is required. Prof. Justin Jesty No Prerequisites MWF 900-1020 VLPA SLN 15510 Course Flyer