| Course Title: Topics in Asian History: 'History of Humans and Other Living Beings' |
| Start Date: 01/27/2026 End Date: 05/12/2026 |
| Term: Spring Semester 2026 |
| Description: This course investigates the relationships that humans have developed with other living beings in history. Course materials explore how humans have interacted with wild animals, domesticated some, imagined them in literary works, exploited animal labor, used them in scientific research, trained animals to perform, and co-lived with some as pets. These topics will help us think about how humans have developed ideas about animals and humans ourselves. The course will introduce histories worldwide with a specific focus on East Asia. Students who take this course must do research projects on East Asian topics, though comparative themes are welcome. |
| Distribution(s): I - Humanities , MP - Multicultural Perspectives , SI - Speaking-Intensive , WI - Writing-Intensive , TP - Topics Course |
| Academic Level Of Course: Undergraduate | Credits:4.00 |
| Faculty | Phone | Email address |
| Lan Wu | lwu@mtholyoke.edu |
| Meeting Dates | Method | Meeting days | Meeting times | Building name | Room | Frequency |
| 01/27/2026 - 05/12/2026 | Seminar | Monday and Wednesday | 11:30AM - 12:45PM | TBA | TBA | Weekly |
| Requisite Courses | ||
| None |
| Comments |
| Additional Comments |
| All readings are in English. Meets History department's pre-1750 requirement. |
| Course Tags | ||
| ASIAN0001 | ASIAN: Asian Studies minor | This course has been approved to count towards the Asian Studies minor. |
| EASIA0001 | EASIA: East Asian Studies major | This course has been approved to count towards the East Asian Studies major. |
| ENVST-HUM | ENVST-HUM: Env Studies pre-2024 Minor - Humanities | This course has been approved to count towards the Environmental Studies minor Humanities area. |
| ENVST-CRSE | ENVST-EL: Env Studies Electives | This course is an approved elective for the Environmental Studies major and minor. |
| Cross-listed Sections |
| None |
| Course Availability | ||||
| Section status: Closed | Capacity: 18 | Enrollment: 18 | Available: 0 | Waitlist: 0 |
BOOK INFORMATION
| Book List | Required | Publisher Full Price |
| To be determined. |
| Additional Book Comments |
| This is NOT the complete book list for this class. |