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Introduction to China and India Fall 2000 |
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E.H. Rick Jarow Phone: (914) 437-5516 |
Jin Jiang |
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This is an introductory exploration of the classical and contemporary civilizations of India and China through which the field of Asian Studies itself will be introduced.The course will focus on the foundations and ideals of Chinese and Indian civilizations, on the evolution of social norms, and on contemporary areas of concern. Topics include early India and China, the myths of the scholar and the ruler, varnashrama-dharma (the "caste system"), politics of family, gender and identity, colonial and post-colonial realities, human rights and eco-visions of the future. The course format shall consist of an alternation between lectures and discussions, with attention focused on primary texts and visual materials. Grading will be based upon four written assignments (10% each), a final examination (40%) attendance, and class-participation (20%).
Send e-mail to the class at asia10501@webboard.vassar.eduSee the email archive at http://webboard.vassar.edu:8080/~asia10501
I. Origins of Civilization and Cultural Ideals
Week One, Aug. 31: Tale of Two Rivers: The Power of Place
Introduction to Course and Methods
Week Two, Sept. 5 & 7: The Ganges: Foundations of Indian Civilization
Lecture: Nature & Culture: Myths of Origin, Concepts of Self and History
Readings:
- Thapar, "Imagined Religious Communities"
- Basham, pp. 1-43
- Eck, "The Goddess Ganges in Hindu Sacred Geography"
Week Three, Sept. 12 & 14: The Yellow River: Foundations of Chinese Civilization
Lecture: Origins of Chinese Civilization: History and Myth
Readings:
- Andre Sleeswyk, "The Celestial River: a Reconstruction."
- Fairbank, China, pp 17-32.
- Ssu-ma Chien: Records of the Grand Historian, pp. 42-65.
Week Four, Sept. 19 & 21: The Way of the Sage and the Way of the King
Lecture: The Many Faces of the Buddha & The Evolution of Indian Society
Readings:
- Basham 43-57, 256-287
- Selections from Rg Veda and Upanishads
- Recommended: Nhat Hanh, The Miracle of Mindfulness
Week Five, Sept. 26 & 28: Who Ruled Ancient China: The Emperor or the Scholar?
Lecture: What is a Confucian Scholar
Readings:
- Patricia Ebrey, Chinese Civilization, pp. 8-10, 18-24, 27-31, 57-59, 105-108, 172-177, 195-201.
- Joseph Levenson: Confucian China and Its Modern Fate.
Assignment I: Essay: Discuss the relationship between power and wisdom in classical India and China (3-5 pages)
II. Myths & Politics of Class and Gender
Week Six, Oct.3 & 5: The Aims of Human Life and the Politics of Class & Gender
Lecture: Varnashrama: then and now
Readings:
- Basham, 137-188,
- Kama-Sutra (selections)
- Ramanujan, "Is there an Indian Way of Thinking?"
Week Seven, Oct. 10 & 12: Ethics of the Family, Gender, and Sex
Lecture: Moral Code, Social Institution, and Desire
Reading: The Plum in the Golden Vase, pp. 1-204.
Week Eight, Oct 17 & 19: Autumn Break
Week Nine, Oct. 24 & 26: The Politics of Food
Lecture: The Centrality of Transaction
Readings:
- Basham, 189-231
- Ramanujan, "Food for Thought: toward an Anthology of Hindu Food-Images"
Film: The Wages of Action, 330 Million Gods
Week Ten, Oct. 31 & Nov. 2: Food Culture in China
Lecture: Is Food What Chinese Culture is all about?
Reading:
- K. C. Chang: Food in Chinese Culture
Film: Eat Drink Man Woman (Wednesday Evening: Sanders Auditorium, 7-9:15pm)
Assignment II: Essay on some aspect of the importance of food in either India or China
Week Eleven, Nov. 7 & 9: The Post-Colonial Dilemma
Lecture: The idea of India
Readings:
- Tagore, Sacrifice
- Khilnani, 1-60
- Miller, "Contending Narratives"
Assignment III: How do you interpret the sacrifice of Jai Singh in Tagore's play, Sacrifice? (3-5 pages)
Week Twelve, Nov. 14 & 16: The Semi-Colonial Experience of China
Lecture: Changing Identity: From Under Heaven to Nation State
Readings:
- Roberts, A Concise History of China, pp. 162-205.
- Qianlong Emperor's letter to King George III.
- Lu Xun: The True Story of Ah Q.
Assignment IV: Write a three-page analysis on Lu Xun's short story. (Due Nov. 21)
Week Thirteen, Nov. 21: Communalism, Traditionalism, Liberalism: Three Models of India's Future
Readings:
- Sarvarkar, "What is a Hindu" (on reserve)
- Khilnani, pp.150-195 ("Who is an Indian?")
Lecture: Gandhi, Nehru, Sarvarkar: Three Visions of Hinduness
Week Fourteen, November 28 & 30: The Great Leap Forward: The Maoist Vision
Lecture: Mao's Revolution and China Today
Reading:
- Jonathan Spence: Mao Zedong
- Mao: TBA
Film: China in Revolution.
Week Fifteen, Dec. 5 & 7: The Yangtze and Narmada Dam Projects: Tale of Two Rivers Retold
Lecture: Mother River: Cultural Symbol, Political Economy, or Human Rights?
Reading:
- Dai Qing: The River Dragon Has Come
- Su Xiaokang: Deathsong of the River
- Panikkar, "Is Human Rights a Western Concept?"
- Vandana Shiva, "Monocultures of the Mind"
- Stillwater, "The Ganges' Next Life"