ATS3089 - Social institutions and power in Asia - 2018

This unit examines social institutions as sites for the exercise of power among individuals, organisations and states in Asia. Institutions such as education, law, family, mass media, religion and business are examined from a variety of disciplinary perspectives, using contemporary case studies drawn from across the Asian region. The unit explores how policy, discourse and practice surrounding social institutions shape and are shaped by individual action, and how the study of social institutions can enrich understanding of the cultures.

Students successfully completing the unit will be able to:

1. Identify the key contemporary social institutions in a variety of local, national and transnational contexts in Asia;
2. Demonstrate a critical understanding of the key changes in social organisation and lifestyles in Asia today, and the regional and global dimensions of these changes;
3. Apply a range of disciplinary approaches to analyse major contemporary issues in Asian societies;
4. Employ appropriate strategies for communicating the findings of analysis to a range of audiences and stakeholders;
5. Reflect on the relevance of Asian experiences of social change to other national and individual circumstances;
6. Understand how cultural context affects the dynamics of individual and group empowerment in Asian societies, and communicate that understanding to others;
7. Read critically and engage with existing research, with the potential to facilitate life-long learning;
8. Demonstrate independent research skills including enquiry techniques, critical thinking, and advanced skills of oral and written communication.

Within semester assessment: 100%

Minimum total expected workload to achieve the learning outcomes for this unit is 144 hours per semester typically comprising a mixture of scheduled learning activities and independent study. A unit requires on average three/four hours of scheduled activities per week. Scheduled activities may include a combination of teacher directed learning, peer directed learning and online engagement.

See also Unit timetable information

Chinese studies

Global cultural literacies

Indonesian studies

International studies

Japanese studies

Korean studies