Asian Studies Culture Courses

• Course Code: 01:098:250
• Course Title: Global East Asia
• Semester(s) Offered: Spring, Summer
• Credits: 4
• SAS Core Certified: CCO, HST, SCL

 01:098:250 Global East Asia

This course examines contemporary East Asia from a “glocal” perspective, with a special interest in the responses and contributions of various peoples and communities in the region to modern globalization. While introducing you to the conventional topics in Global Studies like great powers and global economics by using the materials from Asian Studies, the course guides you to engage with the global ramifications of the unique cultural and social processes in China, Taiwan, Japan, and South Korea. Some examples include foreign wives in South Korea, nature tourism in China and Taiwan, and green consciousness in Japan.

Acronyms: DS: Discussion Sessions, R4L: readings for lectures, R4DS: readings for discussion sessions, PW: Project Workshop

There are no exams.

The course is divided into seven content units, structured by two lectures and one discussion session every week. There are reading assignments for both lectures and discussion sessions. The reading assignments that support the lectures are called “readings for lectures” (R4L), and those supporting the discussion sessions “readings for discussion sessions” (R4DS). You are responsible to complete all the reading assignments before each lecture and discussion session.

The Tuesday and Thursday classes are lecture-based, but some portion of the Thursday lecture will be used to discuss the assigned R4L. These discussions have been scheduled for the Thursday meetings in Week 2, 3, 5, 7, 10, 12. Generally, we will form a group of 4 to 5 students and discuss the R4L assigned within the week. Professor Phung will then run a review of these readings after your discussions.

In addition, there will be a series of Project Workshops (PW) scheduled in the Thursday meeting of Week 4, 6, 8, 11, 13, and two PW, each in the Tuesday meeting of Week 14 and 15. During these workshops, you will work in a group (5 members each) to write a collaborative project that synthesizes the information from the R4L and lectures. You’re encouraged (but not required) to incorporate the contents from the DS to this group project. Professor Phung will provide you with feedback through each step (workshop) of your collaborative project.

The Friday Recitations will be called “Discussion Sessions” (DS). We treat the DS as one substantial credit in this four-credit course. You will work with your TA in DS to learn how to read book-length materials. You must follow the weekly reading schedule and participate in the in-class activities. DS quizzes and two 1000-to-1200-word papers that draw from your reading of these materials will be graded.

While the Discussion Sessions focus on one specific topic (i.e., the environment and well-being), the Tuesday/Thursday lectures have a broader coverage. The schedule of the lectures has been designed to keep in sync with your learning in DS. Actively studying both in lectures and in discussion sessions is equally important to deliver success in this course.

There are no required textbooks. All study materials of the course, including the book excerpts used in the Friday Discussion Sessions, will be distributed through Canvas. The two books from which excerpts will be assigned for your DS are as follows:

• Weller, Robert P. Discovering Nature: Globalization and Environmental Culture in China and Taiwan. Cambridge University Press, 2006.
• Siniawer, Eiko Maruko. Waste: Consuming Postwar Japan. Cornell University Press, 2018.

Beside Canvas and Zoom (for office hours), we use Google Drive for collaborative activities. Note: Please use This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. to share files with me on Google Drive.

By the end of the course, you should be able to

• develop your knowledge and curiosity about East Asian peoples and their cultures through regular discussions about the sources of the select information and the diverse perspective embedded in different sources;
• become familiar with key terms and concepts in Global Studies such as global governance, international migration, and multicultural society;
• explain some global dimensions of some historical and social processes in East Asia such as the interrelationship between green awareness in East Asia and the global environmental movement since the 1970s; and
• develop your verbal and written skills in professional environments through various types of exercises, ranging from oral presentation, reflective writing, evidence-based analytic writing, and collaborative project building.

This course meets the requirements for Asian Studies (098) Major/Minors of the Department of Asian Languages and Cultures: https://go.rutgers.edu/ifyman1r

Successful completion of the course fulfills the following SAS Core Curriculum Learning Goals: Our Common Future (CCO), Historical Analysis (HST), Social Analysis (SCL)

Grading: Discussion Session assignments: 20 pts, Paper writing (x2, 15 pts each): 30 pts, R4L reports (x2, 7.5 pts each): 15 pts, Collaborative project (multiple components): 35 pts

DISCUSSION SESSION ASSIGNMENTS (20 pts) include 5 quizzes and 1 oral presentation. Quizzes (x5, 3 pts each) are short writings (150 words) that test your knowledge of the readings and the in-class discussions. All quizzes will be conducted in class except the quiz scheduled in Discussion Session #6. You will do the assigned reading and a quiz at home. The schedule of other quizzes will be announced in the Discussion Session in the immediate week prior to the session of the quiz.

