67711 - Sociology of Asiatic Countries

Academic Year 2019/2020

  • Docente: Beatrice Gallelli
  • Credits: 10
  • SSD: SPS/07
  • Language: Italian

Learning outcomes

At the end of the course students will know the main social, political and cultural transformations occurred in Asian countries that were triggered by the encounter with European countries and the United States, as well as those currently ongoing within the context of today's economic globalization. Students will be able to analyze the processes of identity construction at both the regional and national levels, and to deconstruct the concepts of racial, ethnic and cultural identity, with particular reference to the People's Republic of China and Japan. Furthermore, students will have acquired the main theoretical and methodological tools for the critical analysis of various types of texts (linguistic and non-linguistic). Finally, they will also have fully developed interpersonal communication skills among peers to carry out group researches as well as those for conducting individual work, presenting the results by adopting an academic and scientific language.

Course contents

The course focuses on the main social, political and cultural transformations in Asia, with a focus on China and Japan. It can be ideally divided into two parts. The first part is concerned with the social, cultural and political transformations in Asian countries caused by the arrival of Europe and the United States. It then proceeds with the analysis of China and Japan in the context of today's globalization. In this first part, the main aim is to examine the role that the movements of ideas, people and capitals have had and still have in the processes of identity creation, providing the fundamental tools to analyse and deconstruct the concepts of racial, ethnic and cultural identity. In the second part, the discussion will be thematic and will focus on specific case studies.

The course also is carried out by means of multimodal materials, their analysis and discussion.

Furthermore, the course includes an introduction of methodologies belonging to the field of social science. A focus on Communication Studies and their use in the field of social sciences will provide students with useful tools to interpret and understand the materials discussed during the lessons.

Readings/Bibliography

PPT slides will be available on the IOL platform week-by-week.

Compulsory bibliography:

- Said, Edward, "Introduction", in Orientalism. New York: Vintage Book, 1979.

- Tamara Jacka, Andrew B. Kipnis, Sally Sargeson. Contemporary China: Society and Social Change. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2013

- Sugimoto, Yoshio. An Introduction to Japanese Society. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2010 (4th edition)

Recommend readings and additional materials are available on the IOL platform.

Teaching methods

Frontal lectures with Power Point presentations and multimedia materials. The active participation of students in the classroom discussion is strongly encouraged.

Assessment methods

The final exam will be written. Students attending the course who will take part in the activities carried out in class will have to answer three questions aimed at verifying the understanding of the topics covered by the program and the ability to present them using specialized language. The answer to each question must be articulated on a page. The exam can be done in Italian or in English. The exam will last two hours.

Non-attending students, in addition to sitting at the written exam, will have to write a detailed dissertation on a topic previously agreed with the teacher and submitted by December 21st.

Teaching tools

Slides and multimedia materials. Furthermore, in addition to the lectures, some seminars held by experts in the fields of Japanese and Sinology will be organised. These activities are an integral part of the exam program.

Office hours

See the website of Beatrice Gallelli

SDGs

No poverty Gender equality Reduced inequalities Sustainable cities

This teaching activity contributes to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals of the UN 2030 Agenda.