Type of Credit: Partially Required
Credit(s)
Number of Students
"Global Issues in Asia" offers junior and senior undergraduate students an exploration of major global issues within the framework of Asian studies and anthropology. This is an advanced course that continues with the Anthropology course (ZU1007001). We will explore five “foreshadowed problems”: history, subject, structure, difference, and perception. Each section contains three global issues. Throughout the course, we will examine issues including imagination, pop culture, algorithms, precarity, inequality, political unrest, ethnic conflicts, technology and innovation, the Anthropocene, and diverse forms of life. We will ask how emerging global issues manifest in Asian societies and explore the distinctive ways these societies engage with key challenges. We will also engage with foundational dialogues and emerging themes in Asian studies, analyzing contemporary ethnographies from anthropology, sociology, and media studies that trace the evolution of these debates and concerns. This is a reading-intensive course with a strong emphasis on interactive ethnographic practices, laying the groundwork for introductory fieldwork experience.
「全球議題在亞洲」是針對創新國際學院大三、大四學生開設的專題課程,其內容聚焦於全球重大議題,藉此探索當代亞洲社會與文化所面臨的挑戰與機遇。這是一門進階人類學的課程,我們將延續人類學課程(ZU1007001)裡的五個「預示性問題」(foreshadowed problems):歷史、主體、結構、差異、認知,課程的每個單元將聚焦三個全球議題。這個學期我們將討論以下議題:想像、流行文化、演算法、不穩定階級、社會不平等、政治抗爭、族裔衝突、科技創新、人類世以及多樣的生命樣態等。一方面,課堂上將探討全球共同面對的新興課題如何在亞洲社會浮現,以及思考這些議題在亞洲呈現的特殊性。另一方面,我們也將討論不同的亞洲國家與社會如何回應全球議題的挑戰。修習本課程,學生將能了解當代亞洲研究中關鍵的全球議題、問題意識與理論,並透過人類學、社會學、媒介研究等領域的當代民族誌,了解這些議題如何浮現與轉變。這是一門著重於民族誌閱讀的理論課程,同時將搭配課堂中的互動式民族誌實作,奠定初階田野實作的能力。
能力項目說明
Examine key global issues shaping contemporary Asian societies, including their cultural, social, and political impacts.
Apply social scientific and anthropological perspectives to critically analyze topics in Asian studies.
Enhance academic writing and ethnographic research skills through written assignments and participant observation projects.
教學週次Course Week | 彈性補充教學週次Flexible Supplemental Instruction Week | 彈性補充教學類別Flexible Supplemental Instruction Type |
---|---|---|
Week / Date |
Topics |
Assignments Due |
|
1 |
2/18 |
Asia as connected places |
|
2 |
2/25 |
Why Taiwan? |
|
3 |
3/4 |
Global Imagination |
|
4 |
3/11 |
Sound and Noise |
Ethnographic Practice #1 |
5 |
3/18 |
Pop Culture |
Media Reflection Proposal due |
6 |
3/25 |
Algorithms |
Ethnographic Practice #2 |
7 |
4/1 |
Precarity |
|
8 |
4/8 |
Inequality |
|
9 |
4/15 |
Unrest |
Media Reflection Paper Due |
10 |
4/22 |
Encounters |
Ethnographic Practice #3 |
11 |
4/29 |
Innovation |
Final Project Proposal Due |
12 |
5/6 |
Race |
|
13 |
5/13 |
Anthropocene |
Ethnographic Practice #4 |
14 |
5/20 |
Travel Seminar (optional) |
|
15 |
5/27 |
Forms of Life |
|
16 |
6/3 |
Project report (no class) |
|
17 |
6/10 |
Final presentation |
Project Presentation |
18 |
6/17 |
Final project submission (no class) |
Project Submission |
Part One: History and Positionality
2/18 Week 1: Asia as connected places
Supplementary readings:
2/25 Week 2: Why Taiwan?
Supplementary readings:
3/4 Week 3: Global Imagination
Part Two: Subject and Media
3/11 Week 4: Sound and Noise
Supplementary readings:
Ethnographic Practice #1
3/18 Week 5: Pop Culture
Supplementary readings:
Media Reflection Proposal due
3/25 Week 6: Algorithms
Supplementary readings:
Ethnographic Practice #2
Part Three: Structure
4/1 Week 7: Precarity
Supplementary readings:
4/8 Week 8: Inequality
Supplementary readings:
4/15 Week 9: Unrest
Supplementary readings:
Media Reflection Paper Due
Part Four: Difference
4/22 Week 10: Encounters
Supplementary readings:
Ethnographic Practice #3
4/29 Week 11: Innovation
Supplementary readings:
Final Project Proposal Due
5/6 Week 12: Race
Guest Lecturer: Dr. Yu-kuei Sun
Part Five: Perception and Post-humanism
5/13 Week 13: Anthropocene
Ethnographic Practice #4
5/20 Week 14: Travel Seminar (optional)
5/27 Week 15: Forms of Life
Supplementary readings:
6/3 Week 16: Project report. No class.
6/10 Week 17: Final presentation.
6/17 Week 18: Final project submission. No class.
Weekly Participation 30 pts.
Based on your reading of the assigned texts, submit a discussion question (50-150 words) each week by 12 pm on the Monday before the class.
Short ethnographic practices 20 pts
Media Reflection Essay 20 pts
Final Project 30 pts.