Asian Studies (ASIA)
This is a list of the Asian Studies (ASIA) courses available at KPU.
For information about transfer of credit amongst institutions in B.C. and to see how individual courses transfer, go to the BC Transfer Guide bctransferguide.ca
ASIA 11113 Credits
(Formerly
HUMN 1111)
The Religions of India
Students will study the four major religions that originated in India: Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism. They will study these religions with an emphasis on both scriptural sources and religious practices. They will also examine the development of these religious traditions within their socio-cultural and historical contexts, including Islamic influence.
Attributes: PATH-3
ASIA 13113 Credits
Religions of East Asia
Students will study the major religions of East Asia. They will critically examine the history and doctrines of religions including Daoism, Buddhism, and Shintoism. Students will analyze how these religions evolved over time in response to local conditions, and how they influenced the formation of Chinese, Korean, and Japanese cultures.
ASIA 21203 Credits
Introduction to Chinese and Japanese Cinema
Students will be introduced to select films produced in China and Japan. They will examine the ways in which these films view and critique Chinese and Japanese traditions and modernity. They will also explore issues related to gender, identity, and nationalism. Students will develop an appreciation of the aesthetic and cultural values of East Asia and an understanding of recent Chinese and Japanese society through the lens of the assigned films, discussions, and readings.
Note: Student may earn credit for only one of ASIA 2120 and LANC 2120 as they are identical courses.
Prerequisites: Any 6 credits at the 1100 level or higher
Transferable (refer to transfer guide)
ASIA 21503 Credits
Tea in China and Japan
Students will explore the rich history, material culture, and practices related to the Chinese and Japanese "way of tea". They will examine the ways in which tea(s) from China and Japan have shaped East Asian history, including economic trade routes, social practices, and governments. Students will learn that tea in China and Japan is not just a historical artifact—it is a practice and way of life. They will be introduced to the discovery and establishment of tea and tea culture in China and Japan as well as the cultural connections and practices related to tea as a living tradition, including links to East Asian religions, aesthetic traditions, and art. Students will develop an understanding of the multi-faceted and rich cultural basis for what Japanese Tea Master Kakuzo Okakura called "a cup of humanity", through lectures, tea demonstrations, readings, and other activities.
Note: It is recommended that students complete HIST 1150 prior to taking this course.
Note: This course is cross-listed with HIST 2150. Students may only receive credit for either ASIA 2150 or HIST 2150.
Prerequisites: Any 6 credits at the 1100 level or higher
ASIA 21513 Credits
Folklore of China and Japan
Students will explore various myths in Japanese and Chinese culture and examine folklore practices such as festivals in the ancient, pre-modern, and modern periods. Students will learn about Chinese and Japanese creation myths, the most well-known folk deities in these cultures, popular festivals and folk rituals, as well as important creatures and spirits in Japanese and Chinese folklore. Students will examine the formation and transformation of folklore throughout the cultural history of China and Japan, with particular emphasis on their metamorphoses within popular cultural forms in the contemporary world.
Note: HIST 1150 and ASIA 1311 recommended prior to taking this course.
Prerequisites: Any 6 credits at the 1100 level or higher
ASIA 21563 Credits
Martial Arts of China and Japan
Students will challenge the portrayal of East Asian martial arts as ancient, timeless, and even mystical, by examining the history of the martial arts. They will examine how military techniques intended for use in war, policing, and the control of banditry came to be practiced as methods of moral, spiritual, and physical self-cultivation. Students will examine the historical origins of martial arts in Japan and China, their evolution over time, and how they both subverted and served state agendas in the modern era. They will also examine the role of martial arts in popular culture.
Note: This course is cross-listed with HIST 2156. Students may only receive credit for either ASIA 2156 or HIST 2156.
Prerequisites: Any 6 credits at the 1100 level or higher
ASIA 22523 Credits
Indian Society through Popular Film
Students will examine Indian culture and society through the medium of popular cinema, ranging from post-1947 Hindi classics to some more recent Bollywood blockbusters. They will investigate the ways in which Indian history and culture are depicted in film, including issues like nation building, gender, caste, nationalism versus regionalism/communalism, and globalization. In doing so, students will explore 'depicted reality' versus 'historical reality', the notion of the family as the symbol of the nation, as well as the relationship between the homeland (desh) and the West/diaspora (pardesh). Students will also study several films made by South Asian filmmakers in the diaspora.
