Part 2 Faculty of Asian Studies
Specialist Bachelor of Asian Studies with Year-in-Asia
Units offered by the Asian History Centre
Units offered by the China and Korea Centre
Units offered by the Japan Centre
Units offered by the South and West Asia Centre
Units offered by the Southeast Asia Centre
The Faculty of Asian Studies
Dean: Professor A. C. Milner
Introduction
The ANU is a major world centre for teaching and research on Asia and is the leading centre for Asian Studies in Australia, unrivalled in the breadth of its interests and the depths of its expertise. The Faculty of Asian Studies cooperates with the Research School of Pacific and Asian Studies and the Faculty of Arts to offer the widest range of Asian studies available in Australia, both at undergraduate and graduate levels. The ANU offers Arabic, Hindi, Urdu, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Indonesian, Thai, Lao and Vietnamese. It is also possible to study the classical languages of the region: Sanskrit, Classical Chinese, Classical Japanese, Arabic, and Classical Malay. Other courses deal with the modern and early history of the societies of Asia, as well as the religions, politics, societies, economies, linguistics, literature and arts of the region.
There are some 200 Asian specialists at the ANU. The programs are backed up by library resources which provide more than 70% of Australia’s total Asian Studies resource material within the University Library system and the National Library of Australia.
Teaching within the Faculty of Asian Studies is organised through five Centres:
Selecting Subjects
Students are advised to make informed decisions in choosing subjects for their degree through careful reading of the syllabuses of units in this Handbook, as well as through consultations with Sub-Dean and other staff. The Sub-Dean is available to discuss course plans and matters relating to the overall direction and progress of an undergraduate course. More specific guidance about the content, assessment and conduct of particular units is best sought initially from the lecturer in charge of the unit, or the Head of the Centre offering the units.
New Enrolments
Students enrolling in the Faculty for the first time are required to have their choice of units approved at a personal interview with the Sub-Dean or a Student Adviser. Successful applicants will be told by letter of the days set aside for course approval and registration of enrolment.
Courses
The Faculty offers undergraduate courses in which the use and study of an Asian language has an integral role. The following undergraduate courses are available:
Combined courses offer a potent combination of language study to an advanced level, awareness of an Asian society, and professional qualifications. Details of combined course structures are set out in the Combined Courses section of this Handbook.
Admission with status
Students who have previously studied in an approved tertiary institution, whether in Australia or overseas, may be eligible for status (credit) towards the coursework requirements of any of the undergraduate courses offered by the Faculty.
Students who already have some knowledge of an Asian language will be given a placement test to determine the appropriate level for their initial enrolment. If their knowledge of the Asian language was gained through study at an approved tertiary institution, then status for that study may be granted. Otherwise an exemption from elementary units will be given. While status counts toward the total of credit points required for a degree course, exemptions do not.
For subjects other than Asian languages, the University’s general status provisions apply (see Introduction section of this Handbook Admission with status).
Grading and assessment
Assessment in each unit for which the Faculty is responsible will be decided after discussion in classes at the beginning of the unit. In language units, assessment is usually based on oral work in class, written home work and a final examination. In non-language units, assessment is usually centred on essays and a final examination.
Changes to course structures and credit point values
You will note that undergraduate degrees are now being expressed in credit
points. What was a 3 year 20 point degree course is now a 144 credit point
degree course, comprising 48 credit points per year. For a full explanation
of the changes to course structures, credit point values and course legislation,
please see the General Information section of this Handbook.
UNDERGRADUATE COURSES
The Bachelor of Asian Studies Degrees
The Bachelor of Asian Studies degrees are built around three principles:
1. Study of an Asian language to an advanced level
This involves a major of at least 44 credit points in one of the following languages:
Students are encouraged to develop a deeper knowledge of modern and classical languages in the areas they choose to specialise in. Students may major in two Asian languages with the permission of the Sub-Dean.
Students who already have some knowledge of the language chosen may be allowed to start at an advanced level, though the minimum of 44 credit points of language-related study is still required. Native speakers may not normally enrol in units in their own language.
For the structure of the major in your chosen language, please refer to the list of units at the end of this Section.
2. Expertise in a discipline
Study in a disciplinary or professional field provides a basis for applying Asian language skills and an understanding of Asian societies in fruitful ways. Majors which develop relevant conceptual and analytical skills are offered by the Faculty of Asian Studies as well as by the Faculties of Arts, Economics and Commerce, and Science. The combined degree courses in Arts, Commerce, Economics, Engineering, Law, Science and Visual Arts provide scope for more extensive disciplinary study.
3. Knowledge of an Asian society or culture
To give context to the language and disciplinary studies, the bachelor degrees all include at least four non-language units relevant to the study of Asia, and particularly the region of Asia upon which the degree focuses. These units are generally chosen from those offered in the Asian Studies Faculty.
Bachelor of Asian Studies
(course code 3550)
Course requirements
This degree combines advanced study of an Asian language with expertise in a discipline and knowledge of an Asian society. The degree course of 144 credit points must include:
A major is defined as a sequence of units of at least 44 credit points, of which not more than 12 credit points are at first year level and none of which have been counted towards another major.
The degree may include up to the maximum of 92 credit points in one or more Asian languages. Students who plan to take 72 or more credit points in Asian language must consult the Sub-Dean. In such cases a special supporting major may be prescribed with the aim of achieving the best mix of analytical coherence and focus on the cultures concerned.
This degree course can be completed in a minimum of 3 years of full-time study or extended to a maximum of ten years.
Specialist Bachelor of Asian Studies with Year-in-Asia
(course code 4550)
For mastery of a language and ability to negotiate a culture with confidence a significant period of in-country experience is necessary. The need is particularly great for Australians who have to deal with languages and cultures outside the European tradition. The four-year specialist degree courses offered by the Faculty open the door to such experience by including a Year-in-Asia devoted to language and disciplinary study. After gaining a good grounding in their first two years at ANU, students are enrolled in a university in China, Egypt, India, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Taiwan, Thailand or Vietnam for the third year of their course. During this Year-in-Asia students take the equivalent of 48 credit points in language and disciplinary studies and prepare an individual study project.
The Year-in-Asia program is intended for talented and dedicated students. Minimum admission requirements are set at a higher level than for the three-year degree, and students are expected to complete the first two years of the program at least at credit level to be eligible for the Year-in-Asia. Students who do not attain the required standard will transfer to the three-year degree course. Conversely, students in the three-year degree who meet the required standard will be allowed to transfer to the four-year degree and to participate in the Year-in-Asia.
A limited number of scholarships may be available to help students with fares and living costs during their Year-in-Asia. Students should check with the Centre Administrator or the Year-in-Asia coordinator in their Centre as to the availability of financial assistance for the year in which they will be away.
The four-year specialist degrees incorporating a Year-in-Asia are:
Course requirements
The degree course of 192 credit points includes 144 credit points as per the Bachelor of Asian Studies (course code 3550) as described above, with the addition of a Year-in-Asia program of 48 credit points. Students cannot count the unit value of the same unit towards both the degree of Bachelor of Asian Studies and a Specialist Asian Studies degree.
Students who transfer to the ANU from another University, where they have completed a Year-in-Asia, need to demonstrate that they were selected on a comparable basis to ANU students, if they intend to seek status (credit) for the Year-in-Asia.
