Teaching

This course introduces students to major Chinese documents and archives, including canonical works such as the Shiji (Records of the Grand Historian) and Qijuzhu (Imperial Diaries). Beyond reading of the texts, the course also emphasizes a broader understanding: how books were made, how textual structures were designed, and how versions and variants shaped meaning in Chinese documents. It also explores the special archival tradition behind these practices. Students will learn to engage with Chinese documents not only through textual interpretation, but also through material analysis, exploring physical forms, production methods, and patterns of transmission across time. They will also gain hands-on experience using digital databases to uncover deeper layers of meaning and historical information within these texts. These approaches equip students with critical tools for studying Chinese history, language, culture, and philosophy.

Short titleInside Chinese DocumentsInstructorSteve Haonan MaFocusdocumentsarchivesdatabases

This course introduces an important area of research in history and culture that is playing an increasingly significant role in modern humanities and social sciences. It guides students in exploring the geographical dimensions of Chinese history, an essential aspect of China studies, while also examining human-environment interactions and their influence on the development of Chinese history and culture. Students will engage with a variety of research methods and tools, with a particular focus on digital humanities approaches, such as QGIS. The course will also equip students with valuable skills for both academic and professional development.

Short titleChinese Historical GeographyInstructorSteve Haonan MaFocushistorical geographyQGISspace

Discover archaeology and art in this dynamic introduction to archaeology and museum practice. Learn essential field techniques used to excavate and analyze artifacts, and explore how museums preserve and present history to the public. From digital tools to the exhibition design, this course equips you with the practical skills to interpret cultural heritage and tell compelling stories about the past. Drawing on illuminating examples from East Asia, you will apply these skills to understand how material culture shapes historical narratives. Whether you aim to work in museums, heritage sites, or simply want to understand how history is reconstructed, this course offers an engaging and skills-focused entry into the world of archaeology and curation.

Short titleArchaeology and MuseologyFocusfield methodsexhibitionheritage

This course explores the history of AI in historical games, tracing the evolution from scripted logic in early games like Age of Empires, to complex, systemic behavior tree architectures in Red Dead Redemption 2, and finally to the generative potential of deep learning and large language models. Students will examine how AI technologies reshape the interaction with the past, while learning practical methods to integrate AI into interactive media. Beyond technical history, this course encourages students to reflect on what history really is in the digital age. It is designed to help students enhance their digital humanities skills and AI literacy, and develop a critical humanistic perspective, learning how to bridge the gap between complex algorithms and historical narratives. By the end of the course, students will be able to analyze and build projects that show how to combine technology and humanistic knowledge. Graded P or F.

Short titleGames and HistoriographyFocusgame AIsimulationhistoriography

This course explores the key concepts, histories and practices of digital culture, offering students a comprehensive introduction to the ways digital technologies shape society, media, and artistic expression. Through lectures and tutorials, students will examine the origins and evolution of the internet, digital media and online communities, as well as the development of digital arts, publishing, photography, cinema, music and video games. The course combines theoretical reading with case studies, including the study of internet memes, digital relationships and the collective memories of popular music in Asia. By the end of the course, students will have a deeper understanding of how digital culture operates, its impact on society and its ongoing transformations across multiple media forms.

InstructorSteve Haonan MaFocusinternetmediamemes

As Natural Language Processing (NLP) methods have become increasingly important in academic research in recent years, this course introduces students to the fundamentals of NLP with a special focus on its applications in humanities research. Students will explore how machines can be used to analyze, interpret, and understand human language and texts, particularly those in East Asian languages. Through lectures and hands-on projects, students will learn to use Python, quantitative analysis tools, and machine learning techniques to engage with cultural, artistic, historical, and literary materials. The course aims to provide students with practical skills and critical insights into how emerging technologies are reshaping research in the humanities.

Short titleExploring Text at Scale: NLP for HumanitiesFocusPythonmachine learningEast Asian text