Oral Presentation (x1, 5 pts) is 5 to 7 minutes in length during which you will discuss your reflection of the readings. The grade of your presentation will be based on two components: your presentation notes (2 pts) and presentation performance (3 pts). The presentation notes include your analysis of the central argument of the reading, and they should include specific details and examples from the reading. Presentation notes must be submitted to Canvas two days before the discussion day, that is, by the corresponding Wednesday @ 8:00 AM.

Note: In an extraordinary situation in which you must miss your quiz or presentation, you have the responsibility to inform your TA immediately via email. Your TA will work directly with you to develop a plan for your make-up. Generally, if there is no email contact prior to and/or within 24 hours after the day of the quiz or of your presentation, the TA has the right not to grant you a make-up opportunity.

PAPER WRITING (30 pts): Two 1000-1200-word papers (each worth 15 pts) are required. Each paper is a synthetic analysis of the information you have learned from the two books you are reading in the Discussion Sessions. The detailed guidelines and prompts will be provided 2 weeks prior to the deadline of each paper.

• In an extraordinary situation in which you must miss the deadline of each paper, you must inform your TA (cc: Prof. Phung) immediately via email to avoid late submission deduction. This grace period, however, should not exceed 24 hours after the deadline of each paper. Your TA will work directly with you to determine a new deadline for you.
• Generally, if there is no email contact prior to and/or within 24 hours after the deadline of your paper, the late submission deduction, set to deduct 1 point per day, will be applied.

R4L Reports (15 pts): Two R4L reports (each worth 7.5 pts) are required. Each of you will have a different deadline to submit a R4L report. The deadline of each R4L report presented in Canvas/Assignments indicates the last day you must have submitted each report. Use the provided sign-up Google Spreadsheet (see Canvas/Assignments) to determine the date in which you will submit each report.

Requirements: This assignment allows you to share your understanding of the assigned readings with your instructor and classmates at least twice during the semester. To earn full credits in this assignment, you must fulfill both components:

Component 1. Write a R4L report (350 to 500 words; that is, one single-spaced page). The report should cover all the R4L assigned within the week and be submitted to Canvas by the corresponding Tuesday @ 8:00 AM in week 3, 5, 7, 10, 12. Generally, there should be two interconnected articles or book chapters. . We will use the R4L discussion in Week 2 to learn how to write a R4L report.

• Each report should include the bibliographic information of the assigned readings, an introduction to the author(s)’ background and their main field of study, a very short summary of the central argument, 1-3 specific examples (with proper citations) that you believe best illustrate the central argument, and a short note about your comment on how the article/book chapter fits in the topic we are learning during the week.
• This is not an essay. You can adopt any writing style you would like as long as your readers can follow your report. If you go over or under the word count limit, revise your submission.

Grading: This component (5.5 points in total) is a customized Pass/Fail assignment. You will earn 5 points for each thoughtful report – that is, the report indicates you’ve engaged with the texts, and it includes specific evidence drawn from the readings.

• I reserve .5 points to award the writer of a report with an exceptional performance.
• I also reserve the right to deduct 1 point if the reports are of poor quality. For instance, the length of the report is under word count limit, or it does not include specific details from the readings. Do not simply say that “Author X is convincing” or that “this point is interesting.” Instead, explain what evidence drives you to think so, and in what way.
• .5 points will be deducted if you submit the report late but prior to the corresponding Thursday discussion class. An additional 1 point will be deducted if you submit the report after the corresponding Thursday discussion class.

Component 2. Present your thought (or report) of the reading to the in-class group discussion. Each group will include 4 to 5 students, and you will join different groups throughout the semester. This is a Pass/Fail assignment, and each report sharing is worth 2 points.

