ObjectivesStudents who complete the graduate diploma should: * Demonstrate an independent approach to knowledge that uses rigorous methods of inquiry and appropriate theories and methodologies that are applied with intellectual honesty and a respect for ethical values; * Apply critical and analytical skills and methods to the identification and resolution of problems within complex changing social contexts; * Act as informed and critically discriminating participants within the community of scholars, as citizens and in the work force; * Communicate effectively; * Commit to continuous learning; * Be proficient in the use of appropriate modern technologies, such as the computer and other information technology systems, for the acquisition, processing and interpretation of data.
Academic titleGraduate Diploma in Arts (Asian Studies)
Course descriptionSpecialisation Requirements
* 100 points elective subjects with no more than 12.5 points at first-year level
Elective subjects
Subject Semester Credit Points
110-052 Classic Chinese Civilisation
In this subject students will be introduced to the distinctive characteristics of Chinese civilization from a comparative East-West framework. The focus will be on how the ancient Chinese found solutions to universal human problems, such as how to se... Semester 2 12.50
110-053 Taiwan & Beyond: Chinese Settler Culture
This subject introduces students to migration and settlement as major processes in Chinese cultural history. it examines the expansion of Chinese culture beyond its traditional heartlands, taking Taiwan as a key example. Taiwan will be examined along... Semester 1 12.50
110-118 Language and Power in Asian Societies
This subject examines the intimate relationship between language and society in the historical and contemporary contexts of three internationally strategic regions: East Asia, insular Southeast Asia, and the Arabic world. It will explore recurring th... Semester 1 12.50
110-202 Chinese Studies: Culture and Empire
This introductory subject examines Chinese society and culture by looking at the relationship between cultural systems and imperial power. It addresses the long-term development of social and intellectual structures in China in relation to empire as ... Semester 1 12.50
110-203 China Since Mao
This subject examines cultural and social tendencies in contemporary China, and shows how they have developed from the socialist system. It analyses the culture of China's different social groups - men, women, young people, workers, farmers, the... Semester 2 12.50
110-219 Media and Everyday Life in Asia
This subject examines the media and everyday life in transnational Asian context. This year, the focus of the subject is on how Japanese popular culture has, via a variety of media, become part of everyday life in China, Hong Kong, Korea and Singapor... Semester 1 12.50
110-228 The Politics of Gender in China
This subject focuses on the influence of traditions and ideologies on gender issues in China and the East Asia (Hong Kong, Taiwan, Japan and Singapore). Students will be encouraged to explore how 'tradition’ continues to shape notion... Semester 2 12.50
110-229 Contemporary Japan
This subject will not be available in 2009 12.50
110-243 Asian Performing Arts: Global and Local
This subject investigates the political, social and cultural significance of performing arts in contemporary East, Southeast and South Asia, with particular attention to Japan, China, Indonesia, and India. Throughout this region, performance function... Semester 1 12.50
110-244 Islam and the State in Indonesia
This subject will not be available in 2009 12.50
110-312 Popular Cultures in Indonesia
This subject will not be available in 2009 12.50
110-315 Literature & the Making of Indonesia
This subject will not be available in 2009 12.50
110-317 Social Problems in Japan
This subject aims to prepare students for more specialised studies in Japanese society and culture. The subject offers interdisciplinary views of the political, economic, religious and cultural ideologies which foster inequality between different soc... Semester 2 12.50
121-063 Culture Change and Protest Movements
This subject addresses problems of culture change and the ways that people respond to the experience of change, including cultural protest. While a major focus will be on the ways that non-Western societies have responded to encounters with the Weste... Semester 2 12.50
131-039 The Rise of Modern Japan 1850s-1990s
Japan´s rapid and remarkable transformation from a semi-feudal, isolated island nation to that of a centralized nation state, empire, and eventual global power has had a profound impact on its people, its Asian and Pacific ne... Summer 12.50
131-046 Great Empires of Islamic Civilisation
This subject examines the growth of Islamic civilisation in the period between the revelation of the Quran and the end of Muslim rule in Spain in 1492. The study focuses on the Arabic and Turkish-speaking areas of western Asia, North Africa and the I... Semester 2 12.50
131-062 Making China Modern
This subject will not be available in 2009 12.50
131-066 The Modern Middle East
This subject will not be available in 2009 12.50
131-210 Total War: Asia & the Pacific 1931-1952
This subject will not be available in 2009 12.50
136-211 Asian Civilisations and Science
This subject examines the development of science as a cultural phenomenon in Asian contexts. It is taught through contemporary and historical case studies. We examine ways sciences 'came to life' in particular places at particular times as ... Semester 1 12.50
131-217 Modern Southeast Asia
From the growing influence of Islam in Indonesia to tourist industries in Vietnam and Cambodia, built on war time experiences this subject explores the history and lasting legacies of political, social and cultural change in modern Southeast Asia. Us... Semester 1 12.50
131-228 Inventing Asian Traditions
This is the core subject for the interdisciplinary program in Asian studies offering a comparative view of Asian societies and an example of how knowledge about these societies is developed and transmitted. The subject will look at some of the follow... Semester 1 12.50
161-035 Philosophy of Buddhism
This subject will not be available in 2009 12.50
166-018 Chinese Politics and Society
This subject will not be available in 2009 12.50