Please contact the department for course description.

Top of Page

ANTHROPOLOGY 100g
Principles of Human Organization: Non-Western Traditions
Professor Cooper
MW, 2:00 - 3:20

This course will introduce students to the basic analytical tools with which anthropologists have come to understand and interpret the societies and cultures of the non western world. In the process, students will become familiar with a small sample of those societies and cultures including northwest Coast American Indians, Trobriand Islanders of the south Pacific, Chinese, and East Africans.

Required Readings:
* Rosman and Rubel, Tapestry of Culture
* Cooper and Simic, Reader in Anthropology

Top of Page

ANTHROPOLOGY 140g
Native Poeples of Mexico and Central America
Professor Moore
MW, 8:00 - 9:20

Please contact the department for course description.

Top of Page

ANTHROPOLOGY 235g
The Changing Pacific: Culture, History and Politics in the New South Seas
Professor Lutkehaus
MW, 2:00 - 3:20

This Course examines societies of the island Pacific region traditionally identified as Polynesia, Melanesia, and Micronesia, and studies how they have changed since the time of the first European contact to the present day. The course fulfills a General Education requirement in Non-Western Civilizations through an in depth examination of the Trobriand and Manam Island Societies of Papua New Guinea, The Polynesian Cultures of Hawaii, Samoa, Tahiti and Tonga, as Fiji and the Marshall Islands (Micronesia). It also examines the historical processes of exploration, contact, colonization, and nationalism in the wider Pacific region, including relations with the United States, New Zealand, Australia, and Indonesia in order to provide a context for understanding contemporary political, economic, and social relations between these small Pacific island societies and their larger Pacific Rim neighbors and overseers.

Themes to be examined in the course include the different perceptions of contact between the Europeans and indigenous Pacific Islanders, different perceptions of Pacific cultures among missionaries, explorers, and anthropologists, indigenous forms of political economy, forms of exchange, men's and women's roles in exchange, male and female initiation practices, millenarian movements and cargo cults, migration, changing notions of personhood and identity, economic development and change, the impact of tourism, and the contemporary development of independence movements and forms of cultural identity, such as the revival of tattooing and the hula.

Readings and Assignments:
Howe, K.R. 1984. Where the Waves Fall: A New South Seas History from First Settlement to Colonial Rule. Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press.
Lockwood, Victoria S., Thomas G. Harding and Ben J. Wallace, eds. 1993. Contemporary Pacific Societies: Studies in Development and Change. Prentice Hall.
Weiner, Annette. 1988. The Trobrianders of Papua New Guinea. San Diego: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, Inc.
Also a course reader: still in press.

In past semesters when this course was offered, the assignments were:
- map quiz (10%)
- midterm (25%)
- final exam (25%)
- 8-10 page term paper (30%)
- discussion section attendance and participation (10%)

Note: the readings and assignments list may be subject to change. Please contact the department for verification.

Top of Page

ANTHROPOLOGY 250g
Race and Sexual Politics in Southeast Asia
Professor Hoskins
TTh, 2:00 - 3:20

This course will introduce the student to the subject matter and theories of social anthropology through the extensive use of visual media, especially through film. Topics will cover a spectrum of issues, including: marriage and the family; economics; ritual and religion; conflict and conflict resolution; and culture change, among others. The approach will be broadly comparative. Traditions covered in the course will include those of Africa, Latin America, and the Balkaus, among others.

Readings and Assignments:
Course readings will vary from semester to semester, but will usually include four books. Course requirements are: a midterm, final, film journals, and a term paper.

