Course Description

This course will introduce students to the major religious, philosophical, cultural, and historical legacies of Asia, which include but are not limited to the regions of India, China, and Japan.  In addition to investigating Asia’s past, we will also look briefly at contemporary circumstances and the complicated relationships between past and present, modernity and national identity, continuity and change.  Along the way, we will be introduced to a variety of disciplinary approaches used in understanding Asia today.  Our tools shall be reading ancient and modern texts, watching films and documentaries, participating in special events and programs focused on Asia, and sharing our responses to these media in our daily discussions. 

Participating Faculty

Asian Studies is the oldest cross-disciplinary program at St. Mary's and is devoted to understanding Asia from multiple perspectives and methodologies, and during this class we'll have the opportunity to hear from many of those faculty who participate in the program, including:

•  Sahar Shafqat (Political Science)

• Charlie Musgrove (History)

• Brad Park (Philosophy)

• Ho Nguyen (Economics)

•  Asif Dowla (Economics)

• Nadeem Zaman (English)

Required Texts (available at college bookstore):

• Narayan: The Mahabharata

• Waley: Monkey: Folk Novel of China

• Zaman: In the Time of Others

• Other required readings can be downloaded from the "Course Schedule" page on this website