Courses
CHNSHIS 135: The Mongol Empire and World History: From Steppe Confederation to Eurasian Empire, c.1206-1368
Aaron Molnar
Spring 2026
This course seeks to provide a comprehensive introduction to the study of Mongol Eurasia, anchored by the theme of globalization. The Mongol empire has variously been credited with the inaugural establishment of a globalized world with unprecedented religious toleration and socio-economic exchange. Yet, the Mongols have also been maligned for the mass slaughter of their conquests, brutal deportation policies, as well as the destruction of Islamic and Chinese urban societies. Between the twin poles of efflorescence and catastrophe lies a rich terrain to explore. Who was this steppe people who came to rule the largest contiguous empire in history? What underwrote their rise? How did they order such a vast realm? To what degree was the Mongol period a watershed for globalization? What legacy did the Mongols leave behind for successor states, cultures, and the globe?
GENED 1083: Permanent Impermanence: Why Buddhists Build Monuments
Jinah Kim and Eugene Wang
Spring 2026
Despite the core Buddhist teaching of impermanence, history is filled with monumental structures that seemingly defy the concept of decay. This course explores this fascinating paradox—the tension between the philosophy of ephemerality and the physical pursuit of permanence—by examining Buddhist art, architecture, and sacred sites across Asia. By studying how these monuments navigate cosmology, relics, and "world-making," students will gain a deeper understanding of how Buddhist practice reconciles the illusory nature of the Self with the enduring materiality of the physical world. ANTHRO 1691
ANTHRO 1691: Mobility in Asia
Ping-hsiu Alice Lin
Fall 2025
How does movement reshape our understanding of contemporary Asia? What happens when we shift our gaze from fixed places to flows of people, ideas, and things? In this introductory-level class in sociocultural anthropology, we explore how mobility creates new social landscapes across the region. Through anthropological methods—especially immersive fieldwork and ethnographic writing—we will examine how historical patterns of migration and present-day movements are shaped by structural dynamics of colonialism, imperialism, late capitalism, labor markets, trade networks, and supply chains.
HIST 1966: Asia and Asians at Harvard
Sugata Bose
Fall 2025
An exploration of relations between Asia and Euro-America during the long twentieth century through the prism of Asians and the study of Asia at Harvard. Topics and themes to include Asian visitors, faculty and students at Harvard; the University’s engagement in the shaping of policy towards Asia; and the institutionalization of Asian studies at Harvard. Students will have the opportunity to craft their own research projects.
HIST 2693: Modern South Asian and Indian Ocean History and Historiography
Sugata Bose
Fall 2025
This seminar is designed as a graduate level examination of trends and debates in historical research and writing on modern South Asia and the Indian Ocean. Topics include different modes of representing the past, culture and power in colonial and nationalist history and historiography, methods and schools of history, the inter-regional and global connections of the subcontinent, and varieties of post-colonial historical writing.
Notice: This is an evolving list of transnational Asia courses offered at Harvard.