• In an extraordinary situation in which you must miss your report sharing, you have the responsibility to inform your instructor immediately via email. Professor Phung will work directly with you to develop a plan for your make-up. Generally, if there is no email contact prior to and/or within 24 hours after the day of your presentation, your instructor has the right not to grant you a make-up opportunity.

COLLABORATIVE PROJECT (35 pts) include 6 components, including components that are graded individually and those you will share the grade as a team. In this assignment you will work in a group of 5 students to write a collaborative project that addresses one single question: How can the peoples and governments in East Asia actively play a role in maintaining global stability?

The final submission of this project will generally look like a long research paper with a central thesis, body sections, and a clear conclusion. The content of the project will be based specifically on the R4L. The use of R4DS is encouraged but not required. External sources will only be accepted after getting an approval from Professor Phung.

This is not a comprehensive research project but an exercise in that you synthesize your comprehension of the course materials into an evidence-based academic piece of writing. This exercise guides you to 1) learn how to collaborate with other team members; 2) practice performing the basic steps of developing a research project; 3) write one section of a long research project.

The project, as a whole, will be 12 to 15 double-spaced pages in length; footnotes are included but bibliography is not. Each of the team members is expected to contribute between 750-800 words (2-3 double-spaced pages).

1. Project Workshop (PW) participation (x7, 1 pt each): This assignment is designed to make sure that you keep regular communications with your team and Professor Phung. In an extraordinary situation in which you must miss a PW, you must email all your team members and cc: Professor Phung and your TA as soon as possible. Zoom participation might be acceptable if your team all agree with the solution. Your team members will decide on a case by-case basis whether the team will grant you the participation point. The team’s decision must be reported in the regular project report (see item #2). Generally, if there is no email contact prior to and/or within 24 hours after the day of a PW, your team members (and Professor Phung) have the right not to assign the corresponding PW participation point to you.

2. Regular project report (x1, 5 pts) is a short memo of what the team has accomplished in each PW. The entire team must submit a report of each PW from PW 1 to PW 5. Each team member will take turns to write the reports. In PW 1 (Feb-9), the team must assign each member the date of the PW that they will take the responsibility to write a report. Every report, submitted to Canvas & the team’s shared folder on Google Drive, is due on the Monday morning (@8:00 AM) that follows the week in which each PW is held. Late submission policy, set to deduct 1 point per day, will be applied if there is no email contact about the late submission prior to or within 24 hours after the deadline. The report (no longer than 1 single-spaced page) should include, but not limit to, the following items: 1) the name of team members participating in the workshop; 2) the key discussion points of the workshop; 3) a brief plan for the next PW.

3. Individual Draft (x1, 5 pts). This is a Pass/Fail assignment. However, I reserve the right to deduct 1 out of 5 points if the draft does not include specific details drawn from the R4L materials.

Late submission policy: .5 points will be deducted if you submit the draft late but prior to the corresponding PW. An additional 1 point will be deducted if you submit the report after the corresponding PW. Late submission deduction might be removed if approved by the whole team and reported in the corresponding regular project.

4. Full Draft (x1, 5 pts): This is a Pass/Fail assignment. Although each of you will receive 5 pts separately, you should work together to merge all individual sections into one coherent project. The team will submit a full draft of their project after discussing with Professor Phung about the status of their project during PW 6. This draft is mainly graded on two items: 1) the project has a clear thesis that directly answers the project’s research question; and 2) the project has a clear structure. Different sections of the project have been connected one to another. In an extraordinary case that a team member does not fulfill their task, it is OK to leave a note in this submission about the lack of a section. However, the team should work closely with Professor Phung to avoid this problem as early in the semester as possible. Although you will have the same full draft, each team member must submit it individually to their Canvas Assignment.

5. Summary of revisions (x1, 3 pts): This is a Pass/Fail assignment. It is a collaborative work, and it should not exceed 1 single-spaced page. When you meet in PW 7, Professor Phung should have provided you with specific feedback of your Full Draft (that is, item #4). The team should use PW7 to discuss what items you will revise and how so. This summary should be submitted together with your revised, final version of your project (see item #6 for the specific due date).

6. Final submission (x1, 10 pts.) The final submission should include a bibliography and a credit statement that indicates the lead writer of each section in the project. Those who write the introduction or conclusion or contribute charts, images, and prepare the bibliography should be credited as well.

