General Interim Information
Off Campus Interims
2008 Interim Extended Course Descriptions
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Asian Studies 212 National Identity in China and Japan Interim 2008 |
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Professor Katherine Tegtmeyer Pak ( ktp@stolaf.edu / x3655)
Students will travel to China and Japan in order to experience cultures firsthand and to explore how Chinese and Japanese understand national identity. The program is based in Shanghai , China and Tokyo , Japan with excursions to other cities and regions, including Beijing and Kyoto . National identity, though strongly influenced by history, is today largely determined in the urban environments of cities like Shanghai and Tokyo . These cities provide laboratories for cultural immersion but also for observation of the ways that Asian societies make sense of modernity and post-modernity.
Through readings, site visits (museums, temples/shrines, business operations and cultural events), lectures by local experts, interactions with Chinese and Japanese, compilation of an ethnographic notebook, and reflective activities with the lead professor, students will gain insights into how individually and collectively people in these two countries perceive themselves, their cultures, and their countries' roles in the region and the world, both past and present.
Participating students need to be prepared to experience the different cultural norms, behavioral practices, and food of China and Japan , as well as the challenges and opportunities presented by densely populated urban centers. Transportation in China will be a combination of rental coaches, trains, and subways; in Japan we will rely exclusively on public transportation, primarily trains. Accommodations will be university residence halls or their equivalent.
Class members will be expected to participate in a series of orientation sessions during the fall semester.
Counts toward Major and Concentrations: Asian Studies, China Studies and Japan Studies.
GE: Multicultural Studies (MCS-G)
Cost: $4350.00