Combined Courses Leading to Two Degrees
Details of combined course structures are set out in the Combined Courses section of this Handbook.
In all combined courses, the minimum Asian Studies component amounts to
88 credit points, comprising a major in an Asian language of at least 44
credit point and a non-language major of at least 44 credit points comprising
units taught in the Faculty or approved by the Sub-Dean.
Bachelor Degrees with Honours
The purpose of the Asian Studies honours program is to encourage students of high calibre to deepen their involvement in a chosen field of study. A bachelor degree with honours is both a prestigious qualification in its own right and also the most effective means of qualifying for higher degree work.
Students who obtain results of distinction standard in the early years of their course may apply to undertake a degree with honours.
The degrees with honours involve additional coursework and a research dissertation of 15,000 to 20,000 words. For the Bachelor of Asian Studies (Specialist), Bachelor of Asian Studies and the combined courses leading to two bachelor degrees, this additional work requires one further full year.
The work of the honours year is prescribed by the Faculty Honours Committee with maximum flexibility and concern for each individual students interests. Honours work usually includes participation in a course dealing with methodologies for reading Asian-language materials. It may also include a specialisation in literature, linguistics, history, religious studies, and with the cooperation of other faculties in anthropology, art history, economic history, geography, political science, and other fields. Honours work may be also undertaken with the advice and supervision of members of the Research Schools of Pacific and Asian Studies and Social Sciences. Students interested in Honours should obtain a copy of the “Honours in Asian Studies Guidelines” from the Faculty of Asian Studies Office.
Part-time enrolment
The Bachelor of Asian Studies and some combined courses may be taken either full-time or part-time. Part-time students need to take account of the special requirements of successful language study: a high intensity of class contact is necessary, and some continuity must be maintained over a number of years. As the Year-in-Asia must be taken full-time, care and commitment are needed in planning a part-time course. Advice should be sought from the Sub-Dean.
Distinguished Scholar Program
The Faculty offers a Distinguished Scholar Program which is designed to stretch the abilities of high-achieving students by tailoring the undergraduate degree with a minimum of rules and restrictions. Entry to the program is competitive and for first year students is based on Year 12 results or outstanding achievements in the student’s chosen field. Entry for later-year students is based on academic acheivement in your degree course. Students interested in the Distinguished Scholar Program should contact the Faculty Secretary, Asian Studies, in the first instance.
Units from the Australian National Internships Program
The Australian National Internships Program (see Chapter 4 of this Handbook), which is a part of the Asia-Pacific School of Economics and Management, offers three Internships units which are available to later-year students in a number of degrees. Students apply separately to the Program for selection and admission to these units, but should also enrol in them in the normal way on re-enrolment forms. At the time of application to the Program, students should consult the appropriate Faculty Office to determine precisely how the unit will fit within their degree course requirements.
Careers for graduates in Asian Studies
As Australia moves toward closer economic and cultural ties with Asia, the demand for people with Asian language training and knowledge of the area is increasing.
Career prospects for Asian Studies graduates in both the public and private sectors are good. Asian Studies graduates are finding employment in areas such as marketing, international trade, banking and finance, the tourist industry, federal and state departments and the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. Graduates who have undertaken combined courses are especially well-placed to find employment in Australia and overseas.
Graduates who have combined their studies of Asia with vocationally-oriented qualifications in, say, economics, political science or law, are especially well-placed to benefit from career opportunities which open up as Australia’s relations with the nations of Asia develop.
Asian language graduates may obtain employment as translators and interpreters, following additional professional training. There is a need for personnel who can communicate with non-English speakers; for instance, in government departments dealing with immigration, ethnic affairs, social welfare, health and consumer affairs. A number of foreign language newspapers, radio programs and the SBS employ translators.
Asian language graduates who complete a postgraduate Diploma of Education can teach languages in primary and secondary schools.
Asian Studies graduates are also employable in areas not directly related to their language and area studies because of the training they obtain develops the ability to carry out research, communicate ideas and suggest solutions to problems. Their high level of intellectual training is valued by employers.
Asian Studies Units
Set out below is a list of all units offered by the Faculty of Asian Studies, grouped under majors with the requirements for the completion of that major. For the purposes of Asian Studies course requirements (including Combined Courses) these units count as “Asian Studies” units. Not all units are offered every year. Units listed in italics are not Asian Studies units, but can count towards the particular Asian Studies major under which they are listed. Descriptions of each unit are presented below in the sub-sections headed: Faculty units, Asian History Centre units, China and Korea Centre units, Japan Centre units, South and West Asia Centre units and Southeast Asia Centre units.
Language Majors
Arabic: A major requires the completion of the following units
SWAA1002 Introductory Arabic A
SWAA1003 Introductory Arabic B
SWAA2002 Contemporary
Arabic Literature
SWAA2003 Media Arabic
SWAA2004 Classical Arabic
Chinese: A major requires the completion of one of the following units
CHIN3007 Modern Chinese D
CHIN3012 Modern Chinese E
CHIN3013 Modern Chinese
F
CHIN3111 Advanced Modern Chinese A
CHIN3112 Advanced Modern Chinese B
and units to the value of at least 36 credit points chosen from
CHIN1011 Modern Chinese A
CHIN2011 Modern Chinese B
CHIN3006 Modern Chinese
C
