Graduate Courses

Chinese Graduate Courses

CHIN 5010: Sinological Methods
Provides training in research methods for graduate work in sinology. Weekly exercises require students to use standard bibliographic sources and tools. Students use leishu, congshu, dictionaries, dynastic histories, geographical treatises, gazetteers, and private historiography. Prereq., CHIN 4220 or instructor consent. (3 credit hours)

CHIN 5020: Methods of Teaching Asian Languages An overview of pedagogical theory and methods for the teaching of an Asian language as a second language, including issues of presentation, interaction, and evaluation. Prereq., graduate standing or instructor consent. (3 credit hours)

CHIN 5040: History of the Chinese Language
An overview of the development of the Chinese language over the last 3,000 years, focusing on the diachronic changes in phonology and syntax, the evolution of the major dialect families, the standardization of the writing system, the creation of a common literary language, and the development of a standard written vernacular. Prereq., CHIN 4210 or instructor consent. (3 credit hours)

CHIN 5050: Chinese Sociolinguistics
A survey of past achievements and current research concerns of Chinese sociolinguistics in areas such as speech varieties, language behavior and attitude, linguistic content and change, as well as guiding theories and central fieldwork methods. (3 credit hours)

CHIN 5060: Topics in Chinese Linguistics
Examines topics in Chinese dialectology, discourse analysis, historical linguistics, phonetics, and syntax (both synchronically and diachronically). Topics vary from year to year. May be repeated three times for credit. Prereq., CHIN 4120 or instructor consent. (3 credit hours)

CHIN 5110: History of Sinology
Surveys the history of Sinology from its formation as a self-conscious scholarly discipline to today. Focuses on significant works and contributions of the field's greatest practitioners. Prereq., graduate standing or instructor consent. (3 credit hours)

CHIN 5120: History of Literature through the Ninth Century
Surveys, with readings in primary and secondary sources, major landmarks in various areas of ancient and medieval literature. Focus is on the classic and most influential works of the Zhou through Tang dynasties. Gives attention to matters of historical fact and actuality as well as to textual and interpretive history. Prereq., graduate standing or instructor consent. (3 credit hours)

CHIN 5150: Theory and Practice of Literary Translation
Covers strategies for handling a variety of texts and genres as well as professional standards and ethics. Prereq., graduate standing or instructor consent. (3 credit hours)

CHIN 5160: Advanced Classical Chinese
Close reading of selected major texts, examining controversial interpretive problems that have inspired a variety of explanations. Emphasis on philological and analytical investigation. Prereq., graduate standing or instructor consent. (3 credit hours)

CHIN 5210: Ancient Prose
Studies selected pre-imperial and Han prose texts important in their own time for the influence they exercised on the later development of Chinese literary history. Focuses on works such as the Lun yü, Mengzi, Zhuangzi, Huainanzi, Shiji, Hanshu, and Lunheng. May be repeated up to 6 total credit hours. Prereq., CHIN 4220 or instructor consent. (3 credit hours)

CHIN 5220: Ancient Poetry
Studies selected pre-imperial and Han poetic works important in their own time and for the influence they exercised on the later development of Chinese literary history. Focuses on the Shih jing and the Chu ci, as well as the fu and shih of Han writers. Topics vary from year to year. May be repeated up to 6 total credit hours. Prereq., CHIN 4220 or instructor consent. (3 credit hours)

CHIN 5280: Topics in Ancient Literature
Examines a specific problem or issue in ancient literature, e.g., early views of language's relationship to reality, or the commentary tradition and the emergence of allegorical and metphysical approaches to interpreting texts. Topics vary from year to year. May be repeated up to 6 total credit hours. Prereq., CHIN 4220 or instructor consent. (3 credit hours)

CHIN 5410: Medieval Prose
Explores selected Six Dynasties and Tang prose works, emphasizing major writers and texts. Covers works written in both parallel prose and the guwen (“old style”) form. Writers may include Wang Xizhi, Tao Qian, Li Hua, Han Yu, Liu Zongyuan, and Liu Yuxi. In addition, selected works from the anecdotal records are read. Texts and selections vary from year to year. May be repeated up to 6 total credit hours. Prereq., CHIN 4220 or instructor consent. (3 credit hours)

