Asian Studies

Japan is one of the world's leading film production powerhouses with countless films produced from the silent era to the present, from artistic to entertainment pieces. This course looks at the history of Japanese films and discusses the unique appeal and problems of Japanese films. 

This course examines English as a historical, sociocultural, ideological and personal reality for Hong Kong speakers. It covers the legitimacy of Hong Kong English (HKE) as a variety in its own right and its sociolinguistic backing; the attempts at drawing up a phonology and a morphosyntax of HKE as well as the complications involved; the current standing of HKE in comparison with the ‘inner-circle’/‘standard’ varieties (British and American English) and other varieties (e.g., other Asian Englishes); and the values of HKE as an ideological concept, a fiction, and/or as protean yet homely, lay experience.

Designed to familiarize students with basic aspects of Japanese history, art, and literature, this course focuses on examining the relationship between traditional and modern Japan as well as understanding Japan within a broad comparative framework. The course may involve out-of-classroom work such as field trips, interviews, and first-hand observation.  

This course examines the history and culture of East Asia with a focus on Korea, China, and Japan. Specifically, it pays attention to the cultural elements shared by the so-called 'East Asian culture' before modern times. In other words, we examine how cultures such as Chinese characters, Confucianism, Buddhism, and Islam were formed and developed, how they spread throughout East Asia, and how they affected and how they have been transformed to this day. Rather than simply comparing the three countries of Korea, China, and Japan, we set East Asia as a unit and pay attention to how cultural elements are circulated and related therein. Topics include Literacy Life in East Asia; Buddhism in East Asia; Confucian Culture and Confucian Society in East Asia: East Asia and its Complexity as a Confucian Cultural Sphere; Islam in East Asia; and East Asian Countries from a Comparative Historical Perspective.

This course is part of the Laurea Magistrale program. Enrollment is by consent of the instructor. The course is intended for students who have a strong background in political science or international relations. The course is an overview of international relations of the East Asian region and focuses on the economic and political issues surrounding the Asia-Pacific rim. Topics covered include: historical and contemporary patterns of state relations in East Asia, US security alliances in East Asia and the new Asian Pivot, the rise of China, the nuclear crisis in the Korean Peninsula, territorial disputes, regional multilateral institutions, East Asian development models and economic integration, environmental challenges, energy security, and other related issues. Required readings include: THE INTERNATIONAL POLITICS OF ASIA-PACIFIC by M. Yahuda and POLITICS IN EAST ASIA: EXPLAINING CHANGE AND CONTINUITY by T. Lim. Specific readings are assigned on the following topics: The Korean Peninsula, The People's Republic of China, China-EU Relations, Nationalism and Territorial Disputes, Japan's Domestic and Foreign Policy. Assessment is based on a final oral exam.

Due to the international diffusion of Korean culture, the interest for Korean language and culture has increased. In order to understand in depth Korean language and culture it is important to acquire knowledge related to the character and status of Korean language, the current situation and development of its teaching and the Korean culture connected to language. Moreover, by means of this deep understanding of Korean language and culture, students research independently about the relation between Korean and other Eastern Asian languages and the connection between Korean culture and Eastern Asian cultures.

This course examines national treasures, historical artifacts, particularly preserved at Yonsei, and heritage entries registered with UNESCO as a window to understand the history, culture, and people’s lives of Korea. Special emphasis is placed on the trans-national interactions with neighboring states, and the construction of the cultural identity of Korea. 

The goals and contents of this course can be summarized as; to identify the academic differences between the study of foreign policy analysis (FPA) and that of international relations (IR); to enhance the academic knowledge of the decision-making process of foreign policy and the roles of main actors who participate in it; to understand the changed or continued environmental situations in Korean foreign policy; to analyze the domestic and international political meanings of Korean foreign policies; and to understand the historical backgrounds of Korean foreign policies. 

Assessment: Midterm (35%), Final (30%), Presentation and Final Report (15%), Assignments (10%), Attendance (10%)