Fall 2026 Asia-Related Courses
ASIA 2000听Gateway to Modern Asia
Lauren Collins (collinlk@colorado.edu)
Introduces main themes, intellectual approaches used in Asian Studies through a transdisciplinary perspective that focuses on interactions and links between geographic regions and national boundaries. Presents Asia as a concept, a powerful imaginary geography, and historically dynamic construct that has shaped/been shaped by global patterns of economic development, nation building, war and diplomacy, colonialism and aspirations for better lives.
ASIA/RLST 3300听Foundations of Buddhism
Dan Hirshberg (dan.hirshberg@colorado.edu)
Traces the development of Buddhism in India before introducing its subsequent preservation and interpretation in Tibet. Foremost relies on many of the most celebrated Buddhist scriptures to introduce its diverse doctrines, practices, ethics, objectives, and their evolution over the history of Buddhisms. In addition to lectures, group discussions, and ample time for Q&A, classes rely on contemplative and interactive exercises to reflect on core content and delve into its relationship to human experience.
ASIA 4200听Memory Politics in Asia
Lauren Collins (collinlk@colorado.edu)
Explores how memory and heritage shape contemporary politics in Asia. Examines how the past鈥攈istorical events, heritage sites, and shared memories鈥攃ontinues to influence nationalist movements, diplomatic disputes, grassroots activism, nostalgic tourism, and popular media. Pays particular attention to the legacies of colonialism and conflict, highlighting how communities seek justice and reconciliation in the wake of historical trauma. Engages a wide range of materials, including films, graphic novels, public art, photography, museums, monuments, and archaeological sites.
ASIA 4650听Art and Science of Meditation
Dan Hirshberg (dan.hirshberg@colorado.edu)
Broadly interdisciplinary and skill-based, this course offers an in-depth theoretical, practical, and experiential exploration of meditation informed by cutting-edge scientific studies. Students read traditional contemplative masterworks in translation, survey current neuroscientific and psychological research on meditation, and employ critical subjectivity in the application of evidence-based meditation techniques.
ANTH 4525听Globalization and Islams
T/Th 11am-12:15pm
Carla Jones (carla.jones@colorado.edu)
Examines the historical formation of Islam in Indonesia and Southeast Asia so as to situate contemporary Islamic practices in a global context.
ARTH 3919听Art and Climate Justice in Southeast Asia
Brianne Cohen (brianne.cohen@colorado.edu)
This course investigates ecologically engaged contemporary artwork and visual culture in Southeast Asia, a region often understudied or neglected with relation to the Anthropocene. Through an interdisciplinary lens, the course will analyze a boom in recent artworks that address cascading effects of socio-environmental violence and the climate crisis in Southeast Asia from the 19th to the 21st centuries.
CHIN 1012听Introduction to Chinese Civilization
Katherine Alexander (katherine.alexander@colorado.edu)
Introduction to Chinese Civilization covers Chinese history, philosophy, and literature from the ancient period to the present day. Students encounter firsthand voices from the past by reading a wide variety of short primary sources, which serve as case studies for broader narratives of Chinese cultural changes and continuities across time.
CHIN 4041听Introduction to Classical Chinese
Matthias L. Richter (mlr@colorado.edu)
Develops basic competence in the Classical Chinese, the language of early Chinese philosophical texts, such as Laozi and the Analects of Confucius. Classical Chinese forms the basis for the literary language used in China until the early 20th century.
CHIN 4391听Health and Wellbeing in Chinese Literature and Culture
Antje Richter (antje.richter@colorado.edu)
Questions we will discuss in this course are 鈥渨hat does it mean to be in good health?鈥, 鈥渉ow do societies judge illness and disability?鈥, 鈥渉ow do individuals deal with being sick and impaired?鈥, 鈥渉ow to achieve health and wellbeing?鈥, 鈥渉ow to write about one鈥檚 own health and illness or that of others?鈥 To answer these questions, we will turn to Chinese medical, cultural, and literary history.
HIST 1628听Introduction to Modern Chinese History
Tim Weston (weston@colorado.edu)
Introduces students to modern Chinese history and culture, from the 17th century to the present. Considers the pertinent aspects of modern China, focusing on its social patterns, economic structure, intellectual trends and political developments.
HIST 2718听Japanese History through Cinema
M/W/F 12:20-1:10pm
Marcia Yonemoto (Yonemoto@colorado.edu)
Explores Japan鈥檚 modern history through the medium of film. All films by Japanese directors, subtitled in English, in a variety of genres from drama to comedy/satire to anime and horror.
HIST 4638听Contemporary China: Radicalism and Revolution, 1949 to the Present
Tim Weston (weston@colorado.edu)
Examines the dramatic, often tragic, and globally transformative history of China under the Chinese Communist Party. Focuses on such topics as political, social, and cultural revolution, nationalism, Maoism, the Great Leap Forward, Red Guards and the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution, the Deng Xiaoping era, relations with Taiwan, the 1989 Tiananmen Massacre, and China's rise as a world power.
RLST 1620听Religious Dimensions of Human Experience
MWF 1:25pm-2:15pm
Aun Hasan Ali (aun.ali@colorado.edu)
Surveys different approaches to the study of religion. Students will grow familiar with key thinkers, texts, and movements that shape how we understand religious phenomena. Students will also examine critiques of how religion is studied. In the end, students will have gained insight into significant aspects of religious life, belief, and practice that will empower them to navigate a world in which religion is increasingly relevant.
RLST 2202听Islam
MWF 10:10-11:00
Aun Hasan Ali (aun.ali@colorado.edu)
Introduces students to foundational Islamic concepts, texts, core practices, historical narratives and intellectual, spiritual and literary traditions. Topics covered include: the figure of Muhammad; the Quran; the emergence of distinct Muslim identities; Hadith; Sharia; Islamic theology; Islamic philosophy; science in Islamic civilization; Islamic mysticism; the impact of colonialism and modernity on the Muslim world; gender and sexuality; and political Islam.
RLST 3750听Women in Buddhism
Holly Gayley (gayley@colorado.edu)
This course explores diverse representations of the female in Buddhist literature as well as the social realities of actual women in different historical contexts. Through case studies that traverse Asia, we delve into the life stories of Buddhist women, monastic views of gender and the female body, idealized images of the feminine, philosophical discussions of gender, and contemporary issues such as the nun's revival moment.
RLST 4250听Buddhist Ethics
Holly Gayley (gayley@colorado.edu)
This seminar explores Buddhist ethics and the workings of karma in doctrinal and narrative texts. We begin by examining classical sources for Buddhist ethics in scriptures and commentarial literature. With this foundation, we spend the bulk of the semester looking at how Buddhist stories in South Asia portrays ethical ideals as well as conflicting moral imperatives.
SUMMER 2026 Courses:
ASIA 1000听Origins of Contemporary Southeast Asia
2 sections - Maymester - Meets Online
Augmester - Meets Online
Shae Frydenlund (shfr8297@colorado.edu)
Explores the dynamic present of Southeast Asia in light of its complex past. Introduces the shared historical experiences that have shaped diverse Southeast Asian societies, with a focus on the continuing effects of colonialism, nationalism, and globalization in the region. Examines key issues facing contemporary Southeast Asian communities, including current debates around gender, faith, human rights, democracy, development, etc. Engages with Southeast Asian literature, film, art, journalism, and museum collections from a transdisciplinary perspective. Recommended prerequisite: students may find some prior coursework in history, anthropology, or Asian Studies to be helpful, but this is not required.
ASIA 2000听Gateway to Modern Asia
Summer Session C - Meets Online
Lauren Collins (collinlk@colorado.edu)
Introduces main themes, intellectual approaches used in Asian Studies through a transdisciplinary perspective that focuses on interactions and links between geographic regions and national boundaries. Presents Asia as a concept, a powerful imaginary geography, and historically dynamic construct that has shaped/been shaped by global patterns of economic development, nation building, war and diplomacy, colonialism and aspirations for better lives.
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