Spring 2007 Courses
Please note: Official Yale College program and course information is found in Yale College Programs of Study, available on line at www.yale.edu/yalecollege/publications/ycps. Because of the varied disciplinary courses offered, East Asian Studies (EAS) and East Asian Languages and Literatures (EALL) credits do not automatically accrue to courses taught in the Peking University-Yale University Joint Program.
Spring 2007 Course Descriptions
Chinese Language:
CHNS 115a: "Elementary Modern Chinese"
CHNS 130a: "Intermediate Modern Chinese"
CHNS 150a: "Advanced Modern Chinese I"
Instructor: Xuan Ya Lecturer, International College for Chinese Language Studies, Peking University
The Chinese language program is supervised and coordinated by faculty in the Yale Department of East Asian Languages and Literatures and is led by Peking University faculty member Xuan Ya. Every Yale student will enroll in one Chinese language course; three levels will be offered.
Students at the fourth-year or higher level will study Chinese in advanced elective courses at Peking University’s International College for Chinese Language Studies; Yale credit will be awarded as an independent tutorial on early approval by the Resident Director and the Director of Undergraduate Studies in the Department of East Asian Languages & Literatures.
Students who are fluent in Chinese may be permitted to fulfill the Program's language requirement by auditing a course taught in Chinese at Peking University. This must be arranged in consultation with the Resident Director. No Yale credit will be awarded unless the student and the program can arrange for credit through the appropriate Yale departmental Director of Undergraduate Studies.
CHNS 360: "Contemporary Beijing Culture" (Group I, Hu)
Instructor: Charles Laughlin, Former Joint Program Resident Director
An introduction to literature, visual, and performing arts in Beijing from the 1990s to the present, with emphasis on global influences and local debates. Readings of literary works in translation and English-language studies of contemporary arts and letters are combined with field trips to museums, theaters, performance spaces, and music venues. Evaluation will be in the form of individual and group reports, written and oral.
ECON 120: "Introduction to Chinese Economy" (Group III, So)
Instructor: Dong Chen, Assistant Professor, Economics, Peking University
This course is designed to give students an overview of various aspects of the current Chinese economy, as well as the challenges that it faces. The topics to be covered include the cultural and political background of the Chinese economy, China's market transition, introduction of Chinese manufacturing and financial sectors, foreign trade, FDI, and the reform of SOEs. Study of China's economic policies and institutions will give students a practical understanding of business prospects in China and also offer insight into fundamental economic issues.
EENG 235a and 236b: "Special Projects, Beida-Yale Joint Research Center for Microelectronics and Nanotechnology" (Group IV)
Faculty-supervised individual or small-group projects with emphasis on laboratory experience, engineering design or tutorial study. Consult the DUS and faculty member to arrive at a one- to two-page prospectus for submission before the semester begins.
HSAR 118: "Monuments of Western Art" (Group II, Hu)
Instructor: Anne Dunlop, Assistant Professor, History of Art, Yale University
An introduction to major monuments, issues, and themes of Western art history from approximately 1300 to the present day. Lectures are structured around close readings of artworks and buildings. Topics explored include the changing idea of the artist; devotional, political, and erotic uses of art; and the rise of collecting and the art market in the early-modern age.
HSAR 438: "Gold, Silk, and Stones: Early-Modern Art between East and West" (Group II, Hu)
Instructor: Anne Dunlop, Assistant Professor, History of Art, Yale University
This seminar looks at artistic exchange between China and Europe from about 1250 to 1750. After an introduction to the medieval Silk Road, it examines three main forms of intercultural exchange: the use of Eastern materials in Western art and the attempt to replicate Chinese objects and works; the development of art theory and criticism in each culture; and Chinese responses to European artists and artworks at the Qing court.
MCDB 470: "Tutorial, Peking-Yale Center for Plant Molecular Genetics and Agro-biotechnology" (Group IV)
Instructor: Xing Wang Deng, Professor of Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology, Yale University
Individual study for qualified students on the following research topics: plant development mechanism; plant biotechnology and functional genomics; plant defense mechanism and plant evolution; plant development and rice biotechnology; plant defense against virus; plant functional genomics; plant hormone action. The course must include one or more written examinations and/or a term paper. To register, the student must prepare a form, available in the office of the director of undergraduate studies, and a written plan of study with bibliography, approved by Professor Deng. The final paper is required before a grade is given. One term of this course fulfills the senior requirement if taken in the senior year.
MCDB 475: "Directed Research, Peking-Yale Center for Plant Molecular Genetics and Agro-biotechnology" (Group IV)
Instructor: Xing Wang Deng, Professor of Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology, Yale University
Research projects under faculty supervision, ordinarily taken to fulfill the senior requirement. This course may be taken before the senior year, but it cannot substitute for other requirements. Students spend approximately ten hours per week in the laboratory and participate in monthly section meetings. At the beginning of the term the student must submit a written proposal of research approved by the Yale faculty sponsor and the instructor in charge of the course. A final research report is required before a grade is given. Research possibilities include: plant sex determination; plant biotechnology and functional genomics; plant defense mechanism and plant evolution; plant development and rice biotechnology; plant defense against virus; plant functional genomics; rice gene function and biotechnology; self-incompatibility mechanism and rice functional genomics; photosynthesis and proteomics; plant development mechanism; plant hormone action.
"Traditional Chinese Philosophy"
Instructor: Xianglong Zhang, Professor of Philosophy, Peking University
Traditional Chinese philosophy differs tremendously from its western companion. In this course, we investigate Chinese ancient philosophy in a way to let its own tendencies be sensed and appreciated. First, Confucius' Analects is extensively examined to show the original features of Confucianism, which contribute a lot to shaping Chinese civilization. Then, we turn to Mencius, Sunzi, Taoism, Legalism, Yin-Yang School, Tung Chung-shu, Chinese Buddhism and Neo-Confucianism. Besides the topics indicated, the relations among different schools or different thinkers in the same school are concerned as well. Comparisons between Chinese philosophies and western ones are encouraged.
PLSC 414/EP&E 323: "Decentralization in Developing Countries" (Group III, So)
Instructor: Pierre Landry, Assistant Professor, Political Science, Yale University
This course examines the reasons why and how some countries pursue decentralization strategies as well as their political consequences. We will pay close attention to structural differences across regimes and issues of reform sequencing: to what extent is decentralization concomitant with of the formation of a federal system? Can effective decentralization take place within a unitary system? Can decentralization exist without democracy? Decentralization policies also affect a vast array of substantive issues, ranging from the devolution of broad political authority to specific mandates over economic development, health, education or social policies (this list is obviously not exhaustive). The readings will draw on examples from Brazil, Mexico, South Africa, India, the Soviet Union and Russia, as well as China.
PLSC 455/INTS 305: "Designing Social Science Research: A Practical Introduction" (Group III, So)
Instructor: Pierre Landry, Assistant Professor, Political Science, Yale University
An introduction to practical social science research methods, with an emphasis on comparative analysis. We will explore the steps that social scientists undertake in order to conduct ethical and rigorous research designs aimed at testing theoretically-driven hypotheses. Readings will consist of published studies that use a variety of approaches: participant observation, dataset construction, interviews, surveys and experimental designs. Students will work in small teams and conduct regular small-scale field projects, both on and off-campus. Building on these, students will develop a research paper with a data analysis component.