Top of Page

ANTHROPOLOGY 263g
Exploring Culture Through Film
Professor Seaman
MW, 8:00 - 9:20

The main objective of this course is to provide students with an idea of the case study method in anthropology through intensive viewing of films and photographs about non-Western people whose culture is also well-represented in ethnographic texts. We will focus on three cultures: the !Kung San or Ju/'hoansi (Bushmen) of Southern Africa, the Yanomamö Indians of Venezuela, and the Tiv of Nigeria. Up until very recent times, all of these cultures lacked the political institutions characteristic of the state or empires and thus provide examples of peoples for whom power and authority are largely imbedded within the categories of family, friend or foe. Up until the 1980s, some Ju/'hoansi lived in small, localized bands supported by a primarily hunting and gathering ecology. The Yanomamö represent a 'big-man" type of social system and they still retains some autonomy because of their remote location; they are ecologically dependent upon slash-and-burn agriculture and some hunting. The Tiv are market-oriented hoe agriculturalists whose traditional segmentary lineage system was capable of mobilizing thousands of people in feuds, wars and judicial proceedings. The Tiv and the Yanomamö are examples the kind of peoples usually called 'tribal', even though their scale of social integration differs greatly. All of these peoples have been studied extensively by anthropologists and each has also been the subject of a series of ethnographic films or photographic essays. The Kung San by John Marshall; the Yanomamo by Timothy Asch and Napoleon Chagnon; the Tiv by Paul Bohannan. Recently Peter Biella and Gary Seaman collaborated with Chagnon to produce a computer interactive study on the Yanomamo entitled The Ax Fight. A similar project is underway for the Tiv. We therefore possess detailed written and filmed ethnographies of these three peoples as well as interactive media resources. It is these films and texts and interactive media that will allow us to form some sense of what it is like to live and act in a Ju/'hoansi or Yanomamo or Tiv mode.

A second important course objective is to learn to relate written materials to the audiovisual information contained in filmic and visual media. To accomplish this, the student is required to maintain a structured 'film journal' to transfer information from visual to textual format. A model form to organize the journal will be provided. These journals will be done in the discussion sections at the end of every class period.

Required Texts:
* Chagnon, Napoleon. Yanomamö, (5th edition)
* Biella, Chagnon and Seaman. Yanomamö Interactive (CD-ROM)
* Lee, Richard. The Dobe Ju/'hoansi (2nd edition)
* Bohannan, Paul. Social Anthropology of the Tiv (Reader)

Grades and Assignments:
Grades are based on 2 film journals (30%), one midterm objective type examination (20%), one short term paper (30%), and a final objective type examination (20%). Handouts will describe in detail the film journal and the term paper assignments.

Note: For another ANTH 263g section, see the next entry.

Top of Page

ANTHROPOLOGY 263g
Exploring Culture Through Film
Professor Simic
TTh, 2:00 - 3:30

This course will introduce the student to the subject matter and theories of social anthropology through the extensive use of visual media, especially through film. Topics will cover a spectrum of issues, including: marriage and the family; economics; ritual and religion; conflict and conflict resolution; and culture change, among others. The approach will be broadly comparative. Traditions covered in the course will include those of Africa, Latin America, and the Balkaus, among others.

Readings and Assignments:
Course readings will vary from semester to semester, but will usually include four books. Course requirements are: a midterm, final, film journals, and a term paper.

Top of Page

COMPARATIVE LITERATURE 250g
Cultures of Latin America
Professor Diaz
TTh, 11:00 - 12:20

This course explores the heterogeneous character of civilization in Latin America, especially the interaction of Native American, European, African and North American elements in the region's various countries. By drawing mostly on literature, by also on music, the visual arts, history, and cultural theory, the course addresses a series of questions that lie at the heart of identity- thinking in Latin America. What, if any, are the "distinctive properties" of Latin American cultural forms? How do these forms interact with counterparts in Europe and the United States, or in other "post-colonial" societies? How do others represent Latin America? How do Latin Americans seek to represent themselves son their own terms?

The course is divided into four parts: 1) the emergence of new cultural forms in the colonial period, exemplified by the reformulation of baroque aesthetics in Mexico and other regions; 2) the construction of national identities in the 19th century, with an emphasis on Argentina; 3) rethinking of Latin America as a supranational entity in the 20th century, particularly from the viewpoint of the Cuban revolution; and 4) the ascent of Latino culture(s) in the United States and of North American cultural norm in Latin America.

