Asian Culture and Arts Home Page

 

Announcements:

You now have access to the handout on the Benefits of White Privilege.

Read the text of the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882.

Read the text of Executive Order No. 9066, about the internment of Japanese Americans.

SPRING QUARTER TEXTS
1. Elaine Kim, Making More Waves: New Writing by Asian American Women, Beacon Press
2. Amy Tan, The Joy Luck Club, Ivy Books, New York
3. Peter Hessler, River Town, Perennial, New York
4. John Okada, No-No Boy, Rutherford VT: Charles E. Tuttle
5. David Mura, Turning Japanese, Anchor Press
6. Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni, The Unknown Errors of Our Lives, Anchor Press
7. Bharti Kirchner, Darjeeling, St. Martin's Griffin Press
8. Pramoedya Ananta Toer, All That is Gone

Tuesday	10-12 workshops Com 110, 341, 210, and 323	1-4 lecture or film Com 107
Wednesday	10-12 seminars Com 310, 320, and 323	independent practice
Thursday	10-12 workshops Com 110, 341, 210, and 323	1-4 lecture or film Lecture Hall 3

Program Description and Schedule:

This year-long, all-level program explores the expressive arts and cultures of four major Asian culture areas: China, Japan, India, and Indonesia.

Our studies will include the regional histories, philosophies, languages, and theory and practice of Asian dance, music, theater, film, literature, and other art forms. Weekly meetings include lectures, hands-on workshops in the arts, presentations by visiting artists, films, and seminars based on texts, films, and performances. Faculty offer lectures and workshops in each of the culture areas based on first-hand experience, and the program is supplemented with guest presentations. Ultimate goals of the program include an enhanced understanding of Asian expressive cultural traditions, and the creation of performance pieces in the latter part of the year.

Four workshops will be offered in the Asian artistic traditions of India, China, Indonesia, and Japan. In addition to selecting a single workshop as the primary mode of expression throughout the year, students will also have the opportunity to work within the other traditions. Students will gain some experience in the major languages of each area (Mandarin, Hindi, Japanese, and Bahasa Indonesia) as part of their chosen workshop.

Fall quarter will begin with an introduction to the four major culture areas and will include both intensive reading and skill-building. In winter quarter students will continue laying foundations in artistic skills while exploring some of the most important cultural concepts that underlie Asian expressive culture. We will also begin to develop ideas about a performance in spring quarter that will combine skills in all four areas. Our final work in spring quarter will demonstrate some of the unique aspects of these four Asian expressive cultures. You would be a good match for this program if you bring an open mind, a willingness to explore aspects of the world beyond the parameters of your current understanding, and the ability to recognize the wisdom in using body, mind, and spirit in combination to deepen your knowledge of expressive culture.