Course

Course code: COSM35
Swedish title: Asienstudier: Digitala Öst- och Sydöstasien - Kulturella, sociala och politiska transformationer
Credits: 7.5

Study period: autumn semester 2021
Type of studies: full time, day
Study period: 2021-11-01 – 2021-11-30
Language of instruction: English
Application code: LU-19601
Eligibility: A degree of Bachelor in social sciences or humanities. English 6/English course B.

• Syllabus
• Syllabus (in Swedish)
• List of literature

• Canvas COSM35 - Asian Studies: Digital East and South-East Asia - Cultural, Social and Political Transformations
• Library Guide

Description

East and Southeast Asia has the largest Internet population in the world in absolute numbers. It is also at the forefront of digital developments in many fields, including entertainment, e-commerce, and artificial intelligence and big data. The region encompasses a diverse digital landscape that reflects divergent histories, cultures, and socioeconomic and political realities. In this course we study how individuals, civil society organization, and political leaders and organizations make use of different platforms such as social media. We also explore threats to privacy and issues of surveillance.

In this course you study and analyse the use of different types of information and communication technologies (e.g. the internet, social media, mobile phones and apps) in the light of the different social, economic and political systems and developments in East and South-East Asia. You also analyse the local development from the point of view of regional and global trends and processes.

In the course we highlight the different concepts, theories and methods that are used to study digital developments and different platforms. This means that the course is based on different disciplines, such as media and communication studies, cultural studies, anthropology, political science and area studies, while adopting an interdisciplinary perspective. 

We focus on different topics that take into account factors such as gender, ethnicity, socio-economic status and age. You are encouraged to apply theoretical and methodological knowledge acquired from the required reading to individually selected case studies that highlight the use of different types of digital platforms among individuals and groups in different countries.

In the course we address the following topics:

• processes of identity formation and socialisation through, for example, blogging, gaming and the use of social media
• the impact of information and communication technologies on the emergence of new social networks and groups, e.g. special interest groups, civil society and citizen journalists
• social and political activities, for example how political leaders and political parties use different platforms and how new popular movements adopt them
• new methods and ethnographic approaches as a result of digital developments

Included parts

• Individual seminar assignment, 2.5 credits
  
• Individual Take-Home Exam, 5 credits