Overview

Description

CALENDAR DESCRIPTION:

Introduces developments in Asia from a comparative and transregional perspective, focusing on economic interactions, cultural influences, as well as migrations. Surveys various issues, both historical and contemporary, including those involving diasporic Asian communities. Students with credit for ASC 101 may not take this course for further credit. Breadth-Humanities/Social Sciences.

COURSE DETAILS:

This course is a global and interdisciplinary investigation of Asia. The course will make use of movies, museum visits and other field trips to explain the content.

The course will focus on five themes, exploring how they impact our understanding of Asia within the region, across the world and, within the local context of British Columbia. We will explore these themes using a mix of readings, film and guest lectures. The first theme will explore where and how Asia ‘appears’ in world history. The second theme is of labor and racism. We will discuss the global context of the anti-Asian riots of 1907, thinking about why places like Vancouver and Bellingham saw riots emerge, coordinated by labor unions at the exact same time. We will also trace the presence of Asians as military labor or soldiers in the World Wars. For the third theme we will analyse individual histories of travelers and migrants from across Asia who travelled the world and wrote about it. Some of these individuals, like the famous trade unionist Roy Mah, were right here in BC, others, like the Indian revolutionary M.N. Roy wrote significant chunks of their memoirs sitting in places like Mexico. What is “Asian” about them? The fourth theme touches on identity, culture and sexuality, and the fifth moves into the context of contemporary Asian representations and what they tell us about how young people are trying to respond to the issues they face in their everyday lives. As part of this discussion, you will be encouraged to reflect on what the term Global Asia means for your life. In this last theme we will also hear from an artist who focuses on visual storytelling as a means to tell stories of segments of the Asian community in Vancouver.

COURSE-LEVEL EDUCATIONAL GOALS:

By the end of this course students will

• understand how the position of Asia in the world shifts depending on the context and who is telling the story.
• have the skills to write short academic essays that are appropriately referenced.
• be able to apply course materials to the construction of museum exhibits, stories and utilizing role playing to critique how stories of Asia are told in public space.

Grading

Materials

REQUIRED READING:

REQUIRED READING NOTES: