ASIA 3018 - Key Issues in Asian Studies

Key Issues in Asian Studies will be the capstone course for the Asian Studies major and focus on the major theoretical and practical issues and problems in Asian Studies as a discipline. The role of theory, both broadly and narrowly understood, in the social sciences and in Asian Studies in particular, will be clarified and their application to specific issues explained. The ways that theory informs methodologies will be discussed in weekly seminars and case studies used to illustrate various ways of approaching an issue. Research skills will be central with students taught how to relate theoretical material to methodological approaches with an eye on preparing them for a research plan and project. Common ethical and intercultural issues which can arise in the course of research will be examined and the resultant dilemmas debated. Ultimately, students will be expected to undertake a substantial research project through which to demonstrate their research and analytical skills and how well they can apply a given theoretical understanding and methodology to a set problem.