Prerequisites: 15 credits of 1100-level or higher
ASIA 22903 Credits
(Formerly
ASIA 2250)
South Asians around the Globe
Students will study the South Asian diaspora -- the fragment of an ethnic community that exists outside of its "homeland" -- with a special focus on the South Asian communities in Western Canada. They will examine social theory related to South Asian migration and social adaptation as well as look at contemporary concerns surrounding globalization and transnationalism. Students will investigate the major social issues that immigrant communities often face in the process of adaptation to Canada at the personal, community, and societal levels. Note: Students may earn credit for only one of ASIA 2290 or SOCI 2290, as they are identical courses.
Prerequisites: 6 credits from courses at the 1100 level or higher
ASIA 23513 Credits
Opium, Alcohol, & Tobacco in Asian History & Culture
Students will examine the very different ways in which drugs and alcohol have been looked upon over time in different cultural contexts. They will analyze differing interpretations of drugs and alcohol at pivotal moments in Asian history, where arguably, opium, alcohol, and tobacco (among others) have played important economic, geo-political, and social roles, not just as drugs but as strategic resources and cultural ‘habits’. Students will also examine the ways in which drugs and alcohol have shaped Asian history, including local and regional economies, social practices, material cultures, imperialisms, and even contemporary governments. Note: Students may earn credit for only one of HIST 2351 or ASIA 2351, as they are identical courses.
Prerequisites: 6 credits from courses at the 1000 level or higher
ASIA 23553 Credits
The Chinese Overseas: A Global History of Chinese Migration
Students will undertake an analysis of migration in modern Chinese history, with an emphasis on overseas migration. They will be introduced to relevant theories concerning migration, diaspora, and transnationalism before examining and analyzing the development of ethnic Chinese communities abroad over the past two centuries.
NOTE: This course is cross-listed as HIST 2355. Students who have taken HIST 2355 may not receive credits for both HIST 2355 and AISA 2355.
Prerequisites: Any HIST 1100 or higher
ASIA 23653 Credits
Pathways to Nirvana: Cultural History of Buddhism
Buddhism is a religion, a philosophy, a ritual system, and a set of cultural practices in play throughout Asia. Students will look at the cultural history of some aspects of Buddhist thought and practice. They will examine philosophy, ritual, and other impacts of Buddhism within Asian culture including its role in politics and its impact on women, diet, and other key aspects of Asian society. Note: Students may earn credit for only one of HIST 2365 or ASIA 2365, as they are identical courses.Prerequisites: 6 credits from courses at the 1100 level or higher
ASIA 23993 Credits
Readings in Asian Studies
Students will examine key issues in Asian society, culture, economy, and/or politics under the direction of a faculty member in Asian Studies with expertise in the area. They will examine a selected topic in depth and will be required to complete both readings and research in this area. Students will be required to identify relevant sources of information and demonstrate a comprehensive understanding of the topic. Note: This course may be repeated more than once for credit, to a maximum of 9 credits.
Prerequisites: 6 credits of 1100-level or higher courses; Note: ENGL 1100 strongly recommended
ASIA 31403 Credits
Environment and Society in East Asia
Students will critically analyze the interaction between environments and societies in East Asia. They will critically examine environmental history, institutional politics, property rights, and political ecology. Students will analyze the historical background of specific environmental problems, examine the legacies of late imperial, early twentieth, and late twentieth century policies on the use and abuse of natural resources. They will critically examine a broad range of issues including agriculture, forests, wildlife and biodiversity, grasslands, water, and the impact of "mammoth projects". NOTE: ASIA 3140 is cross-listed with HIST 3140. Students may only receive credit for either ASIA 3140 or HIST 3140.
