This course is an introduction to the rich artistic traditions of Asia from Neolithic times to the fourteenth century CE. A wide range of materials from India, Pakistan, China, Korea, Japan, Cambodia, and Afghanistan will be examined, including tomb complexes, religious monuments,  imperial cities as well as ritual bronzes, devotional sculptures, painted scrolls, and ceramics. We   will study these structures and objects within their respective historical contexts, focusing particularly on the societal forces that contributed to their form, function and meaning. Through   critical analysis of the visual materials, we will explore concepts and questions that were central  to the formation of group and individual identities across Asia in pre-modern times. We will also pay attention to the different ways in which cultural monuments came to acquire enduring value  and relevance through museum display and cultural preservation practices of our times. No prior knowledge of Asia is required.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

In this course you can expect to learn the following:

1)  Analyze creative endeavors through the close study of artistic traditions in Asia over a long period of time.

2)  Expand your understanding of human creativity by analyzing visual materials critically and to make interpretations based on such analyses.

3)  Gain a deeper understanding of art within the cultural context in which it was made, including its social, political, religious, and economic functions and meanings.

4)  Increase your knowledge of the history of Asia in pre-modern times by examining the interconnections of artistic ideas and traditions across time periods and cultures.

5)  Understand today’s society by learning to think and empathize from unfamiliar perspectives.

6)  Learn to read and interpret critically; evaluate a position from multiple angles; and articulate your ideas verbally and in writing.

ASSIGNED READINGS

1.   Textbook: The History of Asian Art: A Global View: Prehistory to the Present, by De-Nin D. Lee and Deborah Hutton (Thames & Hudson, 2023), available for purchase through USC Bookstore or other online vendors.

2.   Online Course Reader, available for download on Blackboard.

All readings must be completed prior to the lecture for which they are assigned. You are strongly encouraged to take notes while doing the readings. You need to have the readings ready in hand whenever there is an in-class discussion about them.

STUDY MATERIALS

Study materials will be posted on Blackboard throughout the semester. They include weekly lists of study images and key terms. You are expected to review these materials in preparation for exams and paper assignments. Midterm and final exams will be based on the study materials posted on Blackboard.

COURSE REQUIREMENTS

1. Regular Attendance and Active Class Participation: Participation constitutes 15% of your grade. It is crucial to attend lectures and sections regularly and be prepared to participate in class discussions. It would also be beneficial to study with your classmates in small groups.

Students who cannot attend class need to contact the instructor and TA immediately to arrange for accommodation or makeup work. All absences due to illnesses, school-related activities, and other emergencies must be cleared with the instructor and TA beforehand. Any unexplained absences will be counted against your participation grade.

2. Quiz: Definitions of key terms and identification of study images from Weeks 1 to 4.

3.  Midterm Exam:  Definitions of key terms and comparative analysis of study images from Weeks 5 to 8.

4.  Final Exam:  Definitions of key terms and comparative analysis of study images from Weeks  10 to 15.  There will also be one long essay question that covers materials from the entire course.

5.  Individual Papers:  Two papers of varying lengths will be assigned throughout the semester. The aim of these exercises is to help improve your skills in analyzing visual materials and formulating arguments based on such critical analyses and pertinent issues raised in class readings. Additional details will be given at the time of each assignment.

6. Group Project: In this assignment, two students will work together to conceptualize and develop plans for an exhibition; each person will produce about 5 pages of content. Additional details will be given at the time of of the assignment.

Grading Breakdown:

Quiz 10%                              First paper 10%

Midterm exam 15%                 Second paper 20%

Final exam 20%                      Class participation 15%

Group project 10%

Grading Scale:

Course final grades will be determined using the following scale:

A      94- 100         C         71-73

A-     89-93            C-        68-70

B+     85-88           D+       65-67

B       81-84             D         62-64

B-      77-80             D-        60-61

C+    74-76              F          59 and below

COURSE SCHEDULE

Week One:     Early Cultures I

January 9: Course Introduction

January 11: Asian Art before History

. Textbook, 12–39.

*No Discussion Sections in Week One

Week Two:    Early Cultures II

January 16: Bronze Age China

. Textbook, 40–48.

