Gentzler is one of the more fantastic professors I have had. He is one of the cutest old men you could ask for, likely in his early eighties right now. Yet he is as sharp as a very sharp stick. You will wish he were your grandfather.
During class, Gentzler lectures for much of the time, but some students asked questions and he responds to them in a very poignant manner, that I really don't know how to describe. He says things in a very serious manner that turn out to be 'jokes' (things that just seem funny to him) and then all of the sudden he will shriek out a loud "HAH!" and slap the table with his hand. The first time he did this, it took the class completely by shock, because he seems so harmless yet can make such a piercing laugh, almost a clarion call to arise from zoning out. By the end of the semester, we had all gotten pretty used to it, and I still treasure that laugh. It was the greatest. It was the type of thing where I can imagine someone saying something egregiously politically incorrect, pausing for a bit, with everyone around very uncomfortable, and then just cracking out a "HAH!" that would make everything all better. This all was the most unique part of the class along with his crazy stories and quotes. I started writing them all down because they were so wild, so I share some of the gems here:
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Gentzler told a story about how he was talking with one of his friends, who happened to be the mayor of a small village in rural India. The mayor was telling him that he had been informed via telephone (the only one in the village) that a huge flood was rushing in and would destroy the village in 20 minutes. The mayor proceeded to sit down and make himself a cup of tea. Gentzler's response: "If it was me, I would have bought up all the rowboats in the town and sold them at a very high price". Presented completely seriously. Pause for a second. HAH!
On human nature: “If there’s only one seat on the subway during rush hour...well, that’s why you bring a machete.â€
On question regarding subtle difference between actions and intentions: “You’re not on a slippery slope...you’re in a pool of jelloâ€
“Even though I fully know that Democrats are right and Republicans are wrong, I go out of my way to say good things about Republicans...for example, Ronald Reagan has nice hairâ€
“As soon as I see a bamboo leaf, I know its not a lizard...or a Maseratiâ€
“In 50 years there’ll be sniggles, and you’ll be paying a lot of money for them†on the ineffable path of technology
On things you should learn to be able to do in college: “Compare and contrast the New York Knicks to an elephant. You can’t. They’re too closeâ€
“It’s a lot easier to paint a dragon than to paint a puppy dog†...because no one quite knows what a dragon looks like.
“Today I won’t say anything good about Reagan but I’ll say some bad things about Marxâ€
One of his very best, that caught the class very much by surprise: “It’s no use being corrupt if you don’t enjoy it...there’s nothing more enjoyable than seeing a little old lady kicked out of her house†on how power corrupts and corruption yields power
Also one of the best: “Would you feel you were home if there were 4 new puppy dogs, new furniture, and the kitchen was in the basement?†on what constitutes a true home
He also had an ineffable disdain for French people and New Jersey of which no one could tell if he was being serious:
“I don’t understand why French is still taught at Columbia, to tell you the truthâ€
“What’s the difference between Germans and French? Germans take bathsâ€
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Last night, I was really high and was looking at my list of quotes that I had written down. For every one, I can recall how Gentzler almost seems to not just have a twinkle in his eye when he says them, but to have a twinkle in his whole person. He is so wise and knows so much that I realized that in 30 years once I've begun to live my life and just acquire experience and wisdom about how the world works, all of the sudden I will realize that I can't after all find differences between the Knicks and an elephant. Or that the difference between the mayor making tea and Gentzler buying all the rowboats will prove to be an astounding insight that I will only fully understand then.
So my gushing about how interesting of a person he is aside, the course was pretty good. The course ostensibly covers China, Japan, Korea, and Tibet, but we spent only a few classes on Korea and one class on Tibet. Everything was interpreted through its relation to China, which seems a pretty fair way to me of giving a survey to East Asian philosophies and history considering it was always the significant player. He presented the class as the Eastern version of CC. It helps to be interested in the subject matter, because although the class is global core, you might get fatigued with so many recurring themes, and much of the class did not attend lectures during the last few weeks of the semester. There is allegedly a recitation section that I don't know if anyone actually went to.
In summary, you will get a very strong holistic understanding of East Asian schools of thought and their progression in relation to one another over the past 2500 years. You may not be able to remember who was Zhu Yi and who was Zhi Yi, but you get a very good feel for a different type of thought. He grades pretty easy and does not require you to know the reading for class discussions. You could just show up for class and not put much effort in and just listen to him talk and be enlightened.
Do it for the unique experience.