Prerequisites: 27 credits at the 1100 level or higher including 6 credits of ASIA or HIST or ANTH
ASIA 31493 Credits
Hong Kong: Past, Present, and Future
Students will undertake an in-depth analysis of Hong Kong's history from its days as a remote fishing outpost and pirate haven, through its development as a British-administered trading port and colony, and finally to its emergence as a Pacific Rim economic powerhouse. They will place historical developments in Hong Kong into a broader regional and global context. Students will also critically analyze contemporary issues such as the impact of Hong Kong's liberation from colonial rule, the role of "One Country – Two Systems" in protecting Hong Kong's unique character, the region's economic prospects following the opening of China's economy, and the ongoing struggle for democratic reform. NOTE: This course is cross-listed with HIST 3149. Students may only receive credit for either ASIA 3149 or HIST 3149.
Prerequisites: 27 credits at the 1100 level or higher including 6 credits of ASIA or HIST or ANTH
ASIA 31503 Credits
East Asian Immigrants to North America
Students will critically analyze East Asian immigration to North America over the past two hundred years. They will also examine settlement experiences in North America, with a particular emphasis on the connections between immigrants and their homelands, interactions among East Asian immigrants and other groups in North America, and the development of ethnic communities. Students will critically examine issues including discrimination and racism, anti-immigrant legislation, the creation of ethnic enclaves, Japanese internment, the struggle for civil and political rights, assimilation and multiculturalism, inter-generational tensions within ethnic communities, transnationalism, and contemporary migration issues. Note: ASIA 3150 is cross-listed with HIST 3150. Students may only receive credit for either ASIA 3150 or HIST 3150.
Prerequisites: 27 credits at the 1100 level or higher including 6 credits of ASIA or HIST or ANT
ASIA 31513 Credits
Gender in East Asia
Students will critically analyze the role of gender in contemporary East Asia, and in doing so gain a unique opportunity to explore differences in the conceptualization of gender among countries and regions. They will, by going beyond dichotomies of East and West, traditional and modern, critically examine gender issues from a theoretically informed and comparative perspective. Students will critique different conceptualizations of feminism, the gendered effects of economic change, the relationship of gender to politics and the state, and the historical and transnational contexts which shape gender relations. They will, therefore, gain an insight into the situation of women in contemporary East Asia, as well as extend their understanding of the dynamics of gender in the contemporary world.
Prerequisites: 27 credits at the 1100 level or higher including 6 credits of ASIA or HIST or ANTH
ASIA 31523 Credits
Ethnicity in China and Japan
Students will examine the rich diversity of the Chinese and Japanese populations and their place in East Asian political and historical narratives. They will critically analyze the ways in which these many ethnic groups have dominated, informed, or otherwise played important roles in the governance, social development, and economic development of China and Japan. Students will also critically analyze the narratives of unity produced in the pursuit of nationalism and nation-building, and examine the ways in which these narratives have downplayed the diversity of the region's peoples. They will critically examine the making of majorities and minorities and how these were marked across cultural, regional, and national boundaries. Students will analyze and critique the various ways in which racial, ethnic, and national identities were defined, institutionalized, and reproduced in the early modern and modern periods.
Prerequisites: 27 credits at the 1100 level or higher including 6 credits of ASIA or HIST or ANTH
ASIA 31543 Credits
Chinese Cinema and Society
Students will critically analyze films produced by some of the most recognized directors from China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan. They will examine issues of nationhood, national identity, national trauma, and the national past through these films. Students will also analyze the way in which some directors have begun to focus on the effects of globalization on contemporary Chinese society and culture. They will critically analyze Chinese cinema as a transnational phenomenon with extensive links to Asia and the rest of the world. Students will also critically examine how Chinese cinema has shaped both Chinese and foreign understandings of Chinese history and culture.
Note: ASIA 2120 is strongly recommended
Prerequisites: 27 credits at the 1100 level or higher including 6 credits of ASIA or HIST or ANTH
ASIA 32303 Credits
Islam in South Asia
Students will critically analyze the history and influence of Muslim communities and Islamic institutions in South Asia. They will examine and analyze the broad historical currents of the expansion of Islam on the Indian subcontinent, the nature of Muslim political authority, the interaction among religious communities, and Islamic aesthetics and contributions to material culture. Students will also critically analyze the multiple engagements with and reactions of Muslims to colonial rule, as well as the partition of British India and the creation of Pakistan, the relationship between Islam and gender in South Asia, and the contemporary concerns of South Asia’s Muslims.
