The goal of this course is to help students achieve an advanced to superior level of proficiency in Modern Standard Arabic with an exposure to one Arabic colloquial variety using the four-skills (reading, writing, speaking, listening) approach. Students will read within a normal range of speed, listen to, discuss and respond in writing to authentic texts by writers from across the Arab world. Text types address a range of political, social, religious, and literary themes and represent a range of genres, styles, and periods.

This course continues Asian Studies 324, Third Year Japanese I. Emphasizes attaining a higher level of proficiency in modern Japanese through the extended use of the language in practical contexts. The class will be conducted mostly in Japanese.

This course will improve students' four communication skills (reading, writing, listening, speaking) by studying business-related materials in Chinese. Teaching materials include essays, dialogues, business cases, newspaper articles, and supplementary audio-visual materials. Students will learn about the economic and business environment in China. Through case study, students will learn about the business models of selected influential Chinese companies and of international firms that successfully entered the Chinese market.

This course continues Asian Studies 310, Third Year Chinese I, in helping students build linguistic and communicative competence in Mandarin Chinese through reading, discussing, and writing about authentic texts. Newspapers, essays, and short stories will be the teaching materials for the course. An interactive approach will be incorporated into the curriculum to improve students' conversational skills. The class will be conducted mostly in Chinese, and class hours will be supplemented by individual work in the Language Resource Center.

This course continues Asian Studies 310, Third Year Chinese I, in helping students build linguistic and communicative competence in Mandarin Chinese through reading, discussing, and writing about authentic texts. Newspapers, essays, and short stories will be the teaching materials for the course. An interactive approach will be incorporated into the curriculum to improve students' conversational skills. The class will be conducted mostly in Chinese, and class hours will be supplemented by individual work in the Language Resource Center.

Through investigation of major works produced in the Muslim world between the seventh and seventeenth centuries from Spain to India, this course explores the ways in which art and architecture were used to embody the faith, accommodate its particular needs, and express the power of its rulers. Topics include the calligraphy of the Qur'an, illustrated literature, the architecture of the mosque, and the aristocratic palace.

This course explores the modern literature of Japan and Korea in a cultural and historical context, beginning with the genesis of their first modern novels, passing through left-wing literature and modernist experimentation of the 1920s and 1930s, colonialism, WWII and Korean War accounts, student democracy activism in the 1960s, and ending with the rise of women writers in the 1970s and 1980s. While parallels between the two national literatures are assumed at the outset, we will also discuss important differences and the cultural and historical factors that may account for them.

Students in this course will continue perfecting their knowledge of Arabic, focusing on the four skills: speaking, listening, reading, and writing. Students should expect text assignments as well as work with DVDs, audio, and websites. Exercises include writing, social interactions, role plays, and the interplay of language and culture. Students will complete Al Kitaab, Book 1 and finish Chapter 10 of Al Kitaab, Book 2 by the end of the year. The prerequisite is Arabic 130-131 or the equivalent.

Yue Opera, an all-female art that flourished in Shanghai in 1923, resulted from China's social changes and the women's movement. Combining traditional with modern forms and Chinese with Western cultures, Yue Opera today attracts loyal and enthusiastic audiences despite pop arts crazes. We will focus on how audiences, particularly women, are fascinated by gender renegotiations as well as by the all-female cast. The class will read and watch classics of this theater, including Dream of the Red Chamber, Story of the Western Chamber, Peony Pavilion, and Butterfly Lovers.

First Year Korean II is the second half of a two-semester introductory course in spoken and written Korean for students who have some previous knowledge of Korean. This course is designed to improve students' communicative competence in daily life, focusing on the four language skills: speaking, listening, reading, and writing. Some of the activities include vocabulary-building exercises, conversation in authentic contexts, in-depth study of grammar, listening comprehension and pronunciation practice, mini-presentations, Korean film reviews and Korean film making.