CHIN3012 Modern Chinese E
CHIN3013 Modern Chinese F
CHIN3111 Advanced Modern
Chinese A
CHIN3112 Advanced Modern Chinese B
CHIN3005 Chinese Language and
Society
CHIN3008 Classical Chinese A1
CHIN3009 Classical Chinese A2
CHIN3010 Classical
Chinese B1
CHIN3011 Classical Chinese B2
CHIN3201 Cantonese A
CHIN3202 Cantonese
B
CHIN3105 Readings in Modern Chinese Literature and Thought
CHIN3108 Readings
in Modern Chinese Society and Law
CHIN3211 Advanced Readings in Chinese A
CHIN3212 Advanced
Readings in Chinese B
CHIN3210 Advanced Readings in Chinese C
Hindi and Sanskrit: A major requires the completion of units to the value of at least 44 credit chosen from
SWAH1002 Introductory Hindi A
SWAH1003 Introductory Hindi B
SWAH2002 Applied
Hindi
SWAH2004 Contemporary Hindi Literature
SWAH2005 Hindi Bhakti Poetry
SWAH2102 Nineteenth
Century Hindi Literature
SWAH2103 Twentieth Century Hindi Literature
SWAU2006 Urdu
Prose
SWAU2007 The Urdu Gazal
SWAS1001 Introductory Sanskrit
SWAS2103 The Sanskrit
Epics
SWAS2104 Hindu Texts
SWAS2105 Sanskrit Narrative Literature
SWAS2106 Buddhist
Texts
Indonesian: A major requires the completion of one of the following units
SEAI3002 Indonesian 3A
SEAI3003 Indonesian 3B
SEAI3102 Advanced Indonesian and
Malay A
SEAI3103 Advanced Indonesian and Malay B
and units to the value of at least 36 credit points chosen from
SEAI1002 Indonesian 1A
SEAI1003 Indonesian 1B
SEAI2002 Indonesian 2A
SEAI2003 Indonesian
2B
SEAI2004 Indonesian 2C
SEAI3002 Indonesian 3A
SEAI3003 Indonesian 3B
SEAI3102 Advanced
Indonesian and Malay A
SEAI3103 Advanced Indonesian and Malay B
SEAI3005 Advanced
Readings in Southeast Asian Culture
SEAI3004 Readings in Southeast Asian
Culture
SEAJ2005 Modern Javanese A
SEAJ3005 Modern Javanese B
SEAJ2004 Old Javanese
A
SEAJ3004 Old Javanese B
SEAI3103 Traditional Malay Literature
ASHI3504 Reading
Malay Political Culture
SWAA1002 Introductory Arabic A
SWAA1003 Introductory
Arabic B
SWAA2002 Contemporary Arabic Literature
SWAA2003 Media Arabic
SWAA2004 Classical
Arabic
SWAS1001 Introductory Sanskrit
SWAS2103 The Sanskrit Epics
SWAS2104 Hindu
Texts
SWAS2105 Sanskrit Narrative Literature
SWAS2106 Buddhist Texts
Japanese: A major requires the completion of units to the value of at least 44 credit points chosen from
JPNS1012 Spoken Japanese 1
JPNS1013 Spoken Japanese 2
JPNS1016 Written Japanese
AB
JPNS2012 Spoken Japanese 3
JPNS2013 Spoken Japanese 4
JPNS2023 Spoken Japanese
4S
JPNS2014 Written Japanese C
JPNS2015 Written Japanese D
JPNS2024 Japanese
Grammar*
JPNS3005 Advanced Japanese: Discourse Structure
JPNS3006 Advanced
Japanese: Language in Society
JPNS3007 Readings in Japanese Newspapers
JPNS3008 Readings
in Japanese Fiction
JPNS3009 Introduction to Classical Japanese
JPNS3010 Readings
in Classical Japanese
JPNS3013 Japanese-English Translation
JPNS3102 Japanese
Seminar A
JPNS3103 Japanese Seminar B
CHIN3008 Classical Chinese A1
CHIN3009 Classical
Chinese A2
*this is counted as a language unit only for students who when enrolled in it have not yet passed Spoken Japanese 4
Korean: A major requires the completion of units to the value of at least 44 credit points chosen from
CHIK1007 Korean A
CHIK1008 Korean B
CHIK2007 Korean C
CHIK2008 Korean D
CHIK2009 Written
Korean A
CHIK2010 Written Korean B
CHIK2011 Accelerated Korean A
CHIK2012 Accelerated
Korean B
CHIK3009 Advanced Korean A
CHIK3010 Advanced Korean B
CHIN3008 Classical
Chinese A1
CHIN3009 Classical Chinese A2
CHIN3010 Classical Chinese B1
CHIN3011 Classical
Chinese B2
Thai: A major requires the completion of
SEAT3002 Thai 3A
and units to the value of at least 36 credit points chosen from
SEAT1002 Thai 1A
SEAT1003 Thai 1B
SEAT2002 Thai 2A
SEAT2003 Thai 2B
SEAT3003 Thai
3B
SEAT3006 Thai 3C
SEAT3007 Thai 3D
SEAT2106 Seminar in Thai Linguistics
SEAT2107 Comparative-Historical
Tai Linguistics
ASHI3505 Reading Thai Popular Culture
SEAL3001 Lao
SWAS1001 Introductory
Sanskrit
SWAS2103 The Sanskrit Epics
SWAS2104 Hindu Texts
SWAS2105 Sanskrit Narrative
Literature
SWAS2106 Buddhist Texts
Vietnamese: A major requires the completion of
SEAV3002 Vietnamese 3A and
SEAV3003 Vietnamese 3B
and units to the value of at least 28 credit points chosen from
SEAV1002 Vietnamese 1A
SEAV1003 Vietnamese 1B
SEAV2002 Vietnamese 2A
SEAV2003 Vietnamese
2B
SEAV1004 Vietnamese for Native Speakers
CHIN3008 Classical Chinese A1
CHIN3009 Classical
Chinese A2
CHIN3010 Classical Chinese B1
CHIN3011 Classical Chinese B2
SEAT1002 Thai
1A
SEAT1003 Thai 1B
SEAT2002 Thai 2A
SEAT2003 Thai 2B
SEAT3002 Thai 3A
SEAT3003 Thai
3B
SEAT3006 Thai 3C
SEAT3007 Thai 3D
Analytical/Conceptual Majors
Asian History: A major requires the completion of
ASHI1001 Individual and Society in Contemporary Asia
and units to the value of at least 32 credit points chosen from
ASHI3001 Approaches to the Study of History
ASHI3004 Asia in “Crisis”
ASHI2161 China
under Mao, 1946-1976
ASHI2162 Chinese “Renaissance”: the Song Period
ASHI2012 Civilizing
Missions: Chinese Models & Local Realities in Japan, Korea & Vietnam
ASHI2013 Classical
India and Southeast Asia
ASHY2011 Colonialism & Resistance: Indonesia, Malaysia
& the Philippines
ASHI2163 Daoism
ASHI2309 Education and Social Change in Modern
Japan
ASHI2006 Gender and Korean History
ASHI2016 Gender and Power in East
Asia
AREL2264 How to Live in the Real World: “Practical Learning” in East
Asia
ASHI2263 India: The Emerging Giant
HIST2110 History and Theory *
ASHI3003 Histories
of Japan
ASHI2516 Indonesia: Politics, Society and Development
AREL2162 Islam:
History and Institutions
ASHI2268 Law and Society in Southeast Asia
ASHI2515 Malaysia:
Politics, Society and Development
ASHY2013 Mainland Southeast Asia to 1900:
Cambodia, Myanmar (Burma) Thailand & Vietnam
ASHI2008 Middle Classes in Japan
and the Asia Pacific: Money, Freedom & Relationships
AREL2816 Modern Islamic
Thought: West to Southeast Asia
ASHI2009 Modern Japanese Society
ASHI2005 Modern
Korea
ASHY2013 National Identity and Its Critics: Asia, the British Isles
& Australia
ASHI2007 North Korea: History and Politics, 1945-1990s
ASHI2203 Origins
of East Asian Civilizations
ASHI2261 Pre-Modern Japan: History and Culture
ASHI3504 Reading
Malay Political Culture
ASHI3505 Reading Thai Popular Culture
ASHI3210 Readings
in Modern Chinese History
AREL2173 Religion and Social Movements in Southeast
Asia
ASHI2018 Society & Economy in China A: Historical Development
ASHI2019 Society
& Economy in China B : the People’s Republic
ASHY2012 State, Society & Politics
in Indonesia, Malaysia & the Philippines
ASHY2014 State, Society & Politics
in Cambodia, Myanmar (Burma), Thailand & Vietnam
ASHI2001 Technology, Innovation
and Society
ASHI2413 Vietnam in the Twentieth Century
*Students intending to do Honours in Asian History are required to take History and Theory (HIST2110).
