Students will become familiar with fundamental aspects of East 
Asian culture and society through an exploration of legal 
principles and proceedings in a selection of literary and
historical writings, visual arts, and film.

Possible units for the course include: 
1) the history and lore surrounding Judge Bao, an 11th-century 
judge with extraordinary powers who persists as a central figure 
in popular fiction, drama, and film to the present day,
2) changing notions of identity and sexuality in the early 
modern period as represented in philosophical tracts, court 
cases, and novels, 
3) the interplay between the human legal system and presumed 
other world courts as depicted in religious, legal, and literary 
texts, or 
4) modern day changes in the legal system and representations of 
court proceedings in television dramas, stories, and art.