Wikipedia:Wiki Ed/Rice University/Minorities and Subcultures in East Asia (Spring 2024)

This course challenges the myth of homogeneity in the understanding of East Asian societies by examining the experience of a variety of minority groups in terms of ethnicity, gender, sexuality, religion, class, occupation, as well as physical and mental conditions. The course further analyzes the various ways in which the social construction of these minorities defines what the “mainstream” is. The course transcends the national boundaries in the East Asian region and connects and compares similar themes in the societies of Japan, China, Taiwan, and South Korea. It discusses how the marginalized groups, in their own ways, profoundly influence the government policies and transform the mainstream societies. We also take account of our own location in a classroom in the United States. Through the lens of East Asia, the course provides students a sophisticated understanding of uniformity and diversity in modern societies around the world in general.