Length of written assignments: Each assignment has a firm word count. If your submission exceeds or does not meet the word/page limit, revise it.

Originality of your work: Your written assignments should be your own original work. All papers must be conducted in academic written language.
Using AI-generated texts in any of your assignments is considered as an act of plagiarism. Technology is amazing but your creativity is unique. USE YOUR CREATIVITY.

Reusing past work: In general, you are prohibited in university courses from turning in work from a past class to your current class, even if you modify it. If you want to build on past research or revisit a topic you've explored in previous courses, please discuss the situation with an instructor.

Falsifying research or results: All research you will conduct in this course is intended to be a learning experience; you should never feel tempted to make your results or your library research look more successful than it was.

I encourage you to cultivate a sense of teamwork. Your participation is as invaluable as that of any other participants, including mine. Be on time.

Absences: If you are unable to attend our class, email me ASAP.

If you’re taking religious holidays, please talk to me as early in the semester as possible. You’re encouraged to report absences using the University self-reporting absence system: https://sims.rutgers.edu/ssra/. Students who have prolonged health and/or financial issues that are impacting their academics and well-being over an extended period of time should contact the Dean of Students at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

The office hours that Professor Phung has scheduled are for you to talk directly with your teacher about the class contents and about how you can improve your learning performance in the class.

Late Policy: In an extraordinary situation in which you must miss the deadline of an assignment, you have the responsibility to inform your instructor immediately via email. Professor Phung will work directly with you to develop a plan for your make-up. Generally, if there is no email contact prior to and/or within 24 hours after the day of your presentation, your instructor has the right not to grant you a make-up opportunity.

• Course Code: 01:098:331
• Course Title: Sounds of Asia
• Semester(s) Offered: Fall
• Credits: 3

01:098:331 - Sounds of Asia

Introduction to musical sound, musical activities, and musicians as a means of understanding Asia. Analysis of musical genres, instruments, musicians, and associated artistic/cultural ideas that have developed historically, and are current today. (3 cr.)

This course aims to understand “Asia” through musical sound, musical activities, and musicians. The course will examine a broad range of musical genres, instruments, musicians and the associated artistic/cultural ideas that have developed historically, and are current today, in selected places across the Asian continent. This class is intended to help students understand not only the way in which musical sound has been constructed, but also how the idea of music has developed as an aspect of cultural phenomena and as the expressive site of people’s emotional, political and philosophical ideas.

In exploring musical genres and musical phenomena, rather than geographical categories, this class aims to offer an opportunity to explore comparative views of different geographical musical materials, so that students can develop a broader view through which to understand not only each country’s unique characteristics, but the overall cross-cultural and transnational interactions of the musical cultures of the East, Inner and Central Asian regions during the global era.

The general structure of the course will be based on lectures, close-listening, discussions, writing assignments and student presentations. There will be readings and audio/visual material made available to the students via Canvas.

Two Exams (20/20=40%): All the exams will be a combination of short answers and listening questions.

Listening Journal I and II (20%): Completing the Listening Journals will help you to train your close listening skill and the way in which you can describe the musical sounds. You will need to pick musical examples from each unit between Unit 1 and 4 for Journal I, and musical examples from each unit between Unit 5 and 8 for Journal II. Once you pick the musical examples from the list of what we have covered in the class, write a reflection paper, in which you consider questions such as “How would you describe this music?”, “How does the sound in this piece work?”, and “How does the sound relate to, or influence, the society.

Discussion Leader & Discussion Journal (10/10=20%): Everyone will be assigned into a discussion group. At the end of each unit, we will have discussions (see the schedule below). Each of you will be responsible at the beginning of the semester for signing up as leader for two discussions. Please remember that you will be responsible for bringing critical questions to the group discussion on the day you signed up for and also for submitting the Discussion Journal.

Students are expected to attend all classes; if you must miss a class, please use the University absence reporting website https://sims.rutgers.edu/ssra/ to indicate the date and reason for your absence. An email is automatically sent to me. Please note: Students are allowed a maximum of four excused absences without penalty. After you miss 4 classes, your attendance grade will suffer (please see below.) There is one exception: if course meetings conflict with your religious observances, or with university events (performance trip, athletic event), please contact me in advance. Make-up work and paper due-date extensions are allowed by arrangement in advance only.

