LABORATORY - GAS mod B

This third-year module is part of the Global Asian Studies minor at the International College. It builds on the Global Asian Studies 1: Political and Economic Geography, Global Asian Studies 2: Anthropology, Global Asian Studies 3: Political Institutions, Global Asian Studies 4: Legal Institutions and Laboratory - GAS mod. A modules to expand their regional, methodological, and thematic scope.

At the end of the Global Asian Studies - Laboratory (Mod. B), students should be able to:
- develop, design, and apply creative and innovative ethnographic methodologies to collect, interpret, and debate data in the field of Global Asian Studies;
- understand, research, and debate how shifting ideas of global Asia are constructed through the definition and redefinition of everyday social, political, and economic interactions and from an anthropological perspective;
- apply, test and refine the necessary skills to research and debate global Asia, and Asian countries and their citizens to an audience consisting of specialists and non-specialists.

Basic knowledge of Asian politics, geography, anthropology, and social and economic institutions.

Venice, Istanbul, Tokyo - late winter to early spring 2026. The post-World War II world order seems to be over. A new one has yet to fully take shape. Shifting alliances are changing the daily lives of all citizens across Asia (and beyond) and geopolitics. Many commentators and analysts argue that this end of hyper-globalisation and, at times, even globalisation itself. Is this truly the case? What role do Asia and its citizens play in this unfolding process?
This module focuses on how global Asia and, more broadly, globalisation are defined and redefined in Venice, Istanbul, and Tokyo in the current geopolitical scenario. It explores ethnographies and ethnographic practices from the perspective of imaginative and creative methodologies. Each session incorporates the creation of original soundscapes, creative writing, sensory reading, listening, participant observation, mapping, and performance as a creative exercise. The interaction with the content of each session will result in weekly posts that students will share on a public blog.
From Piazza San Marco to Taksim Square and Shibuya Crossing, we will research and debate the many entangled relationships among humans, non-humans, and the surrounding environments in present-day globalised Asia. In particular, we will examine the processes of boundary making and unmaking and identity formation, and all those every socio-political and economic ideas and practices that continuously define and redefine Asia and, by extension, Europe, the Americas, Oceania, and Africa.

Class notes

50% - Class interaction and individual engagement with each session’s content and involvement in maintaining the module’s blog.

50% - Creation of a writing collage, that is an essay that tells a consistent ethnographic story and includes all the following parts in the following order: a puzzle (introduction), photographic mini-essay (first paragraph), an annotated map (second paragraph), and a haiku (conclusion).

written and oral

30 + distinction of laude
Excellent engagement with the course material and involvement in maintaining the module’s blog. The writing collage has a clear, nuanced and well-structured argument and displays creativity and ethnographic consistency, underpinning knowledge and sound judgement.

30-28
Meaningful engagement with the course material and involvement in maintaining the module’s blog. The writing collage has a clear, consistent and convincing argument and displays underpinning knowledge and sound judgement.

27-24
Good engagement with the course material and involvement in maintaining the module’s blog. The writing collage has an adequate argument with some evidence of ethnographic consistency and good analytical and creative skills

23-19
Limited engagement with the course material and involvement in maintaining the module’s blog. The writing collage has little critical, analytical and creative perspective, and ethnographic consistency.

Fail
No engagement with the course material and involvement in maintaining the module’s blog. The writing collage lacks ethnographic consistency, structure, creativity and clarity.

Creation of original soundscapes, creative writing, sensory reading, listening, participant observation, mapping, and performance as a creative exercise.

This subject deals with topics related to the macro-area "International cooperation" and contributes to the achievement of one or more goals of U. N. Agenda for Sustainable Development