Ethnic Diversity in East Asia
Code: 101533 ECTS Credits: 6| Degree | Type | Year | Semester |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2500244 East Asian Studies | OT | 4 | 1 |
Contact
- Name:
- Blai Guarné Cabello
- Email:
- blai.guarne@uab.cat
Use of Languages
- Principal working language:
- spanish (spa)
- Some groups entirely in English:
- No
- Some groups entirely in Catalan:
- No
- Some groups entirely in Spanish:
- No
Other comments on languages
Prof. Guarné will teach in Catalan, and Prof. Pita and Prof. Pavón will teach in Spanish.Teachers
- Gustavo Pita Céspedes
- Manuel Pavon Belizon
Prerequisites
To take this subject, students should ideally have obtained the programme's first-year, second-year and third-year credits. Students must be able to read and understand academic texts in English.
Objectives and Contextualisation
The aim of this course is to study the ethnic diversity of East Asia, specifically in Japanese and Chinese societies (with reference also to Taiwan). It includes different theoretical perspectives from historical, political, and ethnological study. In the case of Chinese society, the classes will take as a reference the notion of minzu (ethnicity), which is central in the political construction of ethnic diversity in the People's Republic, as well as in the official ethnic categorization and the evolution of policies and legislation on ethnic minorities. In the case of Japanese society, the notion of minzoku (ethnicity) will be key in the historical, political and cultural understanding of ethnic diversity, mainly in the framework of the modern construction of Japanese nation-state and its project of colonial expansion as empire, but also in the analysis of its pre-modern historical background and its ramifications in the context of today's multicultural society. In both parts, the classes will address the analysis of specific case studies. The ultimate goal of the course is to provide different tools for reflection on the issue of ethnic diversity in East Asia.
Competences
- Designing and managing projects.
- Developing critical thinking and reasoning and communicating them effectively both in your own and other languages.
- Developing self-learning strategies.
- Ensuring the quality of one's own work.
- Following the characteristic code of ethics of the professional practice.
- Know and understand the characteristics of society and social processes in East Asia.
- Knowing and using the information and communication technology resources (ICT) in order to collect, produce, analyse and present information related to the East Asian Studies.
- Knowing the ethnic and cultural diversity of East Asia, the identity management policies of East Asia and their evolution.
- Knowing the history, values, beliefs and ideologies of East Asia in order to understand and critically assess social issues, phenomena, and processes related with that region.
- Producing innovative and competitive proposals in research and professional activity.
- Respecting the diversity and plurality of ideas, people and situations.
- Solving conflict situations.
- Solving problems of intercultural communication.
- Students must be flexible and capable of adapting to new circumstances.
- Working in interdisciplinary and intercultural groups.
- Working in teams in an international, multilingual and multicultural context.
Learning Outcomes
- Assessing the obtained results in the search information process in order to update the knowledge about political sciences, economy and sociology.
- Designing and managing projects.
- Developing critical thinking and reasoning and communicating them effectively both in your own and other languages.
- Developing self-learning strategies.
- Ensuring the quality of one's own work.
- Following the characteristic code of ethics of the professional practice.
- Know and understand the characteristics of society and social processes in East Asia.
- Knowing the ethnic and cultural diversity of East Asia, the identity management policies of East Asia and their evolution.
- Knowing the history, values, beliefs and ideologies of East Asia in order to understand and critically assess social issues, phenomena, and processes related with that region.
- Producing innovative and competitive proposals in research and professional activity.
- Respecting the diversity and plurality of ideas, people and situations.
- Solving conflict situations.
- Solving problems of intercultural communication.
- Students must be flexible and capable of adapting to new circumstances.
- Using different tools for specific purposes in the fields of political sciences, economy and sociology.
- Using the specific terminology of political sciences, economy and sociology.
- Working in interdisciplinary and intercultural groups.
- Working in teams in an international, multilingual and multicultural context.
Content
Chinese society
1. Historical perspective on ethnic diversity in China
2. The ethnic issue in modern China: the concept of minzu (ethnicity) and the ethnic taxonomies
3. The representation of ethnic minorities: cinema, literature, and television
4. Policies and legislation: the second generation of ethnic policies
5. Contemporary issues:
- Case Study 1
- Case Study 2
Japanese society
6. Historical perspective on ethnic diversity in Japan
- The burakumin issue
7. The ethnic issue in modern Japan: the notion of minzoku (ethnicity) and the construction of the Japanese Empire
8. Ainu ethnicity
9. The ethnicity of the Ryūkyū
10. Contemporary issues:
- Zainichi Koreans
- The multicultural society (tabunka kyōsei shakai)
Methodology
To achieve the established objectives, this subject involves both lectures and practical classes.Given that its teaching is shared, the lecturers will inform students of the characteristics of assessment activities on the first day of class. The work students carry out mainly consists of lectures, individual/group presentations in class, debates and discussions in class based on selected readings, watching documentaries, documentation searches, reading assignments, and written assignments. Students must keep abreast of the news and information published on the Virtual Campus / Moodle.
Annotation: Within the schedule set by the centre or degree programme, 15 minutes of one class will be reserved for students to evaluate their lecturers and their courses or modules through questionnaires.
Activities
| Title | Hours | ECTS | Learning Outcomes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Type: Directed | |||
| Lectures and papers discussion | 50 | 2 | 6, 7, 8, 9, 3, 2, 13, 11, 15, 16, 5 |
| Presentations | 15 | 0.6 | 6, 1, 7, 8, 9, 4, 3, 2, 10, 13, 12, 11, 14, 18, 17, 15, 16, 5 |
| Type: Autonomous | |||
| Written essay and study | 35 | 1.4 | 6, 1, 7, 8, 9, 4, 3, 2, 10, 13, 12, 11, 14, 18, 17, 15, 16, 5 |
Assessment
The proposed teaching and assessment methodology that appear in the guide may be subject to changes as a result of the restrictions to face-to-face class attendance imposed by the health authorities.
Assessment is continuous. Students must provide evidence of their progress by completing tasks and tests. Task deadlines will be indicated in the course schedule on the first day of class. All activity deadlines are indicated in the subject's schedule and must be strictly adhered to.
Related matters
The above information on assessment, assessment activities and their weighting is merely a guide. The subject's lecturer will provide full information when teaching begins.
Review
When publishing final marks prior to recording them on students' transcripts, the lecturer will provide written notification of a date and time for reviewing assessment activities. Students must arrange reviews in agreement with the lecturer.
Missed/failed assessment activities
Students may retake assessment activities they have failed or compensate for any they have missed, provided that those they have actually performed account for a minimum of 66.6% (two thirds) of the subject's final mark and that they have a weighted average mark of at least 3.5. Under no circumstances may an assessment activity worth 100% of the final mark be retaken or compensated for.
The lecturer will inform students of the procedure involved, in writing, when publishing final marks prior to recording them on transcripts. The lecturer may set one assignment per failed or missed assessment activity or a single assignment to cover a number of such activities.
Classification as "not assessable"
In the event of the assessment activities a student has performed accounting for just 25% or less of the subject's final mark, their work will be classified as "not assessable" on their transcript.
Misconduct in assessment activities
Students who engage in misconduct (plagiarism, copying, personation, etc.) in an assessment activity will receive a mark of “0” for the activity in question. In the case of misconduct in more than one assessment activity, the students involved will be given a final mark of “0” for the subject.
Students may not retake assessment activities in which they are found to have engaged in misconduct. Plagiarism is considered to mean presenting all or part of an author's work, whether published in print or in digital format, as one's own, i.e. without citing it. Copying is considered to mean reproducing all or a substantial part of another student's work. In cases of copying in which it is impossible to determine which of two students has copied the work of the other, both will be penalised.
More information: http://www.uab.cat/web/study-abroad/undergraduate/academic-information/evaluation/what-is-it-about-1345670077352.html
Assessment Activities
| Title | Weighting | Hours | ECTS | Learning Outcomes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Group assignment. Presentation in class | 30% | 15 | 0.6 | 6, 1, 7, 8, 9, 4, 3, 2, 10, 13, 12, 11, 14, 18, 17, 15, 16, 5 |
| Written essay (China) | 35% | 17.5 | 0.7 | 6, 1, 7, 8, 9, 4, 3, 2, 10, 13, 15, 16, 5 |
| Written essay (Japan) | 35% | 17.5 | 0.7 | 6, 1, 7, 8, 9, 4, 3, 2, 10, 13, 15, 16, 5 |
Bibliography
Chinese society
Anonymous (2021). “You shall sing and dance: contested ‘safeguarding’ of Uyghur Intangible Cultural Heritage.” Asian Ethnicity, 22:1, 121-139.
Bulag, U.E. (2021). “Minority Nationalities as Frankenstein’s Monsters? Reshaping ‘the Chinese Nation’ and China’s Quest to Become a ‘Normal Country’”. The China Journal, 86: 46-67.
Ma Rong (2010). “The ‘Politicization’ and ‘Culturization’ of Ethnic Groups.” Chinese Sociology & Anthropology, 42:4, 31-45.
Mullaney, T. (2010) Coming to Terms with the Nation: Ethnic Classification in Modern China. Berkeley: University of California Press.
Mullaney, T.; Leibold, J.; Gros, S.; Vanden Bussche, E. (Eds.) (2012) Critical Han Studies: The History, Representation, and Identity of China's Majority. Berkeley: University of California Press.
Qi, J. (2017). “A preliminary study of the Chinese ethnic identification and ethnic taxonomy system.” Journal of the Central University for Nationalities, 4, 18–28.
Sun, Y. (2020). From Empire to Nation State: Ethnic Politics in China. Cambridge (UK): Cambridge University Press.
Wang Hui (2011). “The ‘Tibetan Question’ East and West: Orientalism, Regional Ethnic Autonomy, and the Politics of Dignity.” In Wang Hui, The Politics of Imagining Asia (pp. 136–227). Cambridge (MA): Harvard University Press.
Japanese society
Clammer, J. (2001) Japan and its others: globalization, difference and the critique of modernity. Melbourne: Trans Pacific Press.
Denoon D. et al., eds. (1996) Multicultural Japan: palaeolithic to postmodern. Cambridge (UK): Cambridge University Press.
Graburn, N. H. H. et al. (eds.) (2008) Multiculturalism in the new Japan: crossing the boundaries within. New York: Berghahn Books.
Guarné, Blai (ed.) (2017) Antropología de Japón: identidad, discurso y representación. Barcelona: Bellaterra.
Guarné, B. and S. Yamashita (eds.) (2015) Japan in global circulation: transnational migration and multicultural politics (Introduction) Kokuritsu Minzokugaku Hakubutsukan Kenkyu-Houkoku. Special Issue. Minpaku, National Museum of Ethnology (Japan), 40:1.
Guarné, B. and P. Hansen (eds.) (2018) Escaping Japan: reflections on estrangement and exile in the twenty-first century. London & New York: Routledge.
Lie, J. (2001) Multiethnic Japan. Cambridge (MA): Harvard University Press.
Weiner, M. (1997) Japan's minorities: the illusion of homogeneity. London; NY: Routledge.
Willis, B.D. and S. Murphy Shigematsu (eds.) (2008) Transcultural Japan: at the borderlands of race, gender, and identity. London; New York: Routledge.
Software
No specific software will be used.