Required Texts:
Alejo Carpentier. Concierto Barroco.
Sor Juana Ines de la Cruz. A Sor Juana Anthology.
Roberto Fernandez Retamar. Caliban
Alberto Fuguet. Bad Vibes.
Helen Hunt Jackson. Ramona.
William Shakespeare. The Tempest.
Source book

Grading and Course Requirements:
Class Participation 10%
Short Paper (5-6 pages) 15%
Midterm Examination 25%
Term Paper 25%
Final Examination 25%

Note: The readings and assignments list may be subject to change. Please contact the department for verification.

Top of Page

EAST ASIAN LANGUAGES AND CULTURES 110g
East Asian Humanities: The Great Tradition
Professor Hayden
TTh, 11:00 - 12:20

This course introduces the fundamental humanistic traditions of China, Japan, and Korea through representative works of traditional literature, esthetics, social philosophy, religion, and historical writing. The readings are mostly from primary sources as translated into English. No previous knowledge of an East Asian culture or language is expected.

Readings and Assignments:
* de Bary, W. T., et al. Sources of Chinese Tradition, vol. I
* Birch, Cyril, ed., Anthology of Chinese Literature, vol. I
* Tsunoda, R., et al., Sources of Japanese Tradition, vol. I
* Keene, Donald, ed., Anthology of Japanese Literature
* Lee, Peter H., W.T. de Bary, ed., Sources of Korean Tradition, vol. I

Note: The readings and assignments may be subject to change. Please contact the department for verification.

Top of Page

EAST ASIAN LANGUAGES AND CULTURES 130g
East Asian Ethical Thought
Professor Birge
WF, 10:00 - 12:00

The principle aim of the course is to heighten the student's awareness of the traditional and modern patterns of the Japanese people. This is done by surveying the main characteristics and historical development of Japanese philosophy, religion, literature, art, and political and social institutions, from earliest times to the present era, and by exploring the cultural traditions of Japan.

Readings:
H. Paul Varley, Japanese Culture
Conrad Schirokauer, A Brief History of Japanese Civilization
Edwin Reischauer, The Japanese Today
K. Yoshida, Essays in Idleness

Note: The readings and assignments may be subject to change. Please contact the department for verification.

Top of Page

EAST ASIAN LANGUAGES AND CULTURES 350g
Chinese Civilization
Professor Sun
TTh, 9:30 - 10:50

This course description belongs to Professor Birge.

This course presents basic features and highlights of Chinese civilization from neolithic times down to the present day. It explores both the development and the continuities of this great civilization, including aspects of philosophy, religion, politics, gender, literature, and art. We will also look at some areas of Chinese culture as it is encountered here in Los Angeles. No prior knowledge of China is required.

Course Requirements & Grading
* Map Exercise: 3%
* I-ching Divination: 5%
* Midterm: 20%
* 2 Term Papers: 40%
* Final Exam: 25%
* Class Attendance & Participation: 7%

Texts
* Conrad, Schirokauer, A Brief History of Chinese Civilization (Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1991)
* Wm. Theodore de Bary, ed., Sources of Chinese Tradition, vol. I (Sources)
* Shen Fu, Six Records of a Floating Life (Penguin Books)
* Liang Heng and Judith Shapiro, Son of the Revolution
* Course Reader (available in the bookstore)

Top of Page

EAST ASIAN AREA STUDIES 150g
East Asian Societies
Professor Rosen
TTh, 2:00 - 4:00

The following course description belongs to Professor Cooper.

This course is designed to provide an introduction to the societies and cultures of contemporary East Asia. Required readings are ethnographic studies of agricultural and industrial communities in China, Japan, and Korea. Lectures will provide historical and political background to each country. Readings will serve as a basis for discussion of cultural and economic themes and issues in the recent history of each country.

