ASIA 372 T1 – Development of Traditional Chinese Thought
Taught by Dr. Jinhua Chen
ASIA 372 discusses the formation, development, influence and nature of some basic philosophical (including ethical) traditions in medieval China from the 2nd to the 16th century. It is designed not only as a historical survey that traces the fundamental intellectual and socio-political factors that contributed to the rise and transformation of these philosophical traditions, but also as a thematic investigation of some central and recurrent issues which were deeply embedded in medieval Chinese philosophy and which had determined its directions of development. These issues include those regarding the origin and structure of the universe, human nature and the ultimate concern, the inter-relationship between microcosm and macrocosm as revealed in the interactions between humans and cosmos, and the possibility and necessity of establishing a harmonious human society on the basis of a dynamic understanding of both universal principles and human nature, and so on. While this course does not aim at covering the Chinese culture as a whole, it does attempt to delineate and to assess some profound and far-reaching impacts that these major philosophical traditions have exerted over the past two millenniums on some aspects of Chinese culture, including literature and art. This course pays particular attention to the on-going process of how they continue to inform and transform the political perspectives, value systems and behavior patterns that are widely (albeit sometime unconsciously) followed by people belonging to various strata of society in modern China and other East Asian countries.
ASIA 428 T1 – Mughal India
Taught by Dr. Francesca Harlow
Asian Studies 428 is a history of India during the age of the ‘great Moghuls’ (ca.1500-1700). Special emphasis will be given to the later 16th century and the reign of Akbar, with the course’s focus being on the Mughals during the dynasty’s rise in Central Asia, featuring both political and cultural elements. The Mughal period is of considerable interest in understanding the creation of modern South Asia. The Mughals, by degrees, created an empire that nearly united the entire subcontinent. In so doing they were faced with the fundamental problem of how a Muslim minority could rule a Hindu majority. During Akbar’s reign, the problem of how to rule — as a ‘true’ Muslim ruler or as a political and social pragmatist — became a subject of controversy. The course will first examine how the empire was established and ruled and how the issue of ‘fundamentalism’ vs. liberalism was debated at the court of Akbar. This will form the centerpiece of the course; however, the Mughal age was more than one of military and political success and religious controversy. Cultural innovation and superior artistic achievement mark the ‘high’ Mughal civilization. It was also a time of wealth and splendor perhaps unrivaled in the world of the time, and the Mughals spent lavishly on the arts. The third section of this course will examine the court culture of the 17th century, during the reigns of Jahangir and Shah Jahan. In this section relatively less attention will be paid to the political and military history of Mughal dynastic politics and territorial expansion. Some comparative and forward allusions to the ‘later Mughals’ will occasionally be part of the course.
ASIA 466 T1 – The History of Christianity in Asia
Taught by Dr. Don Baker
Christianity is now the strongest religious presence in three Asian countries (Korea, the Philippines, and East Timor)—do you want to know how that came about? ASIA 466 is a survey of the successes and failures of Christian proselytizing in South, Southeast, and East Asia, focusing on the period since 1500. Students will review the basic ontological, theological, and axiological assumptions of the traditional religions and philosophies of Asia. In this course, students will learn about: the small Christian communities in South Asia before the arrival of the British; who the Society of Jesus (the Jesuits) was and why its members traveled all the way to Japan and China to convert the people there to Roman Catholicism, and how the peoples of Japan and China reacted to them; the role imperialism played in implanting Christianity in the Philippines and Vietnam, and how Christianity fared under British rule in South Asia; the beginnings of Christianity in Korea before there were any missionaries there, and the persecution Korea’s first Catholics endured; how the Protestant Church, which arrived a century after the birth of a Korean Catholic Church, managed to escape persecution; the 19th and early 20th century Protestant missionary drives in China. Learn about the current state of Christianity in the rest of Asia, from Japan through Southeast Asia to South Asia, and explore possible explanations for differences in the popularity of Christianity across Asia. Students will also learn how Christianity in Asia differs from Christianity elsewhere, and why.
ASIA 488 T1 – Religion, Society and State in Modern India
Taught by Dr. Harjot Oberoi
This course is about India’s religious diversity and how the modern Indian state seeks to cope with this phenomenal pluralism. India is approximately made up of 828 million Hindus, 138 million Muslims, 24 million Christians, 19 million Sikhs, 8 million Buddhists, 4.2 million Jains, and a small population of Jews and Zoroastrians. Given the scale and multiplicity of religious groupings within the subcontinent and the recent history of sectarian conflicts, the Indian state groped for ideas and institutions that would help administer a multi-religious society and many settled on secularism. The preamble to the Indian constitution thus describes the country as a “Sovereign Socialist Secular Democratic Republic.” Despite these secular moorings, the Indian state has been unable to cope with religious imagination and collectivities. After about half a century of experimentation with some of the ideas and practices of secularism many in India today have become impatient with secularism, arguing that this western ideology does not fit the Indian cultural milieu. This course examines and reviews the chequered history of secular and religious discourse in post-independent India, both from the top and the bottom, by simultaneously looking at state and society. In doing so we will also be looking at the religious ideas and practices of Hindus, Muslims and Sikhs, how people like Gandhi and Nehru thought about religious issues, and review major religious episodes in the history of modern India: partition, communal riots and pogroms, religious radicalism, the Shah Bano divorce case, the demolition of Babri Masjid (mosque) and the rise of religious political parties.
ASTU 400C T1 – Korean Adoptee Literature
Student Led Seminar
Are you looking for an interesting and unique elective for Term 1? ASTU 400C, Korean Adoptee Literature is the course you’re looking for! This course focuses on the writing of Korean Adoptees as a way to learn about the issues with transnational adoption through the voices of adoptees themselves – voices that are often unheard in the discourse of adoption. The course will feature a variety of readings including prose, poetry, short stories and memoirs, and will feature a wide selection of authors. As this course is a student directed seminar it will only ever be offered once at UBC, and then never again, so this is your one chance to take a dedicated course on a part of the Korean diaspora that currently isn’t represented. If you have any questions please email savanah.king@hotmail.com.
