Subject Area: Asian Studies
This course can also be studied in the following specialisations: Chinese Studies

The Chinese Studies shelf course has two modules: 1. Chinese Media Cultures; 2. Histories of Chinese Diaspora.

'Chinese Media Cultures' examines contemporary media and communication systems in the Chinese-speaking communities from cultural perspectives, with a focus on China (PRC), Taiwan and Hong Kong. It discuses topics related to Chinese media cultures, policies, new media and communications, and social movements.

'Histories of Chinese Diaspora' will look at Chinese communities from China to other parts of Asia and the West, and raise issues of emigration, immigration, refugee and settler status, the relationship of minority to host community, and questions of assimilation versus integration, citizenship and identity.

Module: "Chinese Media Cultures"(Semester 1, 2011)
It is a specialised, multi-disciplinary course on Chinese media cultures in the PRC, Taiwan, Hong Kong and other Chinese-speaking communities. It examines Chinese media, culture and society in the Chinese-speaking world from a cultural, political and historical perspective, paying particular attention to developments in television, cinema and digital media. It emphasises a core understanding of the importance of media forms and technologies to contemporary culture. Students who complete this course successfully will be able to engage critically with a wide range of cultural practices in media policies, production, circulation and consumption. They will have relevant research skills, including the use of the library, referencing and presentation of written work and knowledge of the methodologies, both critical and theoretical, to engage with topics of their interests. Lectures will be supplemented with audio-visual material.

Module: "Histories of Chinese Diaspora"
In recent times in popular usage, diaspora has come to mean the condition of an ethnic group dispersed across the globe whose members share an ancestral homeland and common cultural heritage. They preserve a sense of displacement due to war, poverty or persecution and a tradition of adventurous seeking after opportunities and safer lives elsewhere. This course examines journeys from China’s southeastern provinces into other parts of Asia and the West. Histories of diaspora raise issues of emigration, immigration, refugee and settler status, the relationship of minority to host community, and questions of assimilation versus integration, citizenship and identity. The course will provide the opportunity for learning about Chinese communities within neighbouring countries of Australia and for reflecting on Australia’s changing demographic make-up and experiences of Australian Asians. The final seminars will debate the labeling of individuals and diaspora member versus global citizen.