Top of Page

HISTORY 107g
Japanese History
Professor Berger
TTh, 12:30 - 1:50

This course has two essential purposes. The first is to acquaint you with a survey of Japanese history. Our purpose will not be to memorize names, dates and places, but rather to see how a civilization quite different from those of the West evolved, developed, and met human needs. We may thereby learn quite a bit not only about Japan, but about our own cultural traditions. At a time when comparisons between contemporary Japan and America appear daily in the mass media, seeing the patterns of Japanese history may help us understand the patterns of contemporary Japan, and evaluate those comparisons with a more educated eye.

The second purpose is to explore what "history" means as an intellectual discipline, and how materials from other branches of knowledge, such as archaeology, economics, fine arts, literature and political science may be deployed to enrich our understanding of the past. The major cultural traditions explored are Japan's agrarian-village tradition, warrior (samurai) tradition, aristocratic/bureaucratic (court nobility) tradition, and the patterns of embracing or rejecting traditions encountered from foreign sources.

Readings:
* de Bary, et. al. Sources of Japanese Tradition, Volume I
* Murasaki Shikibu, Tale of Genji
* Shirokaues, A Brief History of Japanese Civilization
* collected photocopied materials

Assignments:
* Midterm (25% of grade)
* Final Examination (40% of grade)
* Term Paper exploring how a piece of literature, art, or architecture reflects the times in which it was created by the Japanese (35% of grade).

Note: The readings and assignments list may be subject to change. Please contact the department for verification.

Top of Page

RELIGION 131g
Religions of Asia
Professor Slingerland
MWF, 10:00 - 10:50

The purpose of this course is to trace the development of religious thought in India, China and Japan, from earliest times until the present, paying attention to certain recurrent themes or motifs while also taking note of some profound discontinuities, especially as we move from India to East Asia. Although the importance of popular and elite practice as both a complement to and source of innovation in religious thought will be noted, as will the influence exerted by socio-economic and other "non-religious" forces? The primary focus of this course will be trends in religious/philosophical thought, as well as the relevance of these trends for contemporary Western thought.

Course Requirements
Students are expected to attend all lectures as well as a weekly discussion section, where a short paragraph concerning one of the week's readings will be turned in (although not graded). Each student will also be expected to write two papers (6-8 pages each) over the course of the semester, and these papers will require a close familiarity with the assigned readings. It is crucial that the readings be completed by the student, as the lectures merely provide a background to (rather than a synopsis of) the assigned texts. There will also be a midterm and final exam, which will focus primary upon the lecture material and will be open-notes (hardcopy, non-commercial notes only, no books or electronic devices allowed), so careful note-taking in both lecture and while doing the readings is strongly encouraged.

Texts
• Embree, Ainslie (ed.). Sources of Indian Tradition. New York: Columbia, 1988. (SIT)
• Ivanhoe and Van Norden (eds.). Readings in Classical Chinese Philosophy. Seven Bridges Press. (RCP)
• Chan, Wing-tsit. A Source Book in Chinese Philosophy. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1976. (SB)
• Tsunoda Ryusaku et al. (eds.). Sources of Japanese Tradition. New York: Columbia University Press, 1964. (SJT)
• Suzuki, Shunryu. Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind. New York: Weatherhill, 1994. (ZMBM)
• Course Reader. (CR)

Grading**
• Section participation*: 15%
• Short papers: 30% (15% each)
• Midterm: 20%
• Final exam: 35%

* Failure to attend discussion section will be taken very seriously. One unexcused absence will be tolerated, but further unexcused absences will effect the "section participation" portion of the student's grade (not the overall grade) as follows:
                    2 absences: 1 letter grade deduction
                    3 absences: 2 letter grades deduction
                    4 or more: automatic "F".

** Field trips to local religious communities (times and places TBA) will also be arranged; attendance will be optional and for extra credit.

Note: For the most recent course information, see the instructor's website.