11 - 15 of 15 results for: CHINA

"The Nature of Knowledge" explores the intersections of science and humanities East Asia. It covers a broad geographic area (China, Japan, and Korea) along a long temporal space (14th century - present) to investigate how historical notions about the natural world, the human body, and social order defied, informed, and constructed our current categories of science and humanities. The course will make use of medical, geographic, and cosmological treatises from premodern East Asia, portrayals and uses of science in modern literature, film, and media, as well as theoretical and historical essays on the relationships between literature, science, and society.As part of its exploration of science and the humanities in conjunction, the course addresses how understandings of nature are mediated through techniques of narrative, rhetoric, visualization, and demonstration. In the meantime, it also examines how the emergence of modern disciplinary "science" influenced the development of literary language, tropes, and techniques of subject development. This class will expose the ways that science has been mobilized for various ideological projects and to serve different interests, and will produce insights into contemporary debates about the sciences and humanities.

One of the most generative regions for medical anthropology inquiry in recent years has been Asia. This seminar is designed to introduce upper division undergraduates and graduate students to the methodological hurdles, representational challenges, and intellectual rewards of investigating the intersections of health, politics, and culture in contemporary China.

Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is a unique system for the diagnosis and treatment of disease, as well as for the cultivation of life-long health and well-being. This course introduces basic TCM theories, practices, and treatment methods including acupuncture, Taichi, and herbal medicine. We will introduce historical figures and events in the history of Traditional Chinese Medicine and East-West integrative health. Drawing on science, cultural history, and philosophy, this interdisciplinary approach will help us to understand Traditional Chinese Medicine in its intellectual, social, and cultural context. We will discuss the scientific exploration of TCM and how modern science shapes our understanding of East-West integrative health.

A survey of Sinophone novels, short stories, poetry, plays, reportage, and films from the 20th and 21st centuries from mainland China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and overseas. Emphasis on close reading of original Chinese-language texts. Selections to be determined by seminar instructor and participants. Each year's syllabus is completely different so that a student may repeat the course up to 5 times. In lieu of academic papers, translations with critical introductions are required. Prerequisite: advanced reading knowledge of modern Chinese.