Note: ASIA 1111 highly recommended.
Prerequisites: 27 credits at the 1100 level or higher including 6 credits of ASIA or HIST or ANTH
ASIA 32403 Credits
Sikh Gurus and their Teachings
Students will critically analyze key religious concepts in the teachings and practices of the Sikh Gurus. They will examine the writings of the Sikh Gurus in English translation and within a comparative context. Students will critically look at how Sikh religion draws attention to the ways in which people construct ideas of themselves and the world, and explore a wide range of concepts, including mysticism and war, time and history, and life and death. Students will also explore how aspects of Sikh philosophy, religious experience, and ethics may be applied to the contemporary world.
Prerequisites: 27 credits at the 1100 level or higher including 6 credits of ASIA or ANTH or HIST
ASIA 32553 Credits
(Formerly
ASIA 2255)
Gender in South Asia
Students will critically examine the influence and impact of dominant gender norms and considerations in shaping lives in South Asia. They will examine historical, political, socio-economic, cultural, and religious challenges and changes; theoretical understandings of gender, class, ethnicity, religion, location, and other variables in subject formation; and, debates and controversies surrounding discourses of femininity and masculinity. Students will analyze primary and secondary scholarly sources, cultural products such as film, literary works, and mass media, and reflect critically on current debates and topics of interest, both in South Asia and in a transnational context within the South Asian diaspora.
Prerequisites: 27 credits at the 1100 level or higher including 6 credits of ASIA or ANTH or HIST
ASIA 33103 Credits
Japanese Culture and Business
Students will explore the role and characteristics of business in Japan and the powerful influence of business on contemporary Japanese culture. First, they will follow the development of industry and business in Japan from the beginning of the Edo Period until the end of the Second World War. Then students will examine the remarkable recovery and development of Japan's postwar economy that culminated, in 1980s and 90s, in theories and stereotypes relating to the concept of a unique Japanese business style. Finally, students will examine changes in the Japanese economy since the bursting of Japan's "economic bubble" in the mid 1990s, and the effects of these changes on business, society and culture today. Students will read texts as well as current articles in newspapers (such as the Wall Street Journal or The Daily Yomiuri (English edition)), journals and magazines (such as The Economist), and watch movies and documentaries in order to explore a broad range of topics, from the role of business in Japan's international relations to its effects on the lives of individual Japanese and their environment.
Note: Students may earn credits for only one of LANC 3310 and JAPN 3310 and ASIA 3310 as they are identical courses. The course will be conducted in English. This course does not serve to fulfill the second language requirement of the Bachelor of Arts degree framework.
Prerequisites: 30 credits from courses at the 1100 level or higher
ASIA 33203 Credits
Japanese Culture Through Film
Students will deepen their understanding of contemporary Japanese art and culture by viewing important post-war Japanese movies. They will focus on influential directors and characteristic genres, including but not limited to comedies, samurai epics and anime [animation]. Students will view a variety of works (in English or Japanese with English subtitles), discuss important themes and cultural references, and connect these movies to the broader Japanese culture, especially youth culture. They will observe how movies both make and question "culture" and, in turn, how culture determines the content of movies and their popular success. Students will read works by critics who examine various characteristics of Japanese culture, especially its "visual bias", evident in arts ranging from Japanese writing (Kanji) and wood-block prints (ukiyo-e) to contemporary movies, magazines, commercials, and fashion. Students will also identify the contributions of Japanese film to international "movie culture" and discuss, more generally, the importance of visual media in the post-modern, post-literate, non-rhetorical age of film, television and the Internet. Finally, they will consider how the increasing success of Japanese animation in foreign markets might contribute to Japan's cultural integration into the global community and discuss the future of post-modern technological societies.
Note: Students may earn credits for only one of LANC 3320 and JAPN 3320 and ASIA 3320 as they are identical courses. The course will be conducted in English. The course does not serve to fulfill the second language requirement of the Bachelor of Arts degree framework.
