Courses for Freshman

Fall 2023

All of these courses will provide an excellent introduction to incoming students to the field of Asian Studies:

Asian Languages & Cultures (ASIAN)

ASIAN 100: Gateway to Asia: Revolutionary Asia, 3 cr. (t. Haberkorn) Elementary, Humanities

Offers a comparative and interdisciplinary introduction to multiple cultures of Asia. Possible topics include but are not limited to: travelogues; the languages of Asia; food cultures of Asia.

ASIAN 103: Intro-E Asian History: China, 4 cr. (J. Dennis), Elementary, Humanities or Social Science

Survey of major developments in Chinese history from 1500 B.C. to the founding of the Communist state in 1949. Emphasis on patterns and themes; equal time devoted to the classical and traditional period and the modern era.

ASIAN 104: Intro-E Asian History: Japan, 4 cr. (V. Murthy), Elementary, Humanities or Social Science

Survey of major cultural, social, political and economic developments in Japanese history from ancient to recent times.

ASIAN 120: Art/Sci of Human Flourishing, 3 cr. (C. D’Etcheverry), Elementary, Humanities or Social Science

Explore perspectives related to human flourishing from the sciences and humanities; investigate themes such as transformation, resilience, compassion, diversity, gratitude, community; expand self-awareness, enhanced social connectivity, and ability to change; formulate a sense of what it means to lead a flourishing life that sustains meaningful and fulfilling engagement with studies, relationships, community, and career.

ASIAN 218: Health & Healing in South Asia, 3 cr. (A. Cerulli) Elementary, Humanities

Study primary and secondary sources to explore how South Asian societies have understood the ideas of health and well-being throughout history. We will consider a number of cases that illustrate uniquely South Asian conceptions of illness and physical dysfunction and the ways in which people in South Asia have attempted (and continue to attempt today) to heal bodies. Students will learn about the traditional healing systems of South Asia, including Ayurveda, Siddha, and Unani, the basic components of each systems’ ideas about disease pathology and treatment that have been used for centuries to heal illness, maintain good health, and, in some instances, aspire to a state of super-health that transcends the limitations of bodily existence altogether.

LITTRANS 232: Anime, 3 cr. (S. Ridgely), Elementary, Humanities

Surveys anime (Japanese animation) from 1930s shorts through contemporary feature-length, experimental, and televised serial-form productions. Draws on critical writings on postmodernism, digital cinema, and visual culture.

ASIAN 244: Introduction to Southeast Asia: Vietnam to the Philippines, 4 cr. (M. Cullinane), Elementary, Humanities or Social Science

As an introduction to Southeast Asia, covers the ethnic, cultural, religious, and political histories of the region from the classical states period to the present, with an emphasis on colonialism, nationalism, decolonization, and the emergence of modern political and social systems into the 21st century, including an exposure to region’s contemporary literature.

ASIAN 255: Intro East Asian Civilizations, 3 cr. (A. Detwyler), Elementary, Humanities or Social Science

Multidisciplinary and historical perspectives on the East Asian civilizations of China, Japan, Korea, Tibet and Mongolia from prehistory to the present, including developments in philosophy, economy, governance, social structure, kinship, geography, etc.

LITTRANS 261: Survey of Chinese Literature in Translation, 3 cr. (R. Huntington), Elementary, Literature

A critical survey of premodern Chinese literature spanning from the earliest times to the 18th century. Covers representative works of prose, fiction, drama and poetry.

ASIAN 300 (001) Yoga: Ancient Philosophy & Modern Practice, 3 cr. (G. Buhnemann) FIG course

Yoga techniques have played an important role in the religious traditions of South Asia, as these traditions have evolved over the centuries. In the Western world, some aspects of Yoga, such as body postures, have attracted much attention, but the larger cultural context of the phenomenon of Yoga and its philosophical underpinnings have remained generally unknown to a wider audience. In this course we will explore the history of Yoga in India and in the West mainly through the study of original texts in their historical context. Readings will consist of translations from original texts, of historical surveys and interpretive studies. In this course you will learn basic research skills, the conventions of academic writing and develop critical thinking.

ASIAN 300 (oo4) Folk Performance: South Asia, 3 cr. (S. Vamsi and J. Jones) Freshman welcome, please email rweiss@wisc.edu for permission to enroll.

What are some rules that govern performance culture globally? Who set these rules? Can they be broken? How?–– These are the central questions around which this semester-long course is structured. Together we will examine the appropriation, weaponization, dilution or valuation of particular performance practices from historically marginalized South Asian and American artistic communities by dominant groups. We will also juxtapose the history of these performance styles with models of contemporary artists in South Asia and the US who have subverted these “classical” forms for activism and political assertion.

Each week, one class will be a lecture and discussion and the other will be a practice and reflection session. The lectures will look at folk forms like Oppari singing, Parai/Dappu drums, dance forms like Lavani, Naach, mask and theater forms like Puli Vesha and Yakshagana to name a few. The practical sessions will involve exploring and interpreting these into short performance pieces. As a community we will challenge dominant perceptions of art from the region including why some forms are boxed into categories like classical, popular and folk. These categories highlight the socio-economic hierarchies they emerge from and reinforce, particularly related to caste, religion, gender and sexuality.

Asian Languages & Cultures: Languages (ASIALANG)

Beginning Students may enroll directly into the following classes:

Chinese – ASIALANG 101: First Semester Chinese (4 cr)
Filipino – ASIALANG 123: First Semester Filipino (4 credits)
Hindi – ASIALANG 133: First Semester Hindi (4 credits)
Hmong – ASIALANG 125: First Semester Hmong (4 credits)
Indonesian – ASIALANG 127: First Semester Indonesian (4 credits)
Japanese – ASIALANG 103: First Semester Japanese (4 credits)
Korean – ASIALANG 105: First Semester Korean (4 credits)
Persian – ASIALANG 137: First Semester Persian (4 credits)
Sanskrit – ASIALANG 141: First Semester Sanskrit (4 credits)
Thai – ASIALANG 129: First Semester Thai (4 credits)
Tibetan – ASIALANG 135: First Semester Tibetan (4 credits)
Urdu – ASIALANG 139: First Semester Urdu (4 credits)
Vietnamese – ASIALANG 131: First Semester Vietnamese (4 credits)