City University of Hong Kong

Course Syllabus

offered by the Department of Asian and International Studies

with effect from Semester A 2018/19

Part I Course Overview

Course Title: Special Topics in Asian Studies I

Course Code: AIS 3060

Course Duration: One semester

Credit Units: 3

Level: B3
Arts and Humanities
Study of Societies, Social and Business Organisations
Proposed Area:
(for GE courses only) Science and Technology

Medium of
Instruction: English

Medium of
Assessment: English

Prerequisites:
(Course Code and Title) Nil

Precursors:
(Course Code and Title) Nil

Equivalent Courses:
(Course Code and Title) AIS3025 Special Topics in East and Southeast Asian Studies

Exclusive Courses:
(Course Code and Title) Nil

Course Syllabus
AIS3060 - 1
Jul 2018
 Part II Course Details
1. Abstract

Why is giving money to the newly-wed couple considered to be inappropriate in some countries
but a norm in some others (such as Hong Kong)? Why don’t we pay our spouse for sex? Why
isn’t there a pension for housewives and househusbands, but domestic helpers may have
minimum wage protection? Are online payment systems such as Alipay more advanced than other
payment methods such as the Octopus card? Why would a representative of the French King was
designated to count the numbers of the young women and girls in the street in Geneva in 1780s?
Why was public toilet counted as business instead of public facilities in the city of Canton
(Guangzhou) early 20th century?

Underneath these questions are the assumptions that money is an objective, standard measurement
of values, and that the economic sphere is separated from the social, the cultural and the politiclal
spheres. Discussions in this course this year challenges these assumptions and examines these
questions. This course is not about economic theories about free market and transactions. Instead,
taking an interdisciplinary approach, we will engage a series of social theories and case studies
by historians, anthropologists and sociologists. The theme of this year is “Money Matters: Culture,
Society and Economy.” We will unravel the idea of money as the objective measurement and look
into the ethical, emotional, gender and other dimensions in money transactions. We will
investigate how economic activities are shaped by, and shaping, cultural value and power
structure. Some of the topics such as bride wealth have been well explored in existing literature,
but other topics such as online payment or virtual currency are emerging phenomena that we will
explore together. In doing so this course will familiarize students with some concepts and debates
that are key to understand the intersections between the economic, the socio-cultural and the
political.

2. Course Intended Learning Outcomes (CILOs)

(CILOs state what the student is expected to be able to do at the end of the course according to a given standard of
performance.)
Upon successful completion of this course, students should be able to:

No. CILOs# Weighting* Discovery-enriched

(if curriculum-related
applicable) learning outcomes
(please tick where
appropriate)
A1 A2 A3
1. Grasp a vocabulary in social science literature; 25% √ √
2. Be exposed to various social theoretical approaches to economic 25% √ √
activities;
3. Develop conceptual tools to think about the intersection between 20% √ √
the economic, the social and the political;
4 Develop critical analysis on the ethical, emotional and gender 20% √ √
dimensions in everyday economic practices;
5. Apply the above-mentioned critical perspectives to specific case 10% √ √
studies
* If weighting is assigned to CILOs, they should add up to 100%. 100%
#Please specify the alignment of CILOs to the Gateway Education Programme Intended Learning outcomes (PILOs) in
Section A of Annex.
A1: Attitude
Develop an attitude of discovery/innovation/creativity, as demonstrated by students possessing a strong sense of
curiosity, asking questions actively, challenging assumptions or engaging in inquiry together with teachers.
A2: Ability
Develop the ability/skill needed to discover/innovate/create, as demonstrated by students possessing critical thinking
skills to assess ideas, acquiring research skills, synthesizing knowledge across disciplines or applying academic
knowledge to self-life problems.
A3: Accomplishments
Demonstrate accomplishment of discovery/innovation/creativity through producing/constructing creative works/new

Course Syllabus
AIS3060 - 2
Jul 2018
 artefacts, effective solutions to real-life problems or new processes.

3. Teaching and Learning Activities (TLAs)

(TLAs designed to facilitate students’ achievement of the CILOs.)

TLA Brief Description CILO No. Hours/week

1 2 3 4 5 (if applicable)
Lectures & Introduce and explain concepts, √ √ √ √ √
tutorials theories, histories, and debates
through use of diverse
pedagogical strategies; Provide
students with opportunities to
synthesize readings, raise
questions and debate in a critical
yet respectful manner
Readings Expose students to various √ √ √ √
approaches to specific issues in
political sociology
Essay An exercise for students to √ √ √ √ √
synthesize, reflect upon and
apply ideas learned in the course
Group An exercise for students to √ √ √ √ √
synthesize, reflect upon and
Projects apply ideas learned in the course
and work as a team
In-class An exercise for students to √ √ √ √
synthesize readings and apply
Exam ideas learned in the course

4. Assessment Tasks/Activities
(designed to assess how well the students achieve the CILOs)
Indicative of likely activities and tasks students will undertake to learn in this course. Final details will be
provided to students in their first week of attendance in this course.

Assessment Tasks/Activities CILO No. Weighting* Remarks

1 2 3 4 5
Continuous Assessment: ____%
Class and tutorial participation √ √ √ √ √ 25%
Individual Essay √ √ √ √ √ 25%
Group Projects √ √ √ √ √ 25%
In-class Exam √ √ √ √ 25%
Examination: ____% (duration: , if applicable)
* The weightings should add up to 100%. 100%

Course Syllabus
AIS3060 - 3
Jul 2018
5. Assessment Rubrics
(Grading of student achievements is based on student performance in assessment tasks/activities with the following rubrics.)

Assessment Task Criterion Excellent Good Fair Marginal Failure

(A+, A, A-) (B+, B, B-) (C+, C, C-) (D) (F)
1. Class and Demonstrate Good participation Records of absence, Records of absence, Records of Records of
tutorial preparedness for record, adequate good familiarity some familiarity with substantial absence, substantial absence,
participation class, articulate ideas familiarity with with readings, good readings, adequate limited familiarity little or no
and engage in readings, excellent capacity to articulate capacity to articulate with readings, familiarity with
discussion. capacity to articulate ideas and debate. ideas and debate limited capacity to readings, little or no
ideas and debate. articulate ideas and capacity to articulate
debate ideas and debate
2. Individual Summarize, analyseExcellent capacity to Good capacity to Adequate capacity to Limited capacity to Fail to summarize,
Essays and evaluate summarize, analyse summarize, analyse summarize, analyse summarize, analyse analyse and evaluate
arguments and evaluate and evaluate and evaluate and evaluate arguments in
arguments in arguments in arguments in arguments in assigned works
assigned works assigned works assigned works assigned works
3. In-class exam Synthesize and reflect Excellent capacity to Good capacity to Adequate capacity to Limited capacity to Fail to synthesize
upon ideas learned in synthesize and synthesize and synthesize and reflect synthesize and and reflect upon
the course reflect upon ideas reflect upon ideas upon ideas discussed reflect upon ideas ideas discussed in
discussed in discussed in in readings and in discussed in readings and in class
readings and in class readings and in class class discussion. readings and in discussion.
discussion. discussion. class discussion.
4. Group Projects Synthesize, reflect Excellent capacity to Good capacity to use Adequate capacity to Limited capacity to Fail to use concepts,
upon and apply ideas use concepts, concepts, theories use concepts, theories use concepts, theories and
learned in the course theories and and approaches to and approaches to theories and approaches to
approaches to analyse specific analyse specific cases approaches to analyse specific
analyse specific cases and articulate and articulate analyse specific cases and articulate
cases and articulate arguments in a arguments in a cases and articulate arguments in a
arguments in a reflexive manner reflexive manner arguments in a reflexive manner
reflexive manner reflexive manner

Course Syllabus AIS3060 - 4

Jul 2018
Part III
Keyword Syllabus:
Economic activity, money, ethics, emotion, politics, market and intimate life, technology, technocracy
and modernity, gift.

2. Reading List

2.1 Compulsory Readings

(Compulsory readings can include books, book chapters, or journal/magazine articles. There are also collections of
e-books, e-journals available from the CityU Library.)

1. Malinowski, Bronislaw: “Kula: The circulating Exchange of Valuables in the Archipelagos of Eastern
New Guinea” (Reprinted in George Dalton Ed. Tribal and Peasant Economies 1967, pp. 171-184), The
Natural History Press, Garden City, N.Y.
2. Mitchell, Timothy. 1999. "Society, Economy and the State Effect." In The Anthropology of the State:
A Reader, edited by Aradhana Sharma and Akhil Gupta, 169-186. Malden, MA; Oxford: Blackwell
Pub.
3. Bornstein, Erica. 2012. Disquieting Gifts: Humanitarianism in New Delhi, Stanford studies in human
rights. Stanford, California: Stanford University Press.
4. Zelizer, Viviana A. R. 2005. The Purchase of Intimacy. Princeton, N.J.: Princeton University Press.
(Selected pages)
5. Sinn, Elizabeth. 1989. Power and Charity: The Early History of the Tung Wah Hospital, Hong Kong,
East Asian historical monographs. Hong Kong; New York: Oxford University Press. (selected chapter)
6. Bayly, C.A. 1986. "The Origins of Swadeshi (Home Industry): Cloth and Indian Society, 1700-1930."
In The Social Life of Things: Commodities in Cultural Perspective, edited by Arjun Appadurai, 295-
322. Cambridge ; New York: Cambridge University Press
7. Blake, C. Fred. 2011. Burning Money: The Material Spirit of the Chinese Lifeworld. Honolulu:
University of Hawaiʻi Press.(selected chapter).
8. Ortiz, Horacio. 2017. "A political anthropology of finance: Profits, states, and cultures in cross-border
investment in Shanghai." HAU: Journal of Ethnographic Theory 7 (3):325-345.

2.2 Additional Readings

(Additional references for students to learn to expand their knowledge about the subject.)

1. Appadurai, Arjun. 1986. The Social Life of Things: Commodities in Cultural Perspective, Cambridge:
Cambridge University Press. (Introduction)
2. Polanyi, Karl. 2001. The Treat transformation: The Political and Cconomic Origins of Our Time. 2nd
Beacon Paperback ed. Boston, MA: Beacon Press. (Selected Pages)
3. Simmel, Georg. 2004. The Philosophy of Money. Translated by Tom Bottomore and David Frisby
from a first draft by Kaethe Mengelberg. Edited by David Frisby. 3rd ed. London; New York:
Routledge. (selected pages)
4. Mauss, Marcel. 1990 [1950]. The Gift: The Form and Reason for Exchange in Archaic Societies.
Translated by W.D. Halls. New York: W.W. Norton.
5. Malinowski, Bronislaw. 1968. “Malinowski on the Kula,” in Edward E. LeClair, Jr. and Harold K.
Schneider, eds., Economic Anthropology, New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 17- 39.
6. Spang, Rebecca L. 2015. Stuff and money in the time of the French Revolution. Cambridge,
Massachusetts: Harvard University Press. (chapter 1)
7. Yan, Yunxiang. 1996. The flow of gifts: reciprocity and social networks in a Chinese village.

Course Syllabus AIS3060 - 5

Jul 2018
 Stanford, Calif.: Stanford University Press. (Selected pages).
8. Sahlins, Marshall David. 1972. "The Original Affluent Society." In Stone Age Economics, 1-39.
Chicago: Aldine-Atherton
9. Chu, Julie Y. 2010. Cosmologies of Credit: Transnational Mobility and the Politics of Destination in
China. Durham, NC: Duke University Press.(selected pages).
10. Benthall, Jonathan. 2012. "Charity." In A Companion to Moral Anthropology, edited by Didier Fassin,
359-375. Hoboken, New Jersey: Wiley-Blackwell.
11. Bowie, Katherine A. 1998. "The Alchemy of Charity: Of Class and Buddhism in Northern Thailand."
American Anthropologist 100 (2):469-481.
12. Smith, Joanna Handlin. 2009. The art of doing good: charity in late Ming China. Berkeley: University
of California Press. (selected pages).
13. Zheng, Yangwen. 2005. The social life of opium in China. Cambridge, UK ; New York: Cambridge
University Press. (selected pages)
14. Zelizer, Viviana A. R. 1994. The Social Meaning of Money. New York: BasicBooks (selected
pages).
15. Rudrappa, Sharmila. 2015. Discounted Life: The Price of Global Surrogacy in India. New York;
London: New York University Press.(chapter 4: Bodies as Commodities).

Course Syllabus AIS3060 - 6

Jul 2018