Approved history units may also be taken from subjects offered by the Department of History in the Faculty of Arts. With the agreement of the Head of the Asian History Centre students can take up to 16 credit points from this list as part of a major in Asian History. Detailed descriptions of these units are contained in the departmental entry for the Department of History in this Handbook. The units are:
HIST2107 American Voices: Aspects of Social Thought in the United States
1900-1990
HIST2117 Technology and Society, 1800-2000
HIST2090 The Black and
White Tribes of South Africa 1867 to present
HIST2120 The Decline of the
Middle Ages: England 1348-1485
HIST2119 Urban Australia, 1870-1970
Asian Literature: A major requires the completion of units to the value of at least 44 credit points including 2 of the following units
ALIT1004 Comparisons from Asian Literatures: Gender and Sexuality or
ALIT1003 Comparisons
from Asian Literatures: Identity, and
ALIT1002 What is literature?: Asian
Perspectives
plus at least 24 credit points from
SEAI3005 Advanced Readings in Southeast Asian Culture
ASHI2162 Chinese “Renaissance”:
the Song Period
ALIT2003 Chinese Fictions
ALIT2002 Comparisons from Asian Literatures:
Gender and Sexuality
ALIT2001 Comparisons from Asian Literatures: Identity
JPNS2010 Japanese
Drama in Translation
SEAI3006 Literary Activism & State Power in Contemporary
Indonesia
JPNS2011 Modern Japanese Literature in Translation
JPNS2017 Pre-Modern
Japanese Literature in Translation
SEAI3004 Readings in Southeast Asian Culture
ASHI2010 Representing
Asia on Film: Southeast Asia
ASHI2011 Representing Asia on Film: East Asia
ALIT2004 Writing
New Societies in South and Southeast Asia
with no more than 8 credit points from
CHIN3114 Classical Chinese Poetry
SWAA2002 Contemporary Arabic Literature
SWAH2004 Contemporary
Hindi Literature
ASHI2006 Gender and Korean History
SWAH2005 Hindi Bhakti Poetry
JPNS3009 Introduction
to Classical Japanese
SWAH2102 Nineteenth Century Hindi Literature
JPNS3010 Readings
in Classical Japanese
JPNS3008 Readings in Japanese Fiction
CHIN3105 Readings
in Modern Chinese Literature and Thought
SWAS2105 Sanskrit Narrative Literature
SEAT3003 Thai
3B
SWAS2103 The Sanskrit Epics
SWAU2007 The Urdu Gazal
SWAH2103 Twentieth Century
Hindi Literature
SEAI3101 Traditional Malay Literature
SWAU2006 Urdu Prose
ENGL2052 Contact
Discourse
ENGL2018 Post-Colonial Literatures
ENGL2009 Theories of Literature
and Criticism
ENGL2058 Theories of Imitation and Representation
Asian Religions: A major requires the completion of
ASHI1001 Individual and Society in Contemporary Asia or
RELS1002 Introduction
to Religion A and
RELS1003 Introduction to Religion B
and units to the value of at least 32 credit points chosen from
AREL2251 Buddhism
ASHI2012 Civilizing Missions: Chinese Models & Local Realities
in Japan, Korea & Vietnam
ASHI2013 Classical India and Southeast Asia
ASHI2163 Daoism
AREL2264 How
to Live in the Real World: “Practical Learning” in East Asia
AREL2162 Islam:
History and Institutions
AREL2263 Modern Hindu Thought
AREL2816 Modern Islamic
Thought: West to Southeast Asia
AREL2174 Mysticism
AREL2161 Religions and Politics
in India, Pakistan and Bangladesh
AREL2173 Religion and Social Movements
in Southeast Asia
AREL2265 Religion in Modern East Asia
With the agreement of the Head of the Asian History Centre students can take up to 16 credit points of approved Religious Studies units offered in the Faculty of Arts. The units in this area are as follows:
ANTH2004 Religion, Ritual and Cosmology
ARTH2047 Art and Architecture of Asia:
Continuity and Change
ARTH205 Art and Architecture of Southeast Asia: Tradition
and Transformation
HIST2137 Ancient Israel: History, Religion and Archaeology
HIST2138 The
Historical Jesus and Christian Origins
Contemporary Asian Societies: A major requires the completion of
ASHI1001 Individual and Society in Contemporary Asia
and units to the value of at least 32 credit points chosen from
ASHI3004 Asia in “Crisis”
ASHI3002 Chinese Southern Diaspora
ASHI2014 Contemporary
Chinese Politics
ASHI2309 Education and Social Change in Modern Japan
ASHI2006 Gender
and Korean History
ASHI2016 Gender and Power in East Asia
ASHI2263 India: The
Emerging Giant
ASHI2516 Indonesia: Politics, Society and Development
ASHI2017 International
Relations in North East Asia
AREL2172 Japanese Religion in Modern Times
ASHI2268 Law
and Society in Southeast Asia
ASHI2515 Malaysia: Politics, Society and Development
ASHI2008 Middle
Classes in Asia and the Pacific: Money, Freedom & Relationships
ASHI2009 Modern
Japanese Society
ASHI2005 Modern Korea
ASHY2261 National Identity and its Critics
ASHI2007 North
Korea: History and Politics, 1945-1990s
ASHI3504 Reading Malay Political
Culture
ASHI3505 Reading Thai Popular Culture
AREL2161 Religions and Politics
in India, Pakistan and Bangladesh
AREL2173 Religion and Social Movements
in Southeast Asia
ASHI2010 Representing Asia on Film: Southeast Asia
ASHI2011 Representing
Asia on Film: East Asia
ASHI2018 Society and Economy in China A: Historical
development
ASHI2019 Society and Economy in China B: the People’s Republic
ASHY2014 State,
Society & Politics in Cambodia, Myanmar (Burma), Thailand & Vietnam
ASHY2012 State,
Society & Politics in Indonesia, Malaysia & the Philippines
ASHI2001 Technology,
Innovation and Society
ASHI2413 Vietnam in the 20th Century
With the agreement of the Head of the Asian History Centre students can take up to 16 credit points of approved units offered by other Faculties. The units in this area are as follows:
ANTH2007 Anthropology and South East Asia
ANTH2018 Anthropology of Indonesia
ANTH2054 Cities
and People
ARTH2047 Art and Architecture of Asia: Continuity and Change
ARTH2056 Art
and Architecture in Southeast Asia: Tradition and Transformation
ECHI2109 Asian
Giants
ECHI2108 Emerging Southeast Asia: the Economic Rise of Australia’s
neighbours
ECON2008 Japanese Economy and Economic Policy
ECON3009 Southeast
Asia Economy Policy and Development
MUSM2087 Music, Culture and Society B
(Asian)
POLS2027 Politics in China
POLS2029 Politics in Japan
POLS2070 Politics
in Central & West Asia
POLS2033 Politics in Southeast Asia
SOCY2039 Contemporary
Chinese Society
Japanese Linguistics: A major requires the completion of units to the value of at least 44 credit points including the following 2 units
LING1001/2001 Introduction to the Study of Language
JPNS2007 Japanese Linguistics
plus at least 6 credit points chosen from
LING1004 Phonetics and Phonology/
LING2004 Phonetics and Phonology
LING2003 Introduction
to Syntax
plus at least 24 credit points chosen from
JPNS2024 Japanese Grammar
JPNS2009 Japanese Lexicon
JPNS2019 Japanese Phonetics
and Phonology
JPNS3011 History of Japanese Language
ALIN1001 Language in Asia*/
ALIN2001 Language
in Asia*
JPNS3012 Teaching Japanese: Content
JPNS3014 Teaching Japanese: Method
JPNS3013 Japanese-English
Translation
*This unit is also available for those students who are not taking Japanese Linguistics as a conceptual / analytical major, but taking it as a non-language unit relevant to the study of the chosen area of Asia. Details of this unit are listed under the Faculty units section of this Handbook.
