This course introduces to students some of the major monuments of Asian art with an emphasis on the art of India, China, and Japan. Its contextual approach helps students gain insight into the aesthetic, religious, and political ideas and cultural meanings conveyed by the works of art. Visual analyses and thematic discussions will bear upon the interconnectedness among these three cultures, and their respective interactions with the West. This course also provides students with the vocabulary, techniques, and patterns of thinking needed for advanced art history courses.