| Max Moerman dmoerman@barnard.edu (212) 854-5540 Office Hours: Tuesday, Thursday 4:30-5:30 p.m. 303 Milbank |
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Tim Davis: |
| Classroom:
TBA Class Hours: Tuesday and Thursday, 10:35-11:50 |
| Major Topics in East Asian Civilization | |||||
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As the East Asian parallel to "Contemporary Civilization," "Major Topics in East Asian Civilizations" invites students to participate in the great debates that defined civilization in China, Korea, and Japan: the legitimation of government authority, philosophical disputes, religious beliefs and practices, institutional change, the writing of history, and the search for an East Asian modernity. Although largely concerned with pre-twentieth-century East Asia, "Major Topics" provides a background for the understanding of many debates in East Asia today. |
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| Like "Contemporary Civilization,"
"Major Topics" is based on readings in translation of historical
texts. Given the unfamiliarity of the historical context of East Asian discourses,
the instructors will provide historical background where necessary. But
this is not a lecture course. Primary source readings serve as the backbone
of the course, and your engagement with these readings, before class and
in class, constitutes the body of "Major Topics." |
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