Asian Politics: The Faculty offers a program of courses in Asian Politics:
ASHI3004 Asia in “Crisis”
ASHI2014 Contemporary Chinese Politics
ASHI2016 Gender
and Power in East Asia
ASHI2516 Indonesia: Politics, Society and Development
ASHI2017 International
Relations in North East Asia
ASHI2515 Malaysia: Politics, Society and Development
ASHI2008 Middle
Classes in Asia and the Pacific: Money, Freedom & Relationships
ASHI2007 North
Korea: History and Politics, 1945-1990s
AREL2161 Religions and Politics in
India, Pakistan and Bangladesh
AREL2173 Religion and Social Movements in
Southeast Asia
ASHY2014 State, Society & Politics in Cambodia, Myanmar (Burma),
Thailand & Vietnam
ASHY2012 State, Society & Politics in Indonesia, Malaysia
& the Philippines
Units taken from this list contribute to the requirements of the Contemporary Asian Societies major described above.
Units offered by the Faculty
The following units are offered by the Faculty rather than a specific Centre within the Faculty.
Descriptions of Units offered
Language in Asia ALIN1001
(6cp)
Language in Asia ALIN2001
(8cp)
Second semester
Three hours of classes per week
Coordinator: Dr Quinn
Prerequisites: Introduction to the Study of Language
NOTE: First-year students will normally take ALIN1001; later-year students ALIN2001
Syllabus: The unit aims to familiarise students with the linguistic situation in Asia. It investigates the major languages of the region from the perspective of their genetic status, their historical development and interaction, their major typological features, and their present-day social position. Sample topics discussed will include writing-systems, the role of classical varieties, patterns of borrowing, honorifics, and language standardisation, with illustration from the range of Asian languages taught at the ANU. Students enrolled in ALIN2001 will be required to undertake additional reading and assignments.
Prescribed text
Asian Literature major
The aim of this major is to introduce students to the many literary traditions of the Asian region and to develop their skills in reading, discussing and writing about a work of literature. In first semester in first year students are encouraged to use a thematic approach to explore and compare literature from different cultural traditions. Second semester involves a concentration on the literary genres of Asian traditions, requiring students to think about how to define the genres to which the works belong. The aim is to provide a foundation on which students may build more specific literary studies, including of works written in the language in which they might be majoring.
Students will be encouraged to explore the social and literary environments which have shaped the production and interpretation of literary texts in both historical and contemporary cultures, and to consider the significance of such matters as a writer’s nationality, cultural background, gender, social class and historical context.
In addition to broadening a student’s knowledge and enjoyment of the literature studied, the Asian Literature Major aims to enhance a student’s powers of analysis, argument and expression.
A list of units and the requirements for the Asian Literature major are contained above under the heading Asian Studies Units.
Comparisons from Asian Literatures: Gender & Sexuality ALIT1004
(6cp)
Note: This unit can also be taken as a later-year unit ALIT2002 (8cp)
First
semester
Two lectures and one tutorial per week
Coordinator: Dr R Tyler
Syllabus: The unit will explore the construction and representation of gender and sexuality in a variety of Asian literatures. Materials range from ancient to contemporary texts, which will all be presented in accessible English translation. The unit aims to develop a basic historical background through the use of comparative materials from ancient and medieval texts through to modern and contemporary, as a basis for comparing the portrayal of gender and sexuality in literary texts across Asia. The theoretical underpinning of the unit will be drawn from recent critical writings in the areas of feminism and literary and cultural studies.
Gender dynamics involve a complex interaction between female and male representations of each other and themselves, the material form of their society and the shared perceptions of that society. The unit will explore such issues as: images of the feminine and masculine, the seemingly universal pattern of female subordination in traditional societies, distinctions between politics and culture, prescriptions of sexuality, the relation between gender and class, and the relation of gender to colonialism and nationalism.
Preliminary reading
Comparisons from Asian Literatures: Identity ALIT1003
(6cp)
Note: This unit can also be taken as a later-year unit ALIT2001 (8cp)
Not
offered in 1999
This unit is team taught by members of the Faculty of Asian
Studies.
Syllabus: In this unit, students will explore the relationship between identity and narration in a variety of literary traditions of the Asian region. The materials range from ancient to contemporary texts, which will all be presented in accessible English translation. The main aim of the unit is to explore ideas about personal identity and its relation to such concepts as nationhood, modernity and culture. The unit will raise such issues as: the continuity between traditional and modern representations of self, the fictional representation of power relations, the social and literary environments which have shaped the production and interpretation of literary texts in both historical and contemporary cultures, and the significance of a writer’s nationality, cultural background, gender, social class and historical epoch in the shaping of a work of fiction. Students will be introduced to historical and theoretical perspectives from which to deepen their understanding of what they read and to develop critical thinking about literature and its relationship to culture and identity. We will focus on the relation between older traditions and emerging modern identity.
Throughout the unit, the possibilities and limitations of literary translation will be discussed. Students will be encouraged to read the texts closely, attentively and responsively.
Preliminary reading
What is literature?: Asian Perspectives ALIT1002
(6cp)
Second semester
Two lectures and one tutorial per week
Coordinator: Dr G Quinn
Syllabus: The unit is an introduction to the concepts of literature in a number of Asian traditions.The materials range from ancient to contemporary texts, which will all be presented in accessible English translation. Theunit will focus on attitudes to literature and explore the variety of texts in Asian literatures, requiring students to consider the relevance of European genre categories: novel, poem, epic etc in relation to these texts. Thus the main aim is to problematise the relationship between text and genre and issues of translation (across language history and culture). We will consider how particular texts work and how best they can be categorized in terms of genre. The unit will explore some aspects of the social and literary environments which have shaped the production and interpretation of literary texts in both historical and contemporary Asian cultures, and consider the significance of a writer’s nationality, cultural background, gender, social class and historical situation in the shaping of a work of fiction.
Preliminary reading
Chinese Fictions ALIT2003
(8cp)
Not offered in 1999
Two lectures and one seminar each week
No prerequisites
unless it is to be counted towards an Asian Literature major
Lecturer: Professor Jenner
Syllabus: China created one of the world’s great traditions of written fiction, developing short and extended printed fiction for the market centuries before Europe. This unit will look closely at what Chinese fiction has been doing across two millennia and how it has done it. Stories and novels will be examined in English translation.
Among the topics to be discussed will be how stories are structured and told; the relationship between written fiction and such performances as oral storytelling and theatre; characters, stereotypes, class, men and women; how the market and printing affect fiction; entertainment and propaganda; and how fiction has changed since the impact of the West.
The fiction that will be looked at will include Zuo zhuan and Shi ji; the early mediaeval story; stories about urban life from Ming collections; Three Kingdoms; Journey to the West; Shui hu (Water Margin); Jin Ping Mei and novels of Ming daily life; Hong lou meng (A Dream of Red Mansions, the Story of the Stone, the Dream of the Red Chamber); fictional responses to the West and the decay of the old order in the late 19th and early 20th centuries; new roles for fiction under the Republic; fiction in the service of the Communist Party; fiction and protest; the fiction of the Deng era and after.
