Course overview
How can we adapt to climate change? Can Asia contribute to solve this existential crisis? Asia Beyond Climate Change explores these questions by focusing on China and Japan, the world's second and the third largest economies. Their experiences of modernisation have a lot to offer when reconsidering the meaning of development and questions of sustainability. Focus of this course is Japan. What does Japan's 2011 Fukushima nuclear crisis signify, and what can we learn from this experience? How is it relevant to climate change? The course examines a wide range of relevant topics including energy, agriculture, construction, education, youth, ageing population, and urban-rural relationships using a sociological approach. In particular, we examine how people respond to socio-ecological issues at the grassroots (e.g. Minamata), and how the intangible cultural heritage has contributed to new theoretical and philosophical reconsiderations of human-nature relationships (critical/postmodern animism). The role of China will be crucial to the world and so is Australia's. We examine the relevance of Japan's experience for these countries. The course is useful for students doing Japanese Studies, Chinese Studies, International Relations, International Development, Media Studies, Environmental Policy and Management, International Business, Education and Law, as well as Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Social Sciences.
Course learning outcomes
- have a broad, coherent and in-depth knowledge on the structural issues relating to the economic development and the environmental/ecological crisis in (East) Asia.
- be able to locate, analyse, evaluate and synthesise data from a wide variety of sources, including databases specific to Asian Studies.
- have the skills to write research reports of publication standard.
- have an ability to suggest creative and innovative solutions to issues relating to the ecological crisis in the context of the Asian Century.
- develop high order skills in interpersonal understanding, teamwork and communication, with particular strengths in transcultural and interdisciplinary communication.
- be proficient in the appropriate use of contemporary technologies in research, writing, communication and presentation.
- be aware of ethical, social and cultural issues within a global context.
Availability
Class details
Adelaide City Campus East
Class number 28431
Section WS01
Size 70
Available 62
Class number 28430
Section WS02
Size 70
Available 63
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