Pacific and Asian Studies Courses (PAAS)

Undergraduate Courses

Language Course Restriction

Students who have completed courses in a language at UVic or though transfer credit will not be granted credit for subsequent courses at a lower level in the same language.

Chinese Language Courses:

The department takes two criteria into account in considering advanced placement for students entering Chinese language courses at the University. One of these is competence in spoken Modern Standard Chinese (Mandarin); the other is ability to read and write the Chinese script.

For purposes of course placement, the department normally defines "native speakers" as those who are native speakers of any of these languages and who are also able to read at least simple materials (i.e., at the middle school level) written in the Chinese script. "Native speakers" who lack a good foundation in spoken Mandarin or whose reading ability in Chinese is not equivalent to that of a high school graduate should register in PAAS 212 or 313; others should register in PAAS 410.

Students whose ability to read and write Chinese is limited but who have some experience in spoken Mandarin, including those with high school credit in Mandarin, should consult the department about advanced placement. Students who register in Chinese language courses without such consultation may be required to transfer to different courses at the department's discretion. Note that students who have passed the provincial examination in Mandarin 12 may not register in PAAS 110 or 111.

Indonesian and Japanese Language Courses:

Courses marked * are not available to native speakers of Indonesian and Japanese. A native speaker is normally defined in this context as a person who has received sufficient instruction to be literate in the language. Students who are not native speakers, but who do have some knowledge of the language, will be placed at an appropriate level; however, such students may, at the instructor's discretion, be required to withdraw or to transfer to a higher level course should their language proficiency prove greater than was initially supposed.

100-level courses

• 100     Introduction to Pacific and Asian Studies
• 101     Introduction to Textual Analysis
• 105     Pacific and Asia Today
• 110     Intