{"id":435,"date":"2011-06-10T20:46:14","date_gmt":"2011-06-10T20:46:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/asian\/?page_id=435"},"modified":"2019-11-05T14:10:55","modified_gmt":"2019-11-05T19:10:55","slug":"trian-nguyen","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/asian-studies\/asian-studies\/trian-nguyen\/","title":{"rendered":"Nguyen, Trian"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Photo\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
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Trian Nguyen<\/h1>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

Associate Professor of Art and Visual Culture<\/h4>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tArt and Visual Culture \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tAsian Studies \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>

View office locations in Directory<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t\t\t207-786-6338<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\ttnguyen@bates.edu<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t
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About<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t

Trian Nguyen is an Associate Professor of Art and Visual Culture and the Luce Junior Professor of Asian Studies. He came to Bates in 2000 under the auspices of a grant from the Luce Foundation, and is the first faculty member to teach Asian art history at Bates. Nguyen holds a Ph.D. in Asian art history from the University of California at Berkeley, and obtained his Master of Theological Studies at Harvard Divinity School. Prior to coming to Bates, he taught at the University of California, Santa Cruz in the Art Department.<\/p>\n

Nguyen\u2019s primary research work situates Buddhist art and architecture within the religious, political, and social conditions of Southeast Asian culture. He is also interested in Buddhist visual culture. He has traveled extensively for both his teaching and research in the countries of Southeast Asia and recently traveled the China\u2019s ancient Silk Route to study Buddhist rock-cut temples. Nguyen\u2019s research focuses on Vietnamese art. He is currently working on a book about Vietnamese portrait sculpture from the15th through the 19th centuries. Nguyen has authored several articles and essays, including an entry on the Vietnamese Buddhist monastery in the Encyclopedia of Monasticism, 2000.<\/p>\n

While at Bates he has created an extensive slide collection of Asian art, taught several art history courses, and guided the expansion of the College\u2019s library holdings regarding Asian art history. Nguyen\u2019s teaching covers a wide range of courses in Asian art history, including: Buddhist visual worlds; the art of Zen Buddhism; visual narratives \u2013 storytelling in Asian art; monuments of Southeast Asia; rock-cut temples in Asia; a seminar on Buddhist architecture; and a short term (five week) course taught in China.<\/p>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t

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Expertise<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t
Asian art history<\/a>, Daoist ceremonial paintings<\/a>, East Asian ceramic<\/a>, Thich Quang Duc\u2019s self-immolation and his impact<\/a>, Vietnamese Buddhist sculpture<\/a><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t
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Current Courses<\/h3>

Fall Semester 2026<\/h4>
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tJapanese Arts and Visual Culture<\/b>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

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This course surveys the visual culture of Japan from its earliest periods to the present, emphasizing the role of art in cultural and historical development. It examines major artistic traditions within their social and cultural contexts, considering how works were produced, used, and valued. Select…<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>

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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tArchitectural Monuments of Southeast Asia<\/b>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tASIA 245 \/ AVC 245\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

This course examines two monumental architectural masterpieces of Southeast Asia: Borobudur and Angkor Wat. Built in stone, these enormous religious complexes stand among the most ambitious sacred structures in the world. The largest of its kind, Borobudur, an eighth-century Buddhist monument in cen…<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>

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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSenior Thesis: History and Criticism<\/b>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tAVC 457B\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

Preparation of an essay in the history or criticism of art and visual culture, conducted under the guidance of a member of the department faculty. Students may conduct a thesis in either fall or winter semester. Students conducting a senior thesis in history and criticism do not meet as a class. Stu…<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div><\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\t

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