. Reader: Li Liu, The Archaeology of China: From the Late Paleolithic to Early Bronze Age (Cambridge University Press, 2012): 1–21.

January 18: Sanxingdui

. Reader: Jessica Rawson, Life and Afterlife in Ancient China (University of Washington Press, 2023): 87– 106.

Week Three: Early Cultures III

January 23: Tomb of the First Emperor of China

. Textbook, 48–50.

. Reader: Lothar Ledderose, Ten Thousand Things: Module and Mass Production in Chinese Art (Princeton University Press, 2000): 51–73.

January 25: The Body in Han Funerary Culture

. Textbook, 50–58.

. Reader: Wu Hung, The Art of the Yellow Springs: Understanding Chinese Tombs (Reaktion Books, 2010): 126–46.

Week Four:   Early Cultures IV

January 30: Mounded Tombs in Korea and Japan

. Textbook, 76–86.

. Reader: Li-na Kim, Koguryo Tomb Murals (ICOMOS-Korea, 2004), excerpts.

February 1: Class Review

First paper due

*No Discussion Sections in Week Four

Week Five:    The Silk Road I

February 6: The Silk Road

Quiz

. Textbook, 116– 117.

February 8: Material Culture of Early Buddhism

. Textbook: 59–70.

. Reader: Sonya Lee, “Buddhist Art and Architecture,” Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Asian History.

Week Six:       The Silk Road II

February 13: Buddhist Statue Burials

A Guest Lecture by Dr. Julia Mylinkova, Getty Research Institute

February 15: Ajanta and Bamiyan

. Textbook, 96– 102

. Reader: Llewelyn Morgan, The Buddhas of Bamiyan (Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 2012), 51–80.

Week Seven:  The Silk Road III

February 20: China under the Tang Dynasty

. Textbook, 93–95, 124– 128.

. Reader: Roderick Whitfield, Cave Temples of Mogao: Art and History on the

Silk Road (Getty Conservation Institute and the J. Paul Getty Museum, 2000): 70– 91.

. Nancy Stenhardt, Chinese Imperial City Planning (University of Hawai`i Press, 1990): 93– 121.

February 22: Writing Tutorial

Week Eight:  The Silk Road IV

February 27: Asuka and Nara Japan

. Textbook, 118– 123, 128– 131.

. Reader: Konno Toshifumi, “Todaiji’s Great Buddha: Its Foundation in Buddhist Doctrine and Its Chinese and Korean Precedents,” from Transmitting the Forms    of Divinity: Early Buddhist Art from Korea and Japan, edited by Washizuka

Hiromitsu, Park Youngbok, and Kang Woo-bang, (Japan Society, 2003).

February 29: Unified Silla

Second Paper Due

. Reader: Soyoung Lee, ed., Silla: Korea’s Golden Kingdom (Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2013): 13–29.

. Reader: Mark Harrell, “Sokkuram: Buddhist Monument and Political Statement in Korea.” World Archaeology 27, no. 2 (1995): 318–35.

Week Nine:   Midterm

March 5: Class Review

March 7: Midterm Exam

*No Discussion Sections in Week Nine

Spring Break: March 11–15

April 11: Samurai Portraits and Weapons

. Textbook, 192– 199.

. Reader: Yoshiaki Shimizu, ed., Japan: The Shaping of Daimyo Culture, 1185- 1868 (National Gallery of Art, 1988), excerpts.

Week Fourteen: Asian Art V

April 16: Goryeo Celadons

Group Project Due

. Textbook, 184–88.

. Reader: Chung Yang-mo, “The Art of the Korean Potter: From Neolithic Period to the Choson Dynasty,” in Arts of Korea, ed. Judith G. Smith (Metropolitan

Museum of Art, 1998), excerpts.

April 18: Blue-and-White Porcelains

. Textbook, 170– 183.

. Reader: Anne Gerritsen, The City of Blue and White: Chinese Porcelain and the Early Modern World (Cambridge University Press, 2020): 88– 113.

Week Fifteenth: Asian Art VI

April 23: Oriental Antiquities

. Textbook, 12–21.

. Reader: Craig Clunas, “Oriental Antiquities/Far Eastern Art,” positions 2, no. 2

(1994): 318–355.

April 25: Final Review

Final Exam, May 8 (Wednesday), 2–4 pm