South & SE Asian Studies

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.

This is an introductory course to studying screen cultures in their medium specificity by looking at adaptations that make narrative borrowings explicit. Students learn how to diagnostically write about and think with films, which rework popular and literary tales.

This course provides an interdisciplinary exploration of the social and political history of Thailand from pre-Ayutthaya (1351-1767) to the Thonburi/Bangkok period (1767-1782) to the modern nation-state of the present time. Emphasis is on the modern era when the country confronted western colonization, and its reactions from within, as well as a series of nationwide reforms, and the process of change and persistence of the nation-state up to the present.

This course studies the culture, philosophy, and origin of Thai cuisine. Looking into the history and literature, it examines the dynamics and development of Thai cuisine over time. Topics include characteristics, cultural and regional eating patterns and practices, and common daily dishes. Classes include lecture, weekly readings, demonstration, and hands-on practice.

This course examines the history of Sino-Japanese relations from the mid-nineteenth century to the present day. It studies how political, economic, and cultural relations between the two countries have evolved through multiple stages of conflict and cooperation. It covers the following themes: economic development and modernization in East Asia; colonialism and imperialism; Japanese and Chinese nationalism; cross-cultural fertilizations within the Sinosphere; and the relation between war, memory, and national identity.