Through Asian art from Neolithic times to the present, from China, India, Japan, Persia, Korea, Central Asia, Java, Cambodia and Vietnam, this course demonstrates what distinguishes these artistic cultures from each other and from various European artistic traditions. This course also introduces the vocabulary, techniques and patterns of thinking students will need in advanced art history courses. Priority is given to first-year students and sophomores. This study of East Asian paintings and woodblock prints from China's Han Dynasty to twentieth-century Japan includes discussion of the impact of the artists social status on works of art and the nature of Japans reinterpretation of Chinese forms. These courses offer continued practice and drill in the spoken language and work in the language laboratory.
Emphasis is on expansion of vocabulary and reading skills.
By the end of the year the student may expect to know 1,000 ideographs and be able to read simple texts. This course introduces representative works of Chinese literature in English translation. Offered in China in spring 1995. The focus is on modern literature and film. An introduction to the traditional structure and organization of knowledge in China and Japan provides the background for exploring contemporary issues in Chinese and Japanese education and schooling.