Writing New Societies in South and Southeast Asia ALIT2004
(8cp)
First semester
Three class hours per week
Coordinators: Professor Virginia Hooker and Dr Barz
No prerequisites unless it is to be counted towards an Asian Literature major (in which case the prerequisites are the first year units of the Literature major).
Syllabus: Can literature by Indian and Southeast Asian writers illuminate an understanding of their societies? This unit will take some elements of post-colonial theory as a starting point for analysing literature (in translation) — by Indian, Vietnamese, Malay, and Indonesian writers — as a reflection of and reaction to social change and modernity.
The emphasis will be on the writings themselves as primary sources for the study of culture and society and the unit will supplement language units (in Hindi, Vietnamese, and Indonesian) through this concern with cultural context. The unit also explores the possibilities of post-colonial theory as a critical tool and examines its usefulness as a methodology for writing from South Asia and from Southeast Asia.
The unit assumes no previous knowledge of the languages of the regions or of post-colonial theory. It will be team taught by members of the Faculty of Asian Studies.
Preliminary reading
Units offered by the Asian History Centre
Head of Centre: Dr C.J. Reynolds
The Centre is responsible not only for the Asian History major, but also for the Asian Religions major, the Contemporary Asian Societies major and the program of courses in Asian Politics. Units cover Southeast Asia, China, Japan, Korea and India. Attention is also given to developments in Australian relations with the region. Students from outside the Faculty are welcome to take units in the Centre.
Summary of units offered in 1999
|
First semester |
Second Semester |
|
ASHI1001 Individual and Society in Contemporary Asia* |
|
|
RELS1002 Introduction to Religion A* |
RELS1003 Introduction to Religion B* |
|
ASHI2014 Contemporary Chinese Politics |
ASHI3004 Asia in “Crisis” |
|
ASHI3002 The Chinese Southern Diaspora |
ASHI2162 Chinese “Renaissance”: the Song Period |
|
HIST2110 History and Theory |
ASHI2016 Gender and Power in East Asia |
|
ASHI2263 India: The Emerging Giant |
ASHI3005 Knowledge, Power & Colonialism in Southeast Asia |
|
ASHI2516 Indonesia: Politics, Society & Development |
ASHI2268 Law & Society in Southeast Asia |
|
ASHI2017 International Relations in Northeast Asia |
ASHI2515 Malaysia: Politics, Society & Development |
|
ASHY2013 Mainland Southeast Asia to 1900: Cambodia, Myanmar (Burma), Thailand & Vietnam |
ASHI2008 Middle Classes in Japan and the Asia Pacific: Money, Freedom & Relationships |
|
AREL2263 Modern Hindu Thought |
AREL2816 Modern Islamic Thought: West & Southeast Asia |
|
ASHI2009 Modern Japanese Society |
ASHI2007 North Korea: History & Politics, 1945-1990s |
|
ASHI2005 Modern Korea |
ASHI3210 Readings in Modern Chinese History |
|
ASHI2203 Origins of East Asian Civilizations |
AREL2161 Religion and Politics in India, Pakistan & Bangladesh |
|
AREL2173 Religion and Social Movements in Southeast Asia |
|
|
ASHY2014 State, Society & Politics in Cambodia, Myanmar(Burma), Thailand & Vietnam |
|
* First-year units
Description of units offered
Individual and Society in Contemporary Asia ASHI1001
(12cp)
Annual
Two lectures and one tutorial a week
Lecturer: Dr Vervoorn
Syllabus: This unit introduces students to some of the central issues presently facing Asian nations, by focusing on the relations between the individual and the socio-political order. It considers how values and traditions are shaped by social, political and economic change, and influences them in their turn.
Major themes include the interaction of indigenous and western concepts of the rights and responsibilities of the individual, and ideas relating to the family and gender, as well as the impact of economic and political globalisation on the working and social lives of individuals. The unit incorporates material relating to the major cultural and religious traditions of Asia, and aims at developing a comparative understanding of Asian cultures and societies.
Preliminary reading
Prescribed text
Introduction to Religion A (Judaism, Christianity & Islam) RELS1002
(6cp)
First semester
Two hours of lectures and one one-hour tutorial a week
Lecturers: Mr Barnes & Dr Street
Syllabus: Methods in the study of religion. The question of religious evolution. Historic religions. The three Semitic religions (Judaism, Christianity and Islam), studied from the point of view of their historical relationships and their present situation in the world. Contemporary religious revivalism and fundamentalism.
Preliminary reading
Introduction to Religion B (South Asian and East Asian Religious Traditions) RELS1003
(6cp)
Second semester
Two hours of lectures and one one-hour tutorial a week
Lecturer: Dr Powers
Syllabus: Anthropological and philosophical approaches to religion. An introduction to Indian and Chinese religious traditions. A discussion of Eastern and Western views of religion from a philosophical perspective. Religion and ideology in the world today.
Preliminary reading
Approaches to the Study of History ASHI3001
(8cp)
Not offered in 1999
Lecturer: Dr Kumar
Prerequisite: Open to later-year honours students or others with permission of the Head of Centre
Syllabus: This unit is intended to introduce honours students both to the main Asian historiographical traditions (East, South and West) and to the major developments in modern Western historiography (the influence of Marx and Weber, the Annales School, structuralism and later developments).
Asia in “Crisis” ASHI3004
(8cp)
Second Semester
Two 90 minute lectures with discussion per week
Conveners: Dr Ileto and Professor Jenner
Syllabus: The unit will evaluate the coverage of what is presented as the most serious combination of crisis affecting Southeast and East Asia since the 1960s. It will examine how crises in Asian countries are made and perceived, how stock images of rapidly developing and highly complex situations are created, and on how different analyses of rapidly developing situations are made for many purposes. Material to be evaluated will be drawn from print, broadcast and internet media.
Class meetings will be comprised of a lecture and discussion to be conducted by ANU-based experts on countries of the region.
Preliminary reading
Buddhism AREL2251
(8cp)
Not offered in 1999
Lecturer: Dr Powers
Prerequisite: Individual and Society in Contemporary Asia or Introduction to Religion B
Syllabus: This unit is concerned with the world views of selected Buddhist traditions, — their context, history, philosophy, manifestations and impact on Asian cultures. We will examine the Indian background of Buddhism, how it was translated into Tibet, China and Japan, and how major philosophical and religious movements in India were adapted to East Asian ideas and symbols.
The unit will be concerned mainly with a history of ideas in Asian Buddhism, and its aim is to give students a conceptual grasp of important Buddhist ideas, myths and symbols. In additions to these theoretical concerns, we will examine the connection between theory and practice and the cross-cultural ramifications of Buddhist thought.
Preliminary reading
China Under Mao, 1946-1976 ASHI2161
(8cp)
Not offered in 1999
Two hours of lectures and one one-hour tutorial a week
Lecturer: Professor Jenner
Syllabus: This unit will explore the appearances and, as far as one can, the realities of revolutionary China between 1946 and 1976 under the rule of Mao Zedong: domestic and international political events, the ideas that drove them, and the economic, social, cultural and other changes that came about. It will investigate how and why the great upheavals happened, the role of ordinary men and women in the revolution and its impact on them, how China did and did not change, and the legacies of these decades. We will examine critically the sources of information and opinion for this period and the images of China in words and pictures that were created domestically and abroad at the time and since. We will try not only to analyse events and underlying long-term change but to recapture the atmosphere of the time. Students will make extensive use of primary sources (from newspaper articles and monographs to novels and films) written in English or in English translation.
