The Tibetan cultural sphere extends from the Himalayas to the tribal planes of Mongolia. This unit explores the civilisations of that region by examining shared cultural histories from the 8th century onwards, including religions, languages, and customs. You will also learn how Tibetan myths shape today's perceptions of the 'orient'.

The Tibetan language is an essential medium for understanding Buddhism and Asian history. This unit focuses on written Tibetan and some basic spoken Tibetan. You will learn important grammatical structures, the Tibetan script, pronunciation and essential speaking skills. The unit also introduces cultural contexts of the Himalayan region.

This introductory unit explores the histories and cultures of Asia across time, up to the modern era. The curriculum aims to provide both the essential knowledge and intellectual skills necessary for more advanced study of Asia, and to lay the groundwork for comparative investigation of trans-Asian phenomena. Topics and themes may include: religion, ritual, and philosophical thought; sacred kings and capitals; hierarchy and social order; family, kinship and gender systems; art, architecture, and archaeology.

This unit looks at Asia's past, present and future in a global perspective. It makes use of the new approaches of world history and big history, and moves along large spatial and temporal scales. This unit prepares students to make sense of specific Asia-related subjects offered in more advanced units of study. In doing so, we will also examine some of the challenges Asia is facing today and think about Asia's place in our increasingly globalised world.

This unit of study introduces key topics essential to understanding contemporary Chinese society and culture, including geography and environment, recent social and political change, art, literature and cultural practice, population and economic structure, education systems and issues of gender and sexuality. As a foundational unit in Chinese studies, it assumes no background knowledge of China or the Chinese language. It will be taught in English with an interdisciplinary approach.

The Tibetan language is an essential medium for understanding Buddhism and Asian history. This unit extends on Intro to Tibetan Language and Culture 1, focussing on written Tibetan and some further skills in spoken Tibetan. We will deepen grammatical knowledge, read short stories, and learn more about Himalayan cultures.

This unit explores the history and development of Buddhism in East Asia, namely, China, Korea, and Japan, from its introduction at the beginning of the Common Era to modern times. The unit will focus on several of the most important and distinctive forms of Buddhism in East Asia, such as Tiantai/Tendai, Pure Land and Chan/Zen Buddhism, and the issues and themes that are common to them. Particular attention will be paid to notions of liberation, developments in practice, and ritual forms. The unit will also investigate Buddhism's relationship with the state in these countries.

This unit provides a survey of the major issues and developments in Buddhism's 2500 year history from its beginnings in India to subsequent developments in other parts of Asia, such as Sri Lanka, Southeast Asia, and East Asia, and its transmission to the West in the modern era. Students will be introduced to Buddhist thought, practices, literature, and artistic expressions, as well as academic approaches to the study of Buddhism.

This unit offers students the opportunity to explore China's major traditions of philosophy and practice through English translations of key texts as well as authoritative secondary studies. The main foci of the unit include the following major areas: diversity and polemics in early Chinese thought, developments in Daoism, Buddhist thought and influence, and Neo-Confucian (Daoxue) thought.

The history of the People's Republic of China comprises two periods. In the Maoist era (1949-1978), the Communist-led government attempted to build a centrally planned, socialist society in which politics dominated people's daily lives. In the post-Mao era (since 1978), by contrast, the socialist institutions have largely been dismantled in pursuit of a market-based alternative. This unit of study explores key social, political, cultural and economic features of both periods and analyses the problems and paradoxes of transition.

This unit will approach the core ideas of Buddhism on suffering, impermanence, non-self and interdependence in a systematic fashion and explore the implications for the Buddhist understanding of ontology (theory of being) and epistemology (theory of knowledge). The connection between philosophical ideas and the Buddhist path will be explored in relation to ethics, meditation and the cultivation of insight and wisdom. The connections between Buddhist philosophy and modern and postmodern Western philosophy will also be explored.

This unit explores the diversity and continued dynamism of Buddhism in modern Asia. The focus of the unit is social, cultural and political with an emphasis on the way Buddhism is influencing Asian societies and is, in turn, influenced by them. Buddhism's encounter with modernity and its role in the nation state, in lay and environmental movements and its influence on social and political discourses and practices will be examined.

This unit introduces themes in South Asian religions from the Indus Valley Civilisation onward. Attention is paid to the social and cultural contexts in which Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism emerged. Goddess traditions are discussed, as are concepts such as tantra, yoga and meditation, karma and rebirth and dharma. Texts such as Bhagavat Gita are also introduced. A focus will be on the implications of Classical India for an understanding of contemporary Asian cultures, particularly those of South and Southeast Asia.

While India and China emerge as present-day superpowers, their historical inter-relations are not well known. This unit provides an overview of cultural interactions between Indian and Chinese civilisations, especially as these have shaped Tibetan cultural identity. A key focus is upon how pre-modern cultural interactions with India and China provide ideological contexts within which Tibetan religious and cultural traditions and political institutions developed. This is undertaken in order to understand interactions between all three cultures on the current global stage.

This unit explores the historical validity of key motifs of Japanese traditions. Through the liberal exploration of primary historical sources including texts, pictorial sources and material artifacts, students will learn of such diverse topics as early religion, imperial authority, the lives of the court and military elites (samurai), Zen monastic practice, medieval aesthetics, geisha, and the tea ceremony. By separating stereotype and cliche from history, we will attempt to construct a more sober yet ultimately more viable narrative of early Japanese history and culture.

Tokugawa Japan (1603-1868) had a complex feudal structure articulated around the shogun, the feudal lords and their samurai retainers. It also had huge cities, birthplaces of some of the first modern ways of life. The tensions between the feudal framework and the embryonic modernity of Tokugawa society make a fascinating case study in the non-Western world of what is to be modern. To do so, we shall follow a cross disciplinary approach: history, politics, sociology, economy, religion, arts and literature.

The usual but contradictory descriptions of Japanese society (hierarchical but egalitarian, adaptable but conservative and traditional, consensual but authoritarian, etc.) show that "power" - manifest or hidden in decision making, consensus building, conflict resolution or avoidance - is the enigma of Japan. We will focus on power relationships in politics, administration, enterprises, families, schools, etc, survey the various explanations proposed to solve the enigma and, more generally, learn about the origins, forms and treatments of power and conflict relations.

This unit of study aims to introduce Korea's historical experience from antiquity to the early phase of the Choson dynasty (1392-1910). Topics include sources and historiography of early Korea; foundation myths and legends of the Three Korean Kingdoms; process of state formation and subsequent political developments; religious ideology, focusing on Buddhism; and cultural and social traditions of Korea from the 4th to the 15th century. These topics will enable students to understand and appreciate the uniqueness of Korean identity.

This unit aims to introduce some of the major issues in the history of Korea in the late 19th century and the last century. Topics include contradictions of the late Choson dynasty society; opening of Korea to the West and Japan and the attendant wave of reforms and rebellions; Japan's colonial rule; Korea's fight for freedom; liberation and division of Korea in 1945 and the subsequent process of nation-building in the two Koreas.

This unit of study will examine the commercial, religious and cultural relations between the Islamic world of West Asia and Southeast Asia between the ninth century and the present day. Some attention will be paid to the role of India in these relationships. The unit of study will explore the development of Islamic commercial, political, religious and social ideas and practices, and examine the economic, political, religious and social conditions associated with the localisation of these ideas and practices in Southeast Asia.

This unit examines the history of Indonesia, the world's fourth most populous country, emphasizing the interaction between Islam, nationalism and democracy. The unit traces these forces impact on the formation of modern Indonesia from the late nineteenth century, highlighting the experience and legacy of colonialism, the independence struggle, and the rise and fall of military rule. Particular attention is given to changing notions of national identity, debates about the place of Islam in the polity and authoritarianism and democratisation.

This unit examines country-specific and transnational social movements in Southeast Asia, including those focused on labour, women, the environment and identity. During the semester we will explore how these movements emerged, what they have sought to achieve, and how successful they have been in promoting social change in the Southeast Asian region. The unit adopts a multi-disciplinary approach based on contemporary case study material from Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, the Philippines and Singapore.

This Unit of Study introduces Southeast Asia. It emphasises the importance of geographical, political, economic, social and cultural context to our understanding of complex real-world problems. Having gained insight into these aspects of contemporary Southeast Asia, students learn to apply an interdisciplinary approach to the analysis of challenges faced by the region such as economic and social inequality, environmental management, food security and urbanisation.

Students will travel to Southeast Asia to undertake supervised, in-country field study. Focusing on a complex, real-world issue, students will consider the issue from a multidisciplinary perspective, including geographical, political, economic, social and cultural. While in the destination country, students will work in multidisciplinary groups to conduct research.

This unit places the modern and contemporary history of Japan within its East Asian context. We will examine a number of key events and subjects pertaining to the relations between Japan, China and Korea. Doing so, we will touch sensitive and controversial topics, become aware of differing views of history prevalent in these countries, and understand why the historical question constitutes a major political issue in East Asia.

