Arts of East Asia (AHIS20021)
Undergraduate level 2Points: 12.5On Campus (Parkville)
Overview
| Availability | Semester 1 |
|---|---|
| Fees | Look up fees |
This subject will introduce students to the mediums, genres, and vocabulary of pre-modern Chinese, Japanese, and Korean visual culture. Weekly lectures and tutorials will focus on either a specific medium (ink painting, calligraphy, ceramics, timber frame architecture, urban landscape, gardens) or a theme (tombs, Buddhism, Confucianism, genre painting, narrative painting) and through case studies, the political, social, and cultural factors that inform and shape works of art will be considered.
The objects and sites under consideration will sometimes raise historical questions about the impact of one tradition upon the others, allowing us to see East Asia as a culturally connected macroregion; in other cases, the lectures will bring together works that require us to think critically about how we analyse and interpret the history of artistic production. Ultimately, this subject will provide students a foundation and framework to consider the history of East Asian art, as well as the tools by which to consider the dimensions and character of the common narratives applied to this history.
Intended learning outcomes
Students who successfully complete this subject should:
- Acquire broad familiarity with the history of the arts of China, Japan, and Korea, including their primary genres, materials, and techniques
- Gain familiarity with some of the fundamental artistic, religious, and philosophical concepts underlying the production of East Asian art
- Consider the arts of China, Japan, and Korea within their individual cultural contexts, as well as within the broader contexts of intra- and interregional exchange
- Develop the foundational skills of visual, material, and iconographic analysis necessary to analyse East Asian art and pre-modern art more generally & understand the limitations of these foundational skills and to consider alternative methods and approaches to understanding the history of East Asian art.
Generic skills
Students who successfully complete this subject should be able to:
- Be able to research through the competent use of the library and other information sources, and be able to define areas of inquiry and methods of research in the preparation of essays
- Be able to conceptualise theoretical problems, form judgements and arguments and communicate critically, creatively and theoretically through essay writing, tutorial discussion and presentations
- Be able to communicate knowledge intelligibly and economically through essay writing and tutorial discussion
- Be able to manage and organise workloads for recommended reading, the completion of essays and assignments and examination revision
- Be able to participate in team work through involvement in syndicate groups and group discussions.
Last updated: 28 March 2025
Eligibility and requirements
Prerequisites
None
Corequisites
None
Non-allowed subjects
None
Inherent requirements (core participation requirements)
The University of Melbourne is committed to providing students with reasonable adjustments to assessment and participation under the Disability Standards for Education (2005), and the Assessment and Results Policy (MPF1326). Students are expected to meet the core participation requirements for their course. These can be viewed under Entry and Participation Requirements for the course outlines in the Handbook.
Further details on how to seek academic adjustments can be found on the Student Equity and Disability Support website: http://services.unimelb.edu.au/student-equity/home
Last updated: 28 March 2025
Assessment
| Description | Timing | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
Viewing Exercise
| Week 5 | 20% |
Primary Source Response 1: Students will be asked to engage with a primary source through a range of activities including developing basic topographical plans based on that source, assessing historical objects and sites, developing theses on the source, as well as writing responses to the source. Sources includes premodern manuals on the creation of gardens, cities, and architecture as well as narrative hand scrolls
| Week 6 | 15% |
Primary Source Response 2: Students will be asked to engage with a primary source through a range of activities including developing basic topographical plans based on that source, assessing historical objects and sites, developing theses on the source, as well as writing responses to the source. Sources includes premodern manuals on the creation of gardens, cities, and architecture as well as narrative hand scrolls.
| Week 8 | 20% |
Primary Source Response 3: Students will be asked to engage with a primary source through a range of activities including developing basic topographical plans based on that source, assessing historical objects and sites, developing theses on the source, as well as writing responses to the source. Sources includes premodern manuals on the creation of gardens, cities, and architecture as well as narrative hand scrolls.
| Week 10 | 15% |
Take home exam
| During the examination period | 30% |
| Hurdle requirement: 1. Attendance hurdle requirement: This subject has a minimum requirement of 80% attendance at tutorials, seminars, or workshops. There is an expectation that students attend lectures. | Throughout the teaching period | N/A |
| Hurdle requirement: 2. Late Penalty and Assessment hurdle requirement: Assessment submitted late without an approved extension will be penalised at five per cent (5%) of the possible marks available for the assessment task per day or part thereof. All pieces of assessment must be submitted to pass the subject. Each submitted assessment must be complete, constitute a genuine attempt to address the requirements of the task and will not be accepted after 20 University business days from the original assessment due date without written approval. | Throughout the semester | N/A |
Last updated: 28 March 2025
Dates & times
- Semester 1
Coordinator Mark Erdmann Mode of delivery On Campus (Parkville) Contact hours 30 hours - 1 x 1 hour lecture and 1 x 1.5 hour tutorial per week Total time commitment 170 hours Teaching period 26 February 2024 to 26 May 2024 Last self-enrol date 8 March 2024 Census date 3 April 2024 Last date to withdraw without fail 3 May 2024 Assessment period ends 21 June 2024 Semester 1 contact information
Time commitment details
170 hours
What do these dates mean
Visit this webpage to find out about these key dates, including how they impact on:
- Your tuition fees, academic transcript and statements.
- And for Commonwealth Supported students, your:
- Student Learning Entitlement. This applies to all students enrolled in a Commonwealth Supported Place (CSP).
Subjects withdrawn after the census date (including up to the ‘last day to withdraw without fail’) count toward the Student Learning Entitlement.
Last updated: 28 March 2025
Further information
- Texts
- Available through the Community Access Program
About the Community Access Program (CAP)
This subject is available through the Community Access Program (also called Single Subject Studies) which allows you to enrol in single subjects offered by the University of Melbourne, without the commitment required to complete a whole degree.
Please note Single Subject Studies via Community Access Program is not available to student visa holders or applicants
Entry requirements including prerequisites may apply. Please refer to the CAP applications page for further information.
Last updated: 28 March 2025