Preliminary reading
Chinese “Renaissance”: the Song Period ASHI2162
(8cp)
Second Semester
Three hours of classes a week
Lecturer: Dr Jeffcott
Prerequisite: 16 credit points from units in Asian History or History or English
Syllabus: Song dynasty China (960–1278) belongs to a period of profound change in most aspects of Chinese social, economic and political structure. In particular, there seems to have been continuing economic growth at a level which is very rare in world history before the modern period.
This unit will begin with a brief study of these changes, but its main focus will be on the culture of the Song period. It will emphasise the creativity and variety of Song literature and art, and the contemporary debates about them. While almost all the surviving material concerns the culture of the literate elite, we will give attention also to evidence on popular culture and its connexions with the high tradition.
The practice, doctrine and organisation of religions, at both the elite and the popular level, will be studied. Students will be guided to an informed understanding of the main schools of philosophical thought, and the major thinkers who helped to create them. Insofar as it is possible without specialised technical study, the unit will also examine the development of scientific knowledge in the period.
Preliminary reading
The Chinese Southern Diaspora ASHI3002
(8cp)
First semester
Three hours of classes a week
Lecturer: Dr Godley
Prerequisites: Individual and Society in Contemporary Asia or a first-year unit in the Department of History or a first year unit in anthropology.
Syllabus: Australia, New Zealand, and the adjacent islands of the Pacific have become one of the key new frontiers of Chinese migration. The Chinese now represent the largest Asian minority in these countries, of roughly Southeast Asian dimensions.
In the age of globalisation, dual or multiple identity, which Chinese migrants have long been accustomed to negotiating, have taken on fresh significance. With the study of nationalism increasingly concerned with diasporas and multiculturalism, the unit will focus on the Chinese in Southeast Asia and the Southwest Pacific. Taught normally by a visiting specialist scholar funded by the Jennifer Cushman Memorial Fund, the unit will cover both theoretical issues of diasporic identities, and the particular experience of the Chinese in Southeast Asia and the Southwest Pacific.
Preliminary reading
Civilizing Missions: Chinese models and local realities in Japan, Korea & Vietnam ASHI2012
(8cp)
Not offered in 1999
Three hours of classes a week
Coordinator: Dr Jeffcott and Dr Wells
Syllabus: Does it make sense, historically, to speak of a single “East Asian Civilization”? This unit explores an argument often given for the conclusion that East Asia had a cultural unity in some ways similar to that of Europe.
The Chinese past is represented in the official Histories as the story of the development and functioning of the centralized Imperial state, and the changing culture of the literate elite which participated in it and supported it. The institutional, literary, religious and artistic forms of the regime which the Histories define were used to impose and to justify social power in many different regions and in many different ways.
Outside China ruling or influential groups in Korea, Japan and Vietnam adopted one or other element from this Chinese repertoire for their own use. The unit will look at the significance of these models in Chinese history itself, and the circumstances in which they were adopted for use outside China. It will give attention to the differences among the societies, and the resulting differences in the understanding, functioning and eventual fate of the models. To what extent do these differences undermine the idea of a common East Asian civilization?
Preliminary reading
Classical India and Southeast Asia ASHI2013
(8cp)
(Incompatible with Indianised States of Southeast Asia ASHI2262 and India:
The Classical Civilisation ASHI2172)
Not offered in 1999
Lecturer: Dr Proudfoot.
Syllabus: The unit will unfold in two parts. The first briefly delineates key elements of the classical tradition: religious thought, epic mythology, literature and the arts, the sciences of politics, law and social systems. The second looks at how the tradition has been given meaning at the local level, taking examples from India, Java and Cambodia.
The nature of our sources means that we will often be working through literature, sculpture and architecture, and will need to consider the aesthetic principles governing these forms. They will also lead us into questions of religious change and the political and social order.
Students interested in this unit might also like to consider Religion and Politics of India, India: The Emerging Giant or Southeast Asian history units (in Asian Studies), or The Archaeology of Southeast Asia, Art and Architecture of Asia and Art and Architecture of Southeast Asia (in Arts).
Preliminary reading
Colonialism and Resistance in Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines ASHY2011
(8cp)
(Incompatible with The Making of Modern Southeast Asia:The Island World
ASHY2008)
Not offered in 1999
Lecturers: Dr Ileto (coordinator), Dr Kumar, Professor Milner
Syllabus: This unit focusses on the “island world” of Southeast Asia which Dutch, British, Spanish and American rule transformed into colonial territories, and which nationalists later forged into the nation-states of Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Philippines. It charts the impact of Hinduism, Islam and Christianity on society and politics; the socio-economic transformation of traditional polities; the colonial wars of the late 19th and early 20th centuries; the Euro-American impact on society; and resistance to colonial rule at the elite and village levels. The unit places emphasis on exploring the manifold effects of colonialism as well as the varieties of resistance to it.
Preliminary reading
Contemporary Chinese Politics ASHI2014
(8cp)
(Incompatible with China Since Mao ASHI2264 and Approaches to the Study
of Contemporary China CHIN2018)
First semester
Two lectures and a tutorial
each week
Lecturer: Professor Jenner
Syllabus: This unit examines the politics of contemporary China, with the main emphasis on the period since the death of Mao in 1976, while not neglecting the still relevant political cultures inherited from the dynastic past and from the revolutionary era.
How does the Chinese state work, and what has kept the Communist Party in power when so many of its pre-1976 policies have been abandoned? How have the politics of over twenty years of economic change been managed? Is it realistic to see movement towards democracy and the emergence of civil society?
The handling of relations with Hong Kong and Taiwan will be looked at closely, as will the crises of 1989 and the problems arising from the prolonged death of Deng Xiaoping and the post-Deng order. Other topics to be examined include the ideological change from revolutionary to post-revolutionary nationalism, devolution and the maintenance of central state power, the problems of holding a large multinational empire together, and China’s dealings with the rest of the world. We will also look at the role of the armed forces in internal politics, and at China’s strategic and security concerns. How far is law becoming a factor in China’s politics? Do propaganda and ideology still matter?
Other ANU specialists on contemporary China and its politics will contribute to this unit.
Preliminary reading
Daoism ASHI2163
(8cp)
Not offered in 1999
Lecturer: Dr Penny
Syllabus: Daoism represents one of Chinas most fundamental and least known cultural traditions. This unit will begin with the classics of the Daoist tradition, the Laozi (also known as the Daodejing or The Way and its Power) and the Zhuangzi, and study of the many different ways they have been interpreted in China and elsewhere. It will also survey the history of Daoism as an organised religion from its first appearance up to the Peoples Republic. Topics will include the pursuit of immortality through alchemy, meditation and drug therapy, revelation and sacred texts, mysticism and ritual and the relationship of Daoism with other religious and philosophical systems. We will also consider the adoption and rereading of Daoism in the West.
Preliminary reading
Education and Social Change in Modern Japan ASHI2309
(16cp)
Not offered in 1999
Prerequisite: Individual and Society in Contemporary Asia
Syllabus: The political history of Japan since 1850 serves as the main framework for the study of social change and education in modern Japan. The transformation of an agrarian society into an urban one, with the attendant reshaping of the life course of Japanese people, is studied within the context of state formation in modern Japan. The lives of representative Japanese, especially that phase of the life course spent in school, are studies in relation to the political history of this nation-state and the changing place of Japan in the modern world.
