East Asian Languages and Cultures - an overview

The course treats the history, culture, language and the societal development of East Asia. The course gives a comprehensive orientation about both historical and contemporary connections and currents between the languages of East Asia, as well as an understanding of the characteristics, grammatical structures and writing systems of the individual languages. The course also highlights the cultural influences between the different areas historically and at the present time, it problematizes the view of East Asia and gives an overview of central events which have affected the socio-cultural, socio-economic and socio-political situation. The course does not require any knowledge of the languages of the region.