Humanities Arts Cultural Stu 0208 - Introduction to "Asia"

Introduction to "Asia" through Traditional Music and Performing Arts: "Asia" is a diverse, dynamic, and complex cultural entity that encompasses a vast geographic area and a long complicated history. In this course we will investigate some representative performing arts traditions of South, Southeast, and East Asia, e.g., Indian classical music, Javanese gamelan, Japanese noh theatre, as a way of learning about the regions' unique history, different value systems, aesthetic sensibilities, spiritual beliefs, philosophies, and ways of life. We will also cross-culturally examine these performing arts traditions to understand the past and ongoing trans-regional cultural interactions. This is not a performance course. No previous music training is necessary but the students are expected to engage in critical listening and basic musical analysis of various music examples.

Culture, Humanities, and Languages Independent Work Multiple Cultural Perspectives Writing and Research In this course, students are expected to spend 6-8 hours weekly on work and preparation outside of class time.