Fall 2023 Courses

Also listed as HIST 1150

Instructor: Phillip Thai

CRN: 14213

Days, Time: MWR 10:30 – 11:35 AM

Description:

East Asian Studies is a multidisciplinary introduction to the study of China, Korea, Japan, and adjacent regions from antiquity to the present, mainly through historical and literary texts.  Course is taught in English by staff from the History Department and is open to registered Northeastern University students.

Instructor: Sasha Sabherwal

CRN: 17148

Days, Time: MR 11:45 – 1:25 PM

Description:

Seeks to provide an understanding of the major concepts, historical narratives, and analytical approaches in the field of Asian American studies. Concentrates on the experiences of migrants and descendants from China, Japan, India, Korea, the Philippines, and Southeast Asia. Offers students an opportunity to obtain interdisciplinary analytical skills, including approaches in history, anthropology, sociology, critical ethnic studies, American studies, cultural studies, and media studies.

Instructor: Denise Khor

CRN: 20121

Days, Time: MWR 9:15 – 10:20 AM

Description:

Introduces the multiple and complex histories of Asian American cinema, from its genesis as radical independent filmmaking to its development across commercial industries and new digital media. Concentrates on a range of creative productions, from documentary and narrative features to experimental, avant-garde, and short video. Offers students an opportunity to obtain the skills to analyze the institutional processes and historical contexts of Asian American cinema and the genres, techniques, and aesthetics of Asian American filmmakers.

Instructor: Jennifer Cullen

CRN: 19679

Days, Time: TF 1:35 – 3:15 PM

Description:

Explores major works of Japanese fiction and poetry in historical and cultural context. All readings are in English translation.

Instructor: Malcolm Purinton

CRN: 19678

Days, Time: Online

Description:

Focuses on the historical roots of four pressing contemporary issues with global implications. Our world has grown increasingly complex and interconnected, and the planet’s diverse peoples are facing common problems that have tremendous impact on the immediate future. They are (1) globalization, from its origins in the sixteenth century to the present; (2) the potential for global pandemics to alter the course of history, from bubonic plague in the fifth century to H1N1; (3) racial inequality, from religious interpretations in the early modern period to science in the modern era; and (4) gender inequality, from the agricultural revolution forward. For each issue, studies cases and locations spread across the world, examines the links between past and present, and attempts to identify ways forward.

Instructor: Malcolm Purinton, Peter Fraunholtz

CRN: 12072, 11027

Days, Time: MWR 9:15 – 10:20 AM, Online

Description:

Examines the political, economic, social, and cultural relationship between the developed and developing world since the end of World War II. Topics include the Cold War, independence and national movements in developing countries, the globalization of the world economy, scientific and technological innovations, wealth and poverty, the eradication of some diseases and the spread of others, the fall of the Soviet Union, Middle East turmoil, and the enduring conflict between Israel and Palestine.

Instructor: Philip Thai

CRN: 19682

Days, Time: MR 11:45 – 1:25 PM

Description:

Offers an overview of the historical development and function of law in Chinese society from the late imperial era to today and in comparison with other bodies of jurisprudence. Reading a wide range of scholarly articles and monographs, the course looks at “law” beyond jurisprudence and legal codes to examine its changing relationship with social customs, political institutions, religious traditions, popular culture, family and gender relations, and economic exchanges.

Instructor: Michael Thornton

CRN: 15201

Days, Time: WF 11:45 – 1:25 PM

Description:

Examines state formation, economic growth, imperialism and colonialism, war and defeat, and contemporary culture of Japan.

Also listed as SOCL 4526

Instructor: Anjie Chan Tack

CRN: 20467

Days, Time: MR 11:45 – 1:25 PM

Description:

Examines the comparative racialization of Blacks and Asians in the Americas and relations between these communities. Introduces sociological theories of race/ethnicity, a chronology of Afro-Asian relations in the United States, and the impact of 1970s deindustrialization and post–1965 Asian immigration. Covers the internationalism of Black and Asian leaders (e.g., W.E.B. du Bois and Mao Tse-Tung) in the developing nations and the overlapping Civil Rights, Black Power, and Asian American movements.

Instructor: Jennifer Cullen

CRN: 14960

Days, Time: TF 9:50 – 11:30 AM

Description:

Provides an introduction to Japanese popular culture through critical analysis of mass media such as film, television, comics, and animation. Investigates various social and cultural issues, such as gender, family, and education. Films and videos supplement readings. Conducted in English.

Instructor: Mary Kelting

CRN: 20043

Days, Time: MWR 10:30 – 11:35 AM

Description:

Examines Hinduism, Jainism, Theravada Buddhism, Mahayana Buddhism, Confucianism, Taoism, and Shinto within South Asia (India) and east Asia (China and Japan). Combines readings in primary source materials (the religious texts of these traditions) with secondary examinations of the historical and doctrinal developments within each tradition and region. This course intends to give students a context in which to examine the ways in which religions develop in interlocking sociocultural and political contexts and to provide a grounding in the lived experiences of these religious traditions.

Instructor: Mark Wells

CRN: 20044

Days, Time: TF 1:35 – 3:15 PM

Description:

Surveys the origins and development of the indigenous religious traditions of China, from the oracle bone divinations of the Shang Dynasty to the philosophical and religious traditions of Confucianism, Mohism, Yangism, Daoism, and Legalism. Identifies and elucidates those elements of ancient Chinese thought that have had the most lasting influence on the Chinese ethos and worldview. Studies the foundational texts of ancient China and also examines the relevant practices that helped to define the various traditions of thought. Focuses on how religious and philosophical ideas influenced the larger culture of Chinese life in regard to the arts, medicine, the social order, and government.

Also listed as INTL 4350 

Instructor: Doreen Lee

CRN: 20386

Days, Time: MR 11:45 – 1:25 PM

Description:

Offers a seminar on the societies and cultures of Southeast Asia. Uses an interdisciplinary approach to this diverse and dynamic geopolitical region, with readings from anthropology, history, political science, and literature. Covers the major political and cultural changes that have shaped Southeast Asia in relation to the world—from the age of colonial expansion, to the rise of nation-states, to the present global era. Examines central questions in the ethnography of Southeast Asia, emphasizing the postcolonial legacies of Southeast Asia, states and violence, culture and mobility, and pressing contemporary issues in globalizing Southeast Asia.

• ASNS 1150 – East Asian Studies
• HIST 1215 – Origins of Today: Historical Roots of Contemporary Issues
• HIST 2211 – The World Since 1945

• ASNS 2245 – Introduction to Asian American Studies
• ANTH 4350 – Ethnography of Southeast Asia
• PHIL 1275 – Hinduism, Buddhism, and Beyond
• PHIL 1290 – Chinese Philosophy and Religion

• ASNS 2245 – Introduction to Asian American Studies
• ASNS 3100 – Asian American Cinemas
• HIST 1252 – Japanese Literature & Culture
• HIST 2308 – Law, Justice, and Society in Modern China
• HIST 2351 – Modern Japan
• AFAM 4526 – Afro-Asian Relations in the Americas
• CLTR 1700 – Intro to Japanese Pop Culture
• PHIL 1275 – Hinduism, Buddhism, and Beyond
• PHIL 1290 – Chinese Philosophy and Religion
• ANTH 4350 – Ethnography of Southeast Asia

See course catalog for more options – or email csgs@northeastern.edu if you see a potential class that would apply!