Prerequisites: 30 credits from courses at the 1100 level or higher
ASIA 38603 Credits
South Asian Folklore
Students will critically analyze the diversity and changing forms of folklore and folk customs in South Asia. They will look at how and why folklore impacts the culture and the everyday lives of people in South Asia. Students will critically examine the various genres of folklore, including narrative, oral, and customary genres. They will also look at performance traditions, including music and dance, as well as folk life, including folk art and crafts. Note: Students may earn credit for only one of ASIA 3860 or LANC 3860 as they are identical courses.
Prerequisites: 27 credits from courses at the 1100 level or higher, including 6 credits from courses in ANTH, ASIA, HIST, LANC or PUNJ
ASIA 38703 Credits
Bhangra Movements and Identity
Students will critically examine the origins and development of Bhangra within Punjab and the Indian subcontinent as well as its adaptations and hybrid forms within the Punjabi diaspora, in North America and Europe. Students will critically analyze the development of Bhangra from a popular folk dance and music style within Punjab to its modern day status within the diaspora as a largely hybrid music incorporating Punjabi folk music with modern Western music traditions. Students will also analyze the role of Bhangra in the formation of identity for members of the South Asian diaspora. Note: Students may earn credit for only one of ASIA 3870 or LANC 3870 as they are identical courses.
Prerequisites: 27 credits from courses at the 1100 level or higher, including 6 credits from ANTH, ASIA, CUST, HIST or PUNJ
ASIA 43503 Credits
Canadian East and South Asian Communities
Students will critically examine the theories surrounding the study of migration and adaptation, as well as explore the local experience of East and South Asian communities in Canada, with emphasis on the post-World War II period. They will critically look at immigrants as 'social actors' and active contributors to their own social and cultural transformation as they engage with the new and changing social, economic and political structures of Canadian society. Students will conduct a field research project from a social science perspective on an Asian community in the urban field site of Greater Vancouver or in the Fraser Valley region. Students will develop important field research skills and gain exposure to the pertinent issues surrounding the complexity of the Asian immigrant experience in Canada's multicultural environment.
Note: This is a seminar course.
Prerequisites: 45 credits at the 1100 level or higher including 6 credits of ASIA or ANTH or HIST at the 3000 level or higher
ASIA 43513 Credits
Advanced Topics in Asian Cinema
Students will engage in the critical study of selected genres/directors/national film industries within Asia. Students will critically evaluate a number of methodological approaches to the study of Asian cinema, assess the implications of these approaches, and identify their strengths and weaknesses. Students will also critically analyze the global influence of selected Asian cinema genres/directors/national film industries.
NOTES: This is a seminar course.
Students may take this course more than once, in consultation with the Asian Studies Coordinator.
ASIA 2120 or ASIA 2252 or ASIA 3154 strongly recommended
Prerequisites: 45 credits at the 1100 level or higher including 6 credits of ASIA or ANTH or HIST at the 3000 level or higher
ASIA 44993 Credits
Selected Topics in Asian Studies
Students will engage in the study of a particular issue within the discipline of Asian Studies. They will critically analyze the topic from a broad variety of perspectives, thereby developing a comprehensive understanding of both the issue itself and the related research. Students will critically evaluate a number of methodological approaches, assess the implications of these approaches, and identify their strengths and weaknesses.
NOTE: This is a seminar course. This course may be repeated more than once for credit, to a maximum of 12 credits.
Prerequisites: 60 Credits of 1100 level or higher courses, including 9 credits of ASIA or HIST at the 1100 level or higher
ASIA 49003 Credits
Directed Research Project in Asian Studies
Students will, under the close supervision of a faculty member with relevant expertise, develop and complete an in-depth research project on a particular topic/problem in Asian Studies that is not covered in sufficient detail in other courses. Students will, in undertaking a directed research course, be required to identify a topic/problem, create an annotated bibliography of relevant primary and secondary sources, write an analytical research paper on the chosen topic/problem, and give a public presentation of their research findings.
NOTE: This is a seminar course, topic to be developed in consultation with the Asian Studies Coordinator. Topic must be submitted for approval at least three months before the start of a new semester.
Prerequisites: 45 credits at the 1100 level or higher including 6 credits of ASIA or ANTH or HIST at the 3000 level or higher