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Course Details

Spring 2011-2012
* EAS 230 / ANT 230 / ENV 230 (SA)   Graded A-F, P/D/F, Audit

Culture and the Environment in East Asia

Satsuki Takahashi

This lecture addresses the cultural, social, and political dimensions of human-environment relations with specific reference to East Asia. East Asia represents a hotspot for environmental debates, where China, Japan, and Korea simultaneously face international criticism over over-exploitation and animal rights, as well as praise for developing new "green" technologies. Drawing from anthropological and environmental literatures and from the popular media, we will connect the region's environmental issues to broader anthropological themes, such as religion, gender, urban-rural relations, development, nationalism, and globalization.

Sample reading list:
John Knight, ed., Wildlife in Asia: Cultural Perspectives
William Cronon, ed., Uncommon Ground: Toward Reinventing Nature
Ping-ti Ho, The Introduction of American Food Plants into China
James C. Scott, Seeing like a State
Christine J. Walley, Our Ancester Used to Bury Their 'Development' in the Ground
Arturo Escobar, Construction Nature

Reading/Writing assignments:
75-100 pages a week. Two short discussion papers.

Requirements/Grading:
Mid Term Exam - 20%
Final Exam - 30%
Papers - 30%
Oral Presentation(s) - 10%
Class/Precept Participation - 10%

Schedule/Classroom assignment:

Class numberSectionTimeDaysRoomEnrollmentStatus
43223 L01 1:30 pm - 2:20 pm M W   Jones Hall   100   Enrolled:40 Limit:40 Closed
P01 2:30 pm - 3:20 pm M   Frist Campus Center   205   Enrolled:12 Limit:14
P02 2:30 pm - 3:20 pm Th   Frist Campus Center   205   Enrolled:11 Limit:13
P03 3:30 pm - 4:20 pm W   Frist Campus Center   210   Enrolled:13 Limit:13