110-417 Gender and Agency in East Asia

37.5 points of second/third-year units in one or more units within Asian studies, Chinese studies, gender studies, history, Japanese studies.

This subject focuses on gender issues in East Asian regions influenced by a Confucian heritage, specifically China, Japan, Indo-China, Korea, Taiwan, Thailand and Singapore. Students will investigate the Confucian legacy in East Asia and how 'tradition' continues to shape notions of the body, sexuality and gender hierarchies in the present day. Other topics discussed will include employment opportunities, marriage, careers and lifestyle choices of men and women in East Asian settings. Ongoing problems in the achievement of equality between the sexes will be an important topic, including women's agency in the creation of specifically national forms of modernity within a contemporary context. This subject will enable students to apply critical notions drawn from Western gender theory to East Asian contexts.

• be able to apply critical notions drawn from the West in non-Western cross-cultural contexts;

• have enhanced abilities in oral and written communication and developed skills in working with a team to complete a group project;

• be able to research through frequent and systematic use of the library and other information sources, the definition of areas of inquiry and familiarisation with research methods;

• acquire critical thinking and analysis skills through required and recommended reading, essay writing and tutorial discussion, and by assessing the strength of arguments;

• think in theoretical and analytical terms through lectures, tutorial discussions, essay writing and engagement in methodologies of the humanities and social sciences;

• communicate knowledge intelligibly and economically through essay and assignment writing, tutorial discussion and class presentations;

• acquire written communication skills through essay and assignment preparation and writing;

• understand social, political, historical, and cultural contexts and awareness/openness to the world: through the contextualisation of judgements and knowledge, developing a critical self-awareness, being open to new ideas and new aspects of Chinese culture, and by formulating arguments;

For 3rd year: a 7-10 minute oral presentation 40% (due during semester and submitted as a report of 1500 words one week later) and an essay of 2500 words 60% (due during the examination period). For 4th year: a 7-10 minute oral presentation 40% (due during semester and submitted as a report of 2000 words one week later) and an essay of 3000 words 60% (due during the examination period).

Materials supplied by the Institute.

• Louise Edwards & Mina Roses, Women in Asia. Allen & Unwin, 2001.
• A E McLaren (ed), Chinese Women: Living & Working. London and New York, 2004.