CHIN 5420: Medieval Poetry
Studies selected works of Six Dynasties and Tang poetry. Studies major figures, prosodic and stylistic variations, and the culturally revealing relationship of poetry to the natural and supernatural world of medieval China. Focuses on poets such as Xie Lingyun, Tao Qian, Wang Wei, Li Bo, Du Fu, as well as important medieval anthologies of verse. Texts and selections vary from year to year. May be repeated up to 6 total credit hours. Prereq., CHIN 4220 or instructor consent. (3 credit hours)

CHIN 5430: Medieval Thought and Religion
Studies selected works of Six Dynasties and Tang intellectual and religious inspiration, important in the development of the medieval Chinese world view and for their role in medieval Chinese literature. Focuses on the fundamental texts of both literary and religious value from the Daoist and Buddhist canons, such as the Huangting jing, Zhen gao, Miaofa lianhua jing, and Tan jing. Texts and selections vary from year to year. May be repeated up to 6 total credit hours. Prereq., CHIN 4220 or instructor consent. (3 credit hours)

CHIN 5480: Topics in Medieval Literature
Examines a specific problem or issue in medieval literature, e.g., the role of encyclopedias and anthologies in literary training, the place and forms of literary composition at the imperial court, etc. Topics vary from year to year. May be repeated up to 6 total credit hours. Prereq., CHIN 4220 or instructor consent. (3 credit hours)

CHIN 5610: Early Modern Prose
Studies Song, Ming, and Qing prose texts selected for their inherent literary merit and for their significance in the Chinese literary tradition. Typically focuses on works by major authors such as Ouyang Xiu, Su Shi, and Yuan Hongdao. Texts and selections vary from year to year. May be repeated up to 6 total credit hours. Prereq., CHIN 4220 or instructor consent. (3 credit hours)

CHIN 5620: Early Modern Poetry
Close study of Song, Yuan, Ming, and Qing poetry. Stresses major figures, stylistic variations, various poetry schools, new directions in shi verse, and the rise and development of ci. Texts and selections vary from year to year. May be repeated up to 6 total credit hours. Prereq., CHIN 4220 or instructor consent. (3 credit hours)

CHIN 5630: Early Modern Fiction
Explores selected vernacular and classical fiction of the Ming and Qing periods. Normally focuses on long novels such as Xiyou ji, Sanguo yanyi, Shuihu zhuan, Jin Ping Mei, as well as short fiction by Feng Menglong and Ling Mengchu. Texts and selections vary from year to year. May be repeated up to 6 total credit hours. Prereq., CHIN 4220 or instructor consent. (3 credit hours)

CHIN 5680: Topics in Early Modern Literature
Examines a specific problem or issue in early modern literature, e.g., the relationships among religion, folklore, and early fiction; the issue of genre and traditional fiction; the role of elite verses popular cultures in the composition of fiction; or the relationship of the state and censorship and the southern philosophical schools to the publication of fiction. Topics vary from year to year. May be repeated up to 6 total credit hours. Prereq., CHIN 4220 or instructor consent. (3 credit hours)

CHIN 5750: Daoism
Restricted to graduate students. Same as CHIN 4750 and RLST 5750. (3 credit hours)

CHIN 5810: Modern Literature
Examines selected texts in various genres of Chinese literature from the May Fourth period (beginning 1917) to the establishment of the people's Republic of China (1949). Focuses on major and influential works produced in this fertile period of experimentation with Western, modernist types of literature. Texts and selections vary from year to year. Restricted to graduate students. Same as CHIN 4750 and RLST 5750.. Prereq., CHIN 4120 or instructor consent. (3 credit hours)

CHIN 5820: Contemporary Literature
Examines selected texts in various genres of Chinese literature from the establishment of the People's Republic of China (1949) to the present. Focuses on major works from the very different literary worlds of Taiwan and mainland China. Texts and selections vary from year to year. May be repeated up to 6 total credit hours. Prereq., CHIN 4120 or instructor consent. (3 credit hours)

CHIN 5880: Topics in 20th-Century Literature
Examines a specific problem or issue in 20th-century literature, e.g., feminist fiction in China, modernism in fiction and poetry, or the role of literary criticism in modern literature. Topics vary from year to year. May be repeated up to 6 total credit hours. Prereq., CHIN 4120 or instructor consent. (3 credit hours)

CHIN 5900: Independent Study
May be repeated up to 6 total credit hours. (1-3 credit hours)

CHIN 6900: Independent Study
May be repeated up to 6 total credit hours. (1-6 credit hours)

CHIN 6940: Master’s Degree Candidate.