Preliminary reading
Gender and Korean History ASHI2006
(8cp)
Not offered in 1999
Lecturer: Dr Wells
Prerequisite: A first year unit in History, Politics or Anthropology, or Individual and Society in Contemporary Asia, or an approved Womens Program course.
Syllabus: This unit is a cultural history unit in which the organisation and activities of the people on the Korean peninsula are approached from the point of view of various beliefs and practices concerning gender. The Korean experience is perhaps ideal for a study of this kind, since from traditional times its society had been organised according to a cosmic, explicit doctrine of gender.
The unit begins with consideration of the chief issues that have been raised in writings on gender history, including whether there is a virtually universal pattern of female subordination in traditional societies and beyond, distinctions between biology, politics and culture, prescriptions of sexuality, the relation between gender and class, and the relation of gender to colonialism and nationalism.
This is followed by consideration of traditional gender relations in Korea on the basis of a variety of materials, including literature, and the alleged transformation of gender relations between the Koryo and Choson dynasties.
The main focus of the unit, however, will be placed on the 20th century, where we will deal specifically with the question of gender in relation to invasion, colonial rule, nationalist movements and modernisation.
Preliminary reading
Gender and Power in East Asia ASHI2016
(8cp)
(Incompatible with Gender and Korean History ASHI2006)
Second Semester
Three
hours of classes a week
Lecturers: Dr Wells, Dr Akami and Dr Jeffcott
Prerequisite: Individual and Society in Contemporary or a unit from the Women’s Studies Program or a 1st year unit from the Faculty of Arts.
Syllabus: In Korea and Japan, and to some extent also in China, traditional societies have been organised consciously around a well-defined understanding of gender origins and relations. In a sense one could claim that traditional East Asian societies have been constructed around views of gender, and that these views at particular times and in particular places informed the ideological framework within which political, economic and cultural power was exercised. These traditional understandings continue to influence discussion of significant changes in gender relations and functions in contemporary East Asian societies.
This unit begins with consideration of some central principles of gender studies. We then examine foundation myths of East Asian nations and move thence to the various formulations and reformulations of gender dynamics throughout traditional times, after which we are in a position to tackle the complexity of the gender debates in modern and comteporary East Asian societies. Throughout the unit we shall draw upon a wide range of sources, from standard histories to theoretical works, literary examples, oral accounts, legal treatises, and statistical analyses.
Preliminary reading
History and Theory HIST2110
(8cp)
(Incompatible with Writing Histories HIST3001)
First semester
One two-hour
lecture and one one hour tutorial a week. Lectures will be taped
Lecturers: Dr Forth, Dr Matthews & Dr Reynolds
Prerequisite: At least twelve credit points in History (Arts) or Asian History
Syllabus: This unit explores long-standing and recent debates over the nature of history, historians, and the past. The unit will consider a wide variety of historical texts, looking at notions of historical truth, history of process, and how historians construct an historical past. In particular, it will focus on the theory and writing of history since the linguistic turn. Topics will include: the Annales School; social history; Marxist theories of history; ‘postcolonial’ critiques of history; Foucault and the new cultural history; feminist histories; and postmodernism and history.
Preliminary reading
Histories of Japan ASHI3003
(8cp)
Not offered in 1999
Prerequisites: Japanese, Korean or Chinese language major completed at distinction level or its equivalent, or permission of the Head of the Asian History Centre.
This unit offers a survey of Japanese history through critical reading of single volume histories in English. Students are introduced to writers in the field, their presuppositions, preoccupationd and range of skills.
Preliminary reading
How to Live in the Real World:“Practical Learning” in East Asia AREL2264
(8cp)
(Incompatible with “Confucianism” in Question: Orthodoxy and Enlightment
AREL 2261)
Not offered in 1999
Lecturer: Dr Jeffcott
Prerequisite: Origins of East Asian Civilization or permission of the lecturer
Syllabus: “Buddhism is a corruption which eats into and destroys people, and yet when the people lead each other on to follow it, it is only because they think that Buddhism teaches the way to do good.” (Ouyang Xiu)
Buddhist ideas and practices had a profound influence on all aspects of Chinese life and thought. In turn, the translations, texts and philosophical schools of Chinese Buddhism came to be important parts of the traditions of all the societies of East Asia. Yet the major thinkers of the last millennium of Chinese — and to a great extent East Asian — history rejected Buddhism as an “empty” doctrine. Their allegiance was instead to the “real” or “practical” ideas they associated with Confucianism. Their kind of Confucianism, however, had to answer different questions from those of the earlier thinkers of this school. To counter Buddhist teachings, it needed doctrines which could speak to the metaphysical, spiritual and ethical ideas and values which made Buddhism appealing. It drew not only on earlier Chinese ideas of all kinds, but also, usually without acknowledgment, on Buddhist ideas as well. The systems and schools which developed as a result are generally known in English under the overall title “Neo-Confucianism”. In one form or another, ideas which are described as “Neo-Confucian” were the dominant orthodoxies in all of East Asia down to modern times. Yet the label does no justice to the variety, the internal debates, or the changes over time in the ideas it is meant to cover.
This unit is meant as an introduction to the major schools and debates on this tradition of thought, not only in China but also in Korea and Japan. It will begin with a very general sketch of Buddhist thought and practice in these societies. It will make every effort to relate ideas to the social and cultural environments in which they developed and flourished.
Preliminary reading
India: The Emerging Giant ASHI2263
(8cp)
First semester
Three hours of classes a week.
Lecturer: Dr Powers and Professor Low
Prerequisite: A first year unit in History, Asian History, Politics or Anthropology.
Syllabus: This unit is intended to provide an overview of contemporary India and its role as one of the dominant economic and military powers of Asia. The unit begins with ancient and medieval Indian history and the religions of India, including Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism and Islam. The bulk of the unit is concerned with the present situation in India, and will include sections on politics and nationalism, sectarian and religious conflicts, tensions and separatist movements, economics and the implications of recent moves toward liberalisation of the economy, the role of the middle class in shaping the present economic climate and the future development of trade relations with other countries, and demographics. In addition, we will examine India’s role in South Asian politics and security issues relating to its neighbours, particularly Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and China. The aim of the unit is to provide students with a comprehensive and wide-ranging overview of India in order that they may better understand its role in contemporary Asia and its potential importance for Australia, particularly in terms of business and politics.
Preliminary reading
Indonesia: Politics, Society & Development ASHI2516
(8cp)
First semester
Two lectures and one tutorial a week
Lecturer: Dr Kumar
Prerequisite: A first-year unit in Asian History or anthropology, economics, economic history, history, geography, political science or sociology
Syllabus: The syllabus will focus on current political, economic and social issues and the post-independence developments that have given rise to the present situation. It will also deal with the cultural and intellectual aspects of these issues.
Preliminary reading
Islam: History and Insitutions AREL2162
(8cp)
Not offered in 1999
Lecturer: Dr Street
Prerequisite: Individual and Society in contemporary Asia, or a first-year unit in religious studies, anthropology, history or permission of the lecturer
Syllabus: Students will be presented with a surv