Proseminar: East Asian Humanities

Catalog description

Provides MA and PhD students with a solid understanding of both the history of their academic discipline, as well as the various methodological approaches employed in the professional study of East Asian literature, history, language and culture. Centers on the close reading and discussion of a wide range of secondary sources, dealing with key issues in the development of East Asian humanities. Topics include premodern and modern discourses of language and literature; the trajectories of academic disciplines and approaches such as philology, sinology/Japanology, area studies and comparative literature; academic theories of space and temporality; translation studies; and book history. In addition to pursuing independent research, participants are expected to make regular presentations summarizing the main points in each week's readings.