CHIN 6950: Master’s Thesis..

Japanese Graduate Courses

JPNS 5010: Bibliography and Research Methods
Introduces research materials on Japan in Japanese and Western languages, including bibliographic tools, style sheets, and library and electronic resources. Overview of secondary sources and publication outlets/methods of disseminating research. Prereq., graduate standing or instructor consent. (3 credit hours)

JPNS 5020: Methods of Teaching Japanaes
An overview of pedagogical theory and methods for the teaching of Japanese as a second language, including issues of presentation, interaction, and evaluation. Prereq., graduate standing or instructor consent. (3 credit hours)

JPNS 5040: History of the Japanese Language
Studies the evolution of the Japanese language from its hypothetical origins to its contemporary form through distinct stages of development. Highlights Japanese linguistic scholarship in relation to historical reconstruction of the earliest forms of Japanese. Prereq., graduate standing or instructor consent. (3 credit hours)

JPNS 5050: Japanese Sociolinguistics
Surveys past achievements and current research concerns of Japanese sociolinguistics in areas such as speech varieties, language behavior and attitude, and linguistic contact and change, as well as their guiding theories and central fieldwork methods. Prereq., graduate standing or instructor consent. (3 credit hours)

JPNS 5060: Advanced Japanese Syntax
Examines controversial syntactic topics which have inspired a variety of explanations. Alternative linguistic explanations are sought within the framework of an analytical investigation from the viewpoint of language dynamics. May be repeated up to 6 total credit hours. Prereq., JPNS 4030 or instructor consent. (3 credit hours)

JPNS 5070: Second Language Acquisition of Japanese
Prereq., graduate standing or instructor consent. Same as JPNS 4070. (3 credit hours)

JPNS 5080: Kanji in Japanese Orthography
Prereq., graduate standing or instructor consent. Same as JPNS 4080. (3 credit hours)

JPNS 5150:Japanese Literary Translation
Explores theories and practice of translation of literary texts as applied to Japanese-English translation; strategies for handling a variety of texts, professional standards and ethics. May be repeated up to 6 total credit hours. Prereq., graduate standing or instructor consent. (3 credit hours)

JPNS 5160: Japanese for Sinologists
An accelerated course in modern scholarly Japanese for students with a basic foundation in Japanese and an advanced knowledge of Chinese. Focus is on materials in Japanese that relate to Chinese civilization and includes an introduction to kanbun. Prereq., one year of modern Japanese, graduate-level command of Chinese, or instructor consent. (3 credit hours)

JPNS 5210: Classical Prose Literature
Examines selected prose works and authors from the Classical, or Heian, period (784-1185). Texts may include selections from diaries, tale literature, and zuihitsu, such as Izumi Shikibu Nikki, Genji Monogatari, and Makura no Soshi. Texts and selections vary from year to year. May be repeated up to 6 total credit hours. Prereq., two semesters of classical Japanese language. (3 credit hours)

JPNS 5220: Waka, Renga, and Haiku
Studies the three most important poetic forms in Japanese literary history. The course will emphasize the reading and analysis of selected texts and authors that best represent these genres. Readings include selections from the first eight imperial poetry anthologies (hachidaishuu), renga sequences (Minase Sangin Hyakuin, for example), and the haiku of Basho. Texts and selections vary from year to year. May be repeated up to 6 total credit hours. Prereq., two semesters of classical Japanese language. (3 credit hours) Past course syllabus

JPNS 5280: Topics in Classical Japanese Literature
Studies a specific problem or issue in classical (eighth through twelfth century) Japanese literature, e.g., the development of specifically Japanese theories of literature or the concept of genre in the Japanese tradition. Topics vary from year to year. May be repeated up to 6 total credit hours. (1-3 credit hours)

