Asian Conversations < St. Olaf College

Laurel Brook, Tomson 368
507-786-3383
brookl@stolaf.edu
wp.stolaf.edu/asian-studies/asian-conversations

Asian Conversations (ASCON) is a high impact learning community about Asia, along with a sequence of Chinese or Japanese language study for participants’ first two years of college. The program is dedicated to providing students with a comprehensive global perspective with exceptional disciplinary and interdisciplinary approaches on Asia (such as art, history, linguistics, literature, political science, and religion) as well as a faculty-led experiential January term to China and Japan during the sophomore year. Students from all academic backgrounds and pathways are welcome, as long as they are committed to the study of Asia. Asian Conversations highlights critical thinking, inclusive conversation, and cross-disciplinary collaboration for not only a better understanding of Asian languages and societies but also the development of our students to become skillful, thoughtful, and impactful global citizens.

Asian Conversations is open to incoming students who are interested in studying Asia and enrolled concurrently in level-appropriate Chinese or Japanese classes. Entering students enrolled in the Asian Conversations’ First-Year Seminar and Writing and Rhetoric sections will be eligible for the second-year Asian Conversations sequence: ASCON 215/216 and ASCON 220 the following year. Whether students plan to major in natural sciences, social sciences, humanities, or anything else, Asian Conversations offers an integrated, international, and innovative curriculum to complete required study in world languages and cultures as well as the liberal arts.

Intended Learning Outcomes for the Program

See Asian Studies for information about Chinese language courses, Japanese language courses, and Asian Studies curriculum.

Program Overview

Year 1

Course List
Code	Title	Credits
Fall
ASCON 110	Asian Conversations: Global Flows	1.00
One of the following:		1.00
CHIN 111	Beginning Chinese I
CHIN 231	Intermediate Chinese I
JAPAN 111	Beginning Japanese I
JAPAN 231	Intermediate Japanese I
Spring
ASCON 120	Asian Conversations: Imagine Asia	1.00
One of the following:		1.00
CHIN 112	Beginning Chinese II
CHIN 232	Intermediate Chinese II
JAPAN 112	Beginning Japanese II
JAPAN 232	Intermediate Japanese II
Total Credits		4

Year 2

Course List
Code	Title	Credits
Fall
One of the following:		1.00
CHIN 231	Intermediate Chinese I
CHIN 301	Third-Year Chinese I
JAPAN 231	Intermediate Japanese I
JAPAN 301	Advanced Japanese I
January Term
ASCON 215	Asian Conversations III (study abroad)	1.00
or ASCON 216	Asian Conversations III (on campus)
Spring
ASCON 220	Asian Conversations: Engaging Asia with Voice and Representation	1.00
One of the following:		1.00
CHIN 232	Intermediate Chinese II
CHIN 302	Third-Year Chinese II
JAPAN 232	Intermediate Japanese II
JAPAN 302	Advanced Japanese II
Total Credits		4

Course Equivalents for OLE Core Curriculum Requirements

By successfully completing ASCON 215 or ASCON 216 a student fulfills the following OLE Core general curriculum requirements.

Global Histories and Societies
OLE Experience in Practice

By successfully completing ASCON 220, a student fulfills the following OLE Core requirement:

Writing Across the Curriculum

ASCON 110: Asian Conversations: Global Flows

"Global Flows" engages students in academic and public discourses that emphasize inclusivity, cross-cultural understanding, and global citizenship. We will examine the movement of objects, ideas, and people across history and within and outside of Asia, helping students develop a historical foundation for their future study of Asia. As a first-year seminar, students will also focus on building community as well as skills for succeeding at college. This is the first course in a four-course Conversation Program.

ASCON 120: Asian Conversations: Imagine Asia

"Imagine Asia" explores the concepts of "self" and "other" in both Asian and American contexts, taking them as entry points for engaging with the histories, cultures, and communities of the region. We will examine how Asia has been integrated into the global circuits of meaning, imagination, and (mis)representations and what popular media can reveal about power, race, gender, sexuality, and national identities. As a writing and rhetoric course, students will write in multiple genres and engage in writing as a systematic, interactive process for different purposes and audiences. This is the second course in a four-course Conversation Program.
Prerequisite: ASCON 110.

ASCON 215: Asian Conversations III (study abroad)

Students pursue guided fieldwork experience in Taiwan and Japan. Activities and readings in this course build on the topics from ASCON 210 and language study. Students continue to explore their understanding of Asia through language activities, site visits, and ethnographic observations. Students develop projects and follow a process of inquiry that will help them understand how ordinary people construct "Asian" culture and society today. Offered annually during January Term. Counts toward Asian studies, Chinese, and Japanese majors and Asian studies concentration.
Prerequisite: ASCON 120.

ASCON 216: Asian Conversations III (on campus)

Building upon the knowledge and language skills acquired throughout the previous year and a half, students will pursue guided fieldwork experience in the United States. Students reflect on the experiences of Asians in America through readings, site visits, ethnographic observations, and interviews. Students develop projects and follow a process of inquiry that will help them understand how ordinary people construct "Asian" culture and society in the United States today. Offered during January Term as needed. Counts toward Asian studies, Chinese, and Japanese majors and Asian studies concentration.
Prerequisite: ASCON 120.

ASCON 220: Asian Conversations: Engaging Asia with Voice and Representation

The final course in the Asian Conversations program will provide critical reflections on the students' academic and personal journey in the Asian Conversations program in particular, and in the college as a whole. Students examine diverse interpretations of Asia, engage with various primary and secondary texts through written and oral presentations, including materials collected during January Term, and conclude their overall experiences from their past two years in the learning community and beyond. Offered annually in the spring semester. Counts toward Asian studies, Chinese, and Japanese majors and Asian studies concentration.
Prerequisite: CHIN 231 or JAPAN 231, and ASCON 215 or ASCON 216.

Director, 2023-2024

Karil J. Kucera

Professor of Art and Art History and Asian Studies; Associate Dean of Interdisciplinary and General Studies

Asian art history; text/image; sacred sites

Eric Becklin

Visiting Instructor of Asian Studies

Chinese Christianity; republican China; religion and place

Ka F. Wong

Associate Professor of Asian Studies

language pedagogy; cultural studies; Asian American studies; visual culture