DVC has a superb array of programs to support student learning, and you should take advantage of them! Support is the foundation of everyone’s success; asking for support shows that you are a resourceful problem-solver (and every employer loves a resourceful problem-solver—so start building this crucial skill now!) DVC’s support services include the Academic Support Center, (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site. which hosts an ESL program and excellent tutors available through Zoom, a Counseling Center (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site., and the Library (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site..

The "District Student Code of Conduct(Links to an external site.)Links to an external site." for Contra Costa Community College District The "Academic Integrity Policy(Links to an external site.)Links to an external site." from DVC as well as a list of "Academic Dishonesty (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site." resources.

I will do my best to get your work graded within one week, and I will let you know if it will be longer. Giving you helpful feedback in a timely fashion is very important to me. 

As your instructor, I will be present and active in the course as I work to facilitate your learning experience. You will "see me" in announcements, emails, videos, and discussion posts throughout the week. Although it won't always be possible to respond to everyone's posts individually every time, I will read all annotation and discussion posts and make sure to respond to everyone on a recurring cycle. 

Late work turned in shortly after the deadline gets dinged a small 5%. If it is more than 48 hours late, the point penalty rises to 10% and becomes 20% after 5 days.

long the way, we will encounter the great philosophical and religious traditions of Asia, including Buddhism, Hinduism, Confucianism, Daoism, and Shinto, which are as vital today as they were millennia ago. Our aim will be to analyze, understand, and enjoy Asian artworks by relating them to their multi-faceted social and historical contexts

How did groups of people in the past think about art? For whom was art made? How was it meaningful for its original viewers? How might it continue to speak to us today? What tools and terminology do we need to look at, analyze, and respond to works of art? What artistic traditions have left their mark on the world’s cultural heritage? What are the defining characteristics of those major artistic traditions? How does an artwork embody a “worldview”? In other words, how does it belong to a specific context, philosophical tradition, and social system? What is the relationship between art and politics, including the politics of gender, class, ‘race,’ and other categories of social identity?

Japan

Whatever your major field of study, this course is designed to help you become a thoughtful viewer of artworks and a deeper thinker. It imparts both a body of knowledge and a set of analytic tools, which together help to replace knee-jerk personal opinions (“I like that”/”I don’t like that”) with a more inquisitive, analytic mindset.

This course takes us on a journey into some of Asia’s most magnificent and influential artistic traditions.