JPNS 5310: Advanced Classical Japanese I
Focuses on stylistic, grammatical, and orthographic variations in texts of the classical, medieval, and early modern eras. Prereq., JPNS 4310 or instructor consent. (3 credit hours)

JPNS 5320: Advanced Classical Japanese II
Advanced analysis of stylistic, grammatical, and orthographic variations in texts of the classical, medieval, and early modern eras, including kanbun and hentaigana; translation and explication of texts. Prereq., JPNS 5310 or instructor consent. (3 credit hours)

JPNS 5410: Medieval Prose Literature
Focuses on selected prose works and authors from the medieval, or Kamakura and Muromachi, periods (1185-1600). Texts may include selections from a variety of war tales, histories, courtly fiction, diaries, memoirs, short prose narratives (otogi zoshi), Noh plays, and Buddhist literature, such as Heike Monogatari, Towazugatari, Izayoi Nikki, Tsurezuregusa, and Shasekishuu. Texts and selections vary from year to year. May be taken for credit twice. Prereq., two semester of classical Japanese language. (3 credit hours)

JPNS 5420: Japanese Buddhism and Literature
Studies selected works from the Japanese literary tradition in which Buddhism plays a significant thematic role. Focuses on texts such as the Nihon Ryoiki, Buddhist poetry, (Shakkyo-Ka) from the imperial poetry anthologies, Hojoki, the poetry of Saigyo and Basho, and selected Noh plays. Texts and selections vary from year to year. May be repeated up to 6 total credit hours. Prereq., two semester of classical Japanese language. (3 credit hours)

JPNS 5480: Topics in Medieval Literature
Focuses on a specific problem or issue in medieval literature, e.g., the spread of literary composition beyond the court. Topics vary from year to year. May be repeated up to 6 total credit hours. (1-3 credit hours)

JPNS 5610: Japanese Dramatic Literature
Examines major writers and texts of the no, koyogen, kabuki, and bunraku theaters, including the plays and critical writings of such authors as Kannami Kiyotsugu, Zeami Motokiyo, Konparu Zenchiku, and Chikamatsu Monzaemon. The texts and secondary readings will vary from year to year. May be repeated up to 6 total credit hours. Prereq., two semester of classical Japanese language. (3 credit hours)

JPNS 5810: Modern Japanese Literature
Studies selected texts in Japanese literature from the Meiji Restoration (1868) to the end of the Pacific War. Surveys various literary genres, emphasizing the development of the modern novel as an aspect of Japan’s response to Western cultural forms. The unique cultural politics of each of the periods - Meiji, Taisho, and Showa – are illuminated through the filter of both canonical and more marginalized texts. Specific selections vary from year to year. May be repeated up to 6 total credit hours. (3 credit hours)

JPNS 5820: Contemporary Japanese Literature Covers developments in Japanese prose fiction, from the end of the Pacific War in 1945 to the present. Late modern texts of writers such as Mishima Yukio, Kawabata Yasunari, Enchi Fumiko, and Tanizaki June’ichiro (generally taken to represent “modern Japanese literature”) are reread in the light of works by more recent writers (and critics) such as Oe Kenzaburo, Yoshimoto Takaaki, Murakami Haruki, and Yamada Emi. May be repeated up to 6 total credit hours. (3 credit hours) Past course syllabus

JPNS 5830: Modern and Contemporary Thought and Culture
Examines central issues in Japanese culture and society since the Meiji Restoration (1868) through selected readings of the works of major writers in the fields of literature, anthropology, feminism, political science, and religion, among others. Provides a broad context for cultural studies in modern and contemporary Japan by positioning the most important commentators within their historical and social situations. May be taken for credit twice. (3 credit hours)

JPNS 5880: Topics in Modern Literature and Culture
Close study of a specific problem or issue in modern or contemporary literature or culture: e.g., transwar literary nationalism. May be repeated up to 6 total credit hours, provided the topics vary. (1-3 credit hours)

JPNS 5900: Independent Study
May be repeated up to 6 total credit hours. (1-3 credit hours)

JPNS 6900: Independent Study
May be repeated up to 6 total credit hours. (1-6 credit hours)

JPNS 6940: Master’s Degree Candidate.
(1-3 credit hours).

JPNS 6950: Master’s Thesis.
(1-6 credit hours).