(ASIA 142) Zen and Art of the Everyday

4 Credits

The Japanese conception of beauty is strikingly different to our own: it is associated with impermanence, imperfection, and austerity. Moreover, attention to beauty pervades even everyday activities in Japan, such as wrapping purchases at the dollar store or putting out garbage. This course explores principles that guide the Japanese aesthetic sensibility with an eye to its expression in Japanese literature, film, and traditional arts, such as the tea ceremony and gardening. Attribute/Distribution: HE, HU