• Missing 5 classes: you will get only 4% for attendance
• Missing 6 classes: you will get only 3% for attendance
• Missing 7 classes: you will get only 2% for attendance
• Missing 8 or more classes: you will get 0 for attendance.

Final Presentation (5%) Final Presentation - Please note that this is a team project. Students will pair up for the presentation team- you will be paired randomly by a drawing. Your team will need to pick any singer/composer/performer within any Asian musical genre. Important: Please do not pick something that we have covered in the class unless you intend to conduct extensive and in-depth research, and go considerably beyond what we have already learned. Your team will have about 10 minutes to present your material.

Final Paper (10%) - Please note that this is an individual project, and you are required to make observations distinctive from your teammate’s. For the singer or group, or the musical piece, or musical genre that you choose for your team presentation, you will need to find an important aspect- politics, gender, global impact, economical aspect, etc. - and explain your musical materials using that framework. This is a research paper, so you will need to provide a full-length bibliography. Please remember that, while this research paper should flow from your presentation, it is not a team effort. It should be submitted individually, and be different from the papers submitted by your teammates.

Asian Languages and Cultures Departmental Learning Goals: “Majors will be able to analyze issues concerning Asia and relate them to other areas in the humanities and social sciences following an interdisciplinary approach.” Assessment of learning goals will be accomplished through the final paper, which requires students to exhibit their mastery of interdisciplinary analysis of aspects of Asia’s musical culture addressed in the course.

• Course Code: 01:098:255
• Course Title: Heroism
• Semester(s) Offered: Fall
• Credits: 4
• SAS Core Certified: AHp, CCO

01:098:255 Heroism

Are heroes and heroines born or made? What makes ordinary people do extraordinary things? What defines a hero or heroine? Are heroes and heroines defined differently? What role do cultural and historical contexts play in these definitions? How do fictional heroes and heroines compare with historical ones? What turns rebels, agitators, iconoclasts, or even fools into heroes? Considering the Greek etymological origin of the word “hero,” hērōs (literally “protector”), what and who do we see heroes and heroines defending?

This course offers a global and comparative examination of different conceptions of heroism across cultures, time, and gender. Since the beginning of written records, heroic acts and gestures have had an enduring appeal. Shrines and monuments, epics and songs, paintings and films have been dedicated to extoling heroic figures—real, idealized or legendary. What can a culture’s heroes or heroines tell us about its values, expectations, and ideals? What motivates one to go beyond the individual and ordinary to sacrifice for a community, country or humanity? We will explore the cultural conditioning, ethical reasoning, and moral compass behind some of the greatest heroes and heroines in history and literature, from Greek epic heroes to Chinese assassin-retainers, women warriors to samurais, Shakespearean tragic heroes to contestants in the real life Game of Thrones in medieval Europe, civil rights leaders to women’s rights crusaders, and comic superheroes to modern day heroes. By examining heroism from a historicizing, multicultural, and gendered perspective, students can with greater knowledge and power view their choices and determine their actions as global citizens in the 21st century.

Students will explore different examples of heroism and are encouraged to think critically about the past and how that past is mediated through contemporary culture in the forms of Hollywood and international movies, documentaries, and video games. The lectures, recitations sessions, and writing assignments are designed to enable students to connect the past and today in a broadly based examination of heroic action. The six response papers offer students the opportunity to contemplate relevant issues raised by historical or literary cases for today’s society and analyze heroic figures or actions from the past in relationship to their modern or contemporary interpretation or adaptation. In the final paper, students will critically analyze an aspect of heroism in relation to its historical, cultural or gendered contexts.

“Heroism” fulfills the SAS Contemporary Challenges (CC) requirement: Analyze a contemporary global issue from a multidisciplinary perspective (CCO-1); and the SAS Arts and Humanities (AH) requirement: Analyze arts and/or literatures in themselves and in relation to specific histories, values, languages, cultures, and technologies (AHp).

Attending the lectures is expected. During lectures, students will learn historical contexts, background information, and interpretive frameworks that are necessary for critically understanding the assigned texts and films. Assigned film clips will be shown and discussed during lectures. Key discussion questions, which may serve as writing prompts for the Response Papers, are introduced in lectures. After viewing the film clips, students will have the opportunity to discuss the film in relation to the assigned text(s) with their peers in small group discussion. At the end of each lecture, time permitting, students will be asked to participate in a non-graded “quiz” on CANVAS for extra credit, in the form of either a multiple choice or a 1-2 sentence, short-answer question. Please be sure to bring your laptop or electronic device that will enable you to access CANVAS during the lectures.

Students with strong participation (demonstrated by completing the non-graded “quiz” at the end of lecture) will earn bonus points on their final paper grade (enough to elevate the grade by one level; for example, from B to A, or C to B).

*Religious holidays will not be counted as absences; in such cases, please let your instructor know that you will not be attending class.
**To report other absences, please use the Rutgers online system at https://sims.rutgers.edu/ssra/ and contact your instructor with a fuller explanation of the absence.
***Generally, documented illness, intercollegiate athletic events, and court appearances may be excused.

There are to be six response papers uploaded onto CANVAS Assignments by 8:00 am before the Recitation Sessions. Each response paper is worth 10%. For each response paper, students may write about materials covered in class up through the lecture prior to the Recitation Session. The analytical response should consist of close analysis of the assigned texts and selected film clips, with the citation of textual support and reference to film scenes or documentaries to support your main points. These response papers should include your own ideas and questions that arise during your reading of the works. Writing prompts will be provided in lectures, though students may choose to write about other issues raised by the assigned texts and films. Students must demonstrate that they have read the texts carefully and thoughtfully and that they are able to connect it with contemporary issues as raised by recent interpretations or adaptations in popular culture (film, interview, video game, etc.). Therefore, your response paper must discuss the film, interview, or video game in relation to the text(s). Each reflection should be titled, approximately but not exceeding 400 words, using a 12 point font.

There will be recitation sessions, during which students have the opportunity to exchange their ideas from the weekly responses, discuss in greater depth the assigned works and the issues raised by them. Students will also have the opportunity to give an oral presentation during the course of the semester. During each Recitation Session, 3 to 4 students will each present on the assigned texts and films; the oral presentations may elaborate on issues raised in the course lectures and may also express the students’ own interpretation of the works. The oral presentations may answer the writing prompts/discussion questions provided in the lectures and may also address larger issues or make comparisons with other course readings. Everyone is required to come prepared for discussion whether or not s/he is presenting that week.

Students will need to come to class having read and pondered the assigned texts. Participation does not mean just attendance; rather it requires active engagement in group discussion. Students are strongly encouraged to speak at least once during each recitation to demonstrate their engagement. Students may pose questions, express an interpretation or point of view, and/or respond to their classmates.

Clear presentation of interpretations, ideas or questions raised by the assigned works. These 10-minute presentations should be well organized and thought provoking.

Paper should be titled, approximately though not exceeding 1000 words, using a 12 point font. Discuss your understanding of heroism by drawing from the course lectures, assigned readings and film clips, comparing or contrasting different examples, and constructing an argument using support from assigned works. Focusing on an aspect of heroism, your paper should analyze the issues through a careful interpretation of the texts and/or films. A list of thematic aspects and suggested questions to explore will be provided in advance. Students must retain a copy of each paper. Written work for this course must be entirely your own and careful citation of credible sources should conform with a style manual of your choice. For example, APA (American Psychological Association) is used by students in Education, Psychology, and Sciences; MLA (Modern Language Association) and the CMS (Chicago Manual of Style) are used by students in the humanities. Please use consistently the style manual of your choice. Submission of all written work (in Word or PDF) must be made through CANVAS, under Assignments.

Students are expected to turn in written work on time. Late submissions, unless accompanied by a note from a doctor or dean, will be subject to the following penalty: for each day that the work is late, 1/3 of a letter grade for the assignment will be deducted. If the paper is one day late, an A- becomes a B+. If the paper is three days late, a B becomes a C.

• Course Code: 01:098:394
• Course Title: Independent Study of Asian Languages and Literatures
• Semester(s) Offered: Spring
• Credits: 3

01:098:394 Independent Study of Asian Languages and Literatures

Description: Intensive study of a specific Asian language and/or literature not covered in regularly scheduled classes. 

Number of Credits: 3 

Prerequisites: Permission of instructor and department approval.

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