Southeast Asia is a region of great geographic and cultural diversity, a meeting point for civilisational influences from India and China including the religions of Islam, Buddhism and Hinduism. It is also the laboratory for much anthropological inquiry, attracting the attention of prominent anthropologists and social scientists, like Geertz and Anderson. This unit will examine Southeast Asia in historical and contemporary context, and give grounded ethnographic illustration to such issues as nationalism, cities, migration, political violence, environment and agriculture.

This unit explores contemporary art from across Asia since World War II. The unit places artistic developments, curatorial practice, and artworks within the context of rapid geo-political and socio-cultural change, particularly exploring the effects of nationalism and globalisation.

This unit explores the art, architecture and material culture of dynastic China (ca. 3000 BCE-1900), contextualizing works within the region's diverse social, political and cultural histories. The unit foregrounds focused interpretation of individual works through visual and material analysis.

What does it mean to be a woman or a man in a Chinese culture? We will explore this question as reflected in Chinese literary tradition, examining how Chinese ideas of gender influence literary representations of education, family, sexuality, life aspirations, class difference, and cultural others.

This unit will provide a survey of Chinese literature in cultural context from its earliest beginnings to the present day, including poetry, literary prose, drama, and fiction. All readings will be in English translation, with the additional option of consulting the original Chinese.

This unit explores the relationship between Buddhism and Chinese culture. Apart from investigating the transformation and domestication of Buddhism in China, it also examines the influence of Buddhism on various aspects of Chinese culture, such as Chinese religiosity, philosophy, language, literature, arts, politics, and every day cultural practices. Adopting a multidisciplinary approach, it also reflects on the enduring effects of the interaction between Buddhism and these aspects of Chinese culture in modern times.

This unit introduces the modern genre of Chinese literature, the martial-arts fiction (wuxia xiaoshuo) and the role played by Chinese religion in shaping the features of the genre. With reference to works of the New School of martial-arts fiction, it investigates the religious contexts of martial-arts fiction, the impact of Chinese religious traditions on the genre, and the representation of traditional Chinese culture and spirituality in the modern world.

This unit examines the relationship between communication and social change in contemporary China, inclusive of mainland China, Hong Kong, and regional sites. Students will learn about selected major events and trends in Chinese societies. They will also learn about the use of communications, including new media, in selected major events. Theories that examine the consequences of communication on community development and democratic participation will be introduced.

This unit helps students understand China by analysing news and introducing the institutions and processes of news production in China and foreign countries. In addition to traditional news media, non-mainstream news sites will be introduced. Concepts used in news content analysis will be discussed to guide students to read news analytically and compare news produced by different media sites. Students will be expected to familiarise themselves with news about China on a regular basis, and to participate in class actively. No Chinese-language skill is required in the unit.

In the 1920s, China was likened to a sleeping lion - one whose roar would shake the world when it awoke. This prediction has already proved true more than once. Why was China ever said to be "asleep"? How did a whole nation awaken, to what, and with what results? This unit of study traces the forces of nationalism and revolution through China's tumultuous twentieth century. We focus upon making sense, in Chinese terms, of events that outsiders have found baffling.

This advanced unit explores key issues in the relationship between youth, language, and society in insular Southeast Asia. It equips students with the major theories and analytical tools for analysing youth language practices in a range of contexts and their relation to language use and cultural practices in wider society.

You will learn the story of the changing life of the Japanese people since the mid-19th century until today: from the momentous Meiji reforms to the emergence of new social forces in the twentieth century; from the devastation of the Second World War to the trauma of the Fukushima nuclear disaster.

The buildings, technologies, gardens, symbols, weapons and arts of Asia reveal much about the region's history and culture. This unit examines these and other material objects with the aim of exploring sweeping traits that tie Asian societies together into cohesive cultural streams indicative of shared religions, languages, and practices.

This unit introduces you to the history of Japanese film production with a focus on theory, criticism, and reception. Films will be discussed according to themes and genres and read in their socio-political contexts. It provides an initiated understanding of one of the most important film traditions in an international perspective.

This unit of study introduces students to popular culture in Mainland China, Hong Kong, Taiwan and the Chinese Diaspora. From film to television, from music to theatre, from print media to the Internet and from popular literature to visual arts, this unit explores popular Chinese culture as it is generated in Chinese societies and lived by Chinese people. It will cover a range of critical and theoretical perspectives to analyse these phenomena.

Through case studies of agriculture, new kinds of industry such as clothing production, and tourism, we will look at how social change in Southeast Asia involves shifts in relations of production and consumption. We trace the colonial origins of present-day relations of production, and assessing the changes in social life that took place in the second half of the twentieth century, including new patterns of consumption generated by the rise of middle-class lifestyles.

This unit explores the media industry, processes, policies and practices in selected countries in East Asia, namely Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea and Taiwan. It takes a comparative approach to explore political, social, cultural and technological factors that affect the development of media in this dynamic region. The unit covers various aspects of old and new media in the region, such as the historical development of media, state-media and corporate-media relationships, the transformation of media industries, technological convergence and its implications.

This unit gives students the opportunity to undertake broad background reading in theory and methodology relevant to Asian Studies. The unit trains students to discuss published work exemplifying a range of approaches to humanistic and/or social scientific research. It thus provides models on which students can draw in creating their own research proposal.

This unit investigates key debates about the visual culture of East Asia in the early modern and modern eras. The impact of profound political and social changes on cultural identity will be explored in depth. We also consider the role of art in addressing evolving identities and increasing globalisation in the region.

This unit investigates issues of gender and sexuality in art, visual culture and art history in modern and contemporary Asia from the 19th century to the present. Students will explore women- and/or queer-centred histories of the production and reception of art, and the rise of feminist and queer art and art history in parts of Asia.

This unit examines a global range of Chinese-language literatures from the last forty years and from various regions of Mainland China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia and the West, including Australia. Literary texts will be placed in social and political contexts.

This unit examines a range of Chinese-language works of fiction, poetry, and drama in the Republican and early People's Republic, including works by key figures such as Lu Xun, Eileen Chang, and Lao She. Texts will be placed in the social and political context of the period, when literature was considered a key tool for the modernisation of China.

This unit introduces students to the cinema of mainland China, Hong Kong and Taiwan. We will view representative films of different periods and different regions, and read them within their historical and cultural context. We will explore how these films blend "traditional Chinese" and local elements -- plots, symbols, sound, music, performance styles and others -- with "modern" and "global" devices. We will also examine how Chinese cinema thus creates new definitions of Chinese identity and modernity.

The unit of study uses classroom and field-based learning to introduce students to the application of geographical concepts and methods to environmental and development problems in Asia-Pacific countries. The location and timing of this unit may change from year to year in accordance with the availability of lecturers and climatic considerations. In 2019, it will be run over two to three weeks in February, in India. This unit can be taken only with prior permission from the unit of study coordinator, and involves mandatory attendance at pre-departure briefings. You will learn skills and knowledge about: (1) India's environmental and development challenges at a national scale (2) processes of rural social, environmental and economic change; (3) the challenges of sustainable urbanisation; (4) social transformations in India, specifically relating to gender, migration and mobility, and class. The unit is conducted in partnership with pre-eminent Indian universities, who provide guest lectures as appropriate in addition to those by the unit of study coordinator. The unit will also expose students to civil society groups working on issues of geo-political, economic and environmental importance. By doing this unit you will develop skills and knowledge that are highly relevant to research and careers in the Asia-Pacific.

The unit of study uses classroom and field-based learning to introduce students to the application of geographical concepts and methods to environmental and development problems in Asia-Pacific countries. The location and timing of this unit may change from year to year in accordance with the availability of lecturers and climatic considerations. In 2019, it will be run over two to three weeks in February, in India. This unit can be taken only with prior permission from the unit of study coordinator, and involves mandatory attendance at pre-departure briefings. You will learn skills and knowledge about: (1) India's environmental and development challenges at a national scale (2) processes of rural social, environmental and economic change; (3) the challenges of sustainable urbanisation; (4) social transformations in India, specifically relating to gender, migration and mobility, and class. The unit is conducted in partnership with pre-eminent Indian universities, who provide guest lectures as appropriate in addition to those by the unit of study coordinator. The unit will also expose students to civil society groups working on issues of geo-political, economic and environmental importance. By doing this unit you will develop skills and knowledge that are highly relevant to research and careers in the Asia-Pacific.

This unit provides broad and interdisciplinary introduction to contemporary Korean society and culture. The unit examines significant events - wars and violence, democratization, and economic reform - in contemporary Korea that have brought the major changes in the society, and explores how these events have affected Korean society and culture. Major topics to be covered include gender, multiculturalism, youth and pop culture, the Korean Wave, language change, and North Korea. In addressing the topics, the students will utilize authentic Korean language materials.

Interdisciplinarity is a key skill in fostering agility in life and work. This unit provides learning experiences that build students' skills, knowledge and understanding of the application of their disciplinary background to interdisciplinary contexts. In this unit, students will work in teams and develop interdisciplinarity skills through problem-based learning projects responding to 'real world problems'.

This unit is designed for third year students to undertake a project that allows them to work with one of the University's industry and community partners. Students will work in teams on a real-world problem provided by the partner. This experience will allow students to apply their academic skills and disciplinary knowledge to a real-world issue in an authentic and meaningful way.