World Language and Culture (WLNC)

WLNC 145  Introduction to Asian Studies  (3 credits)

This introductory and interdisciplinary course examines the multifaceted cultural experiences of Asian nations and identities. This course will focus on the complexity of Asian nations and cultures and the diversity of Asian political and economic systems as well as the change and continuity within various regions of Asia, and this vast region’s interrelationships with the rest of the world.

WLNC 303  Asian Cities and Cinemas  (3 credits)

Prerequisite(s): CHEN 210 or CHIN 210 or departmental approval. This course will explore how film plays a crucial role in reflecting historical, political, and cultural change in Asian societies, representing the cultural specificity of cities, and forming and transforming individual and collective identities in Asia. Focusing on the ways in which cities are imagined, created and remembered, the course addresses a series of important issues such as gender and sexuality, immigration, modernity/post-modernity, post-colonialism, post-socialism, the local and the global through examination of cinematic representation of metropolises in China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Japan, Korea, India, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, and other Asian regions.

WLNC 368  Special Topics in Chinese Culture  (3 credits)

Prerequisite(s): CHIN 206, CHIN 210, CHIN 215, KORE 201, KORE 206, JAPN 206, JAPN 207 or JAPN 208; or departmental approval. Selected topics related to an Asian literature and culture, to be studied in depth with emphasis on methods of inquiry. Topic announced each semester. Course conducted in an Asian Language; for courses conducted in English on topics related to an Asian culture, register under course number MLLT 367. May be repeated for a maximum of 9 credits. Equivalent course CHIN 367 effective through Summer 2021.

WLNC 467  Independent Study in Asian Language or Culture  (3 credits)

Prerequisite(s): Departmental approval. The goal of this course is to provide students and faculty with flexibility within the existing academic structure. Students and faculty may collaborate to create a course of study in an Asian language or culture which either supplements existing courses or fills in gaps in a student’s coursework.

WLNC 469  Capstone Course in Asian Languages and Cultures  (3 credits)

Prerequisite(s): CHIN 331 or JAPN 301 or KORE 331 or departmental approval. This course provides students with the opportunity to immerse themselves in a project-based experience tailored to their interests and career goals, allowing students to incorporate and apply what they have learned throughout their time in the BA in Asian Languages and Cultures program. Students may conduct original research on an issue related to an Asian language and/or culture, including (but not limited to) gender, class, race, and inter-cultural interactions and communication. Alternatively, students may develop a reflective culminating project that is both derived from and builds on their earlier coursework and/or a past and/or present Asian experience such as studying abroad in Asia, an internship with an Asian company either locally or in Asia, or other form of engagement with an Asian community. Meets the Graduation Writing Requirement for majors in Asian Languages and Cultures.