This course explores symbolic anthropology and political economy by examining the East Asian context within which individual Asians live and work in society. Family is one of the most basic social institutions. This is where the local-global connection takes place.
Family serves as an appropriate venue for anthropological praxis.
Using cases from East Asia, you will learn multiple ways of constructing and enacting the meanings of family as a collective unit, and explore human potentialities. You will be encouraged to reflect on what it means to be human, and what other human beings have done, thought about, and acted upon families. You should be able to think critically, speak and write articulately, and act effectively on your ideas and decisions. The second one discusses contemporary issues facing E. Asian families, with cases from China and Japan. While the first two modules are based on textual materials, class lectures and discussions, the third module is via electronic communication.