Disciplines and areas of study
Asian studies
Program Coordinator: Dr Kaori Okano
Students in the Asian Studies Program may complete three-years of study in one of the Asian languages (Chinese, Japanese, Indonesian) offered by the program. Hindi is also offered at first and second year levels. The Asian Studies Program offers a major in Asian studies as part of the Bachelor of Arts degree. The program also offers a number of subjects, taught in English, which may be taken towards the degree. See list below.
Asian studies in the Bachelor of Arts
A major in Asian studies may be taken through approved combinations of subjects from the disciplines of anthropology, archaeology, Chinese, cinema studies, economics, English, Hindi, history, Indonesian, Japanese, linguistics, politics, religious studies and sociology.
Programs of study
Asian studies Major
To complete a major in Asian studies students must complete:
- an Asian studies core subject at each year level of their degree.
- 30 credit points at first year level,
- 40 credit points at second-year level and
- at least 60 credit points at third year level of Asian studies (or equivalent) subjects from the list below.
The study of an Asian language, while not required as part of the Asian studies major, is highly recommended. All subjects are offered subject to the availability of appropriate staff and minimum enrolments.
| Teaching period | Subject title | Subject code |
|---|---|---|
| First year core subjects (15 credit points) | ||
| TE-SEM-1 | Introduction to Asia: Japan and Indonesia | AST1IJI |
| OR | ||
| TE-SEM-2 | Introduction to Asia: China and India | AST1ICI |
| Second year core subject (20 credit points) | ||
| TE-SEM-2 | Asian Culture and Traditions | AST2BCE |
| Third year core subject (20 credit points) | ||
| TE-SEM-2 | Critical Issues in Contemporary Asia | AST3CIA |
| Teaching period | Subject title | Subject code |
|---|---|---|
| First year subjects (15 credit points) | ||
| TE-SEM-1 | Introduction to Asia: Japan and Indonesia | AST1IJI |
| TE-SEM-2 | Introduction to Asia: China and India | AST1ICI |
| Second and third year subjects (20 credit points) | ||
| TE-SEM-1 | Introduction to Buddhism | AST2INB/AST3INB |
| TE-SEM-1 | Society and State in Japan and China | AST2EAS/AST3EAS |
| TE-SEM-2 | Asian Culture and Traditions | AST2BCE |
| TE-SEM-2 | Goddesses, Sexuality and Liberation: India and beyond | AST2GSL/AST3GSL |
| TE-SEM-2 | Critical Issues in Contemporary Asia | AST3CIA |
| TE-SEM-2 | Japanese Anime and Manga | AST2JAM/AST3JAM |
Other Subjects Available for Major
Important notice: Not all of the subjects listed below will be available every year. See the subject lists for the specific disciplines, where subjects unavailable in 2010 will be noted.
| Subject title | Subject code |
|---|---|
| First year subjects (15 credit points) | |
| Any Asian Language subject | |
| Culture and Globalisation: introduction to anthropology | ANT1CAG |
| Our Global Village: introduction to anthropology | ANT1FET |
| History of Globalisation | ECO1HOG |
| The Nature of Language and Communication A | LIN1NLA |
| The Nature of Language and Communication B | LIN1NLB |
| Second and third year subjects (20 credit points) | |
| Any Asian Language subject | |
| Archaeology of East Asia | ARC2AEA/ARC3AEA |
| Australian Foreign Policy | POL2AAW/POL3AAW |
| Childhood, Youth and Culture | ANT2CAC/ANT3CAC |
| Intercultural Communication | LIN2CCC/LIN3CCC |
| Development, Globalisation and Culture | ANT2DGC/ANT3DGC |
| International Relations: the Cold War and the great powers | POL2INR/POL3INR |
| Doing Anthropology | ANT3MQA |
| Language in Asia | LIN2LIA/LIN3LIA |
| South-East Asian Politics: change and conflict | POL2SEA/POL3SEA |
| Third year subject (15 credit points) | |
| Asia in the World Economy | ECO3AWE |
Honours
This entry is concerned with the Asian studies Honours program. For information on Asian language programs, see the separate entries under Chinese, Indonesian and Japanese.
Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Asian studies
Students who have qualified for a degree by taking a major in Asian studies may apply to enter a fourth year to complete their degree with honours. Students wishing to enrol in fourth year Asian studies should apply to the program coordinator by October of the third year of their course.
Students entering fourth year honours in Asian studies are normally required to have proficiency in an Asian language equivalent to that attained after two years of successful study at tertiary level. Students enrolling in Asian studies with a view to the eventual completion of an honours degree should therefore plan their course with this possible requirement in mind. Enquiries should be directed to the program convenor or to an adviser of studies.
In the fourth year, students are required to complete additional studies in the area of their specialisation and to write a minor thesis on an approved topic of between 10,000 and 15,000 words, depending on the weighting of coursework and thesis components.