The Great Wall
Photograph by Stephan Woo, GAS student
Class of 2007
The University of California at Berkeley has long been noted for its outstanding scholarship in the area of Asian Studies. More than seventy faculty members and fifteen departments are presently engaged in teaching and research concerning Asia. These resources are supplemented by extensive library facilities and by the programs of five major area centers that offer lecture series and colloquia throughout the year. The Bay Area itself, with its Asian ethnic communities, museums, performing arts, monasteries, and trade centers provides unlimited cultural opportunities for the student interested in reaching beyond the confines of the university.
An interdisciplinary graduate program on Asia was first established on the Berkeley campus in 1949 under the name Asiatic Studies. The name was changed to Group in Asian Studies in 1959. An undergraduate group major in Asian Studies was established in 1975.
AS 150, section 2. "Korean Vernacular Heritage,"
Tuesdays and Thursdays
11-12:30, Barrows 86
Professor Roger Janelli
Vernacular heritage has gained increasing attention throughout the world in recent years, spurred by nostalgia, issues of identity and community, the pursuit of prestige and power, and desire for economic gain. The primary goal of this course is to acquaint class members with representations and interpretations of Korea's vernacular heritage. Topics include: material culture, family and kinship, popular religion, performing arts, and wedding ceremonies, as well as efforts to conserve, revitalize, and construct national heritage in situations of rapid social change and increasing international communication, migration, and tourism. The course has another objective of helping students to enhance their critical thinking when interpreting such efforts and thereby develop more informed understandings of strategic responses to varied circumstances throughout the world.
The two objectives are pursued through assigned readings, lectures, videos, slides, class discussions, and individual reflection. The topics of the readings and audiovisual material are varied and deal with diverse topics, but all are devoted to using representations of heritage as devices for interpreting or explaining Korean culture and society. All of the slides and many of the videos are rare and, like lectures and class discussions, unavailable outside of class.
Asian Studies 10: Introduction to Asia
Do you have an interest in Asian Studies? Are you looking for a class that will fulfill either the International Studies or Social and Behavioral breadth requirements? You will find the perfect class for your needs with Asian Studies 10: Introduction to Asia. Click on the Asian Studies 10 link on the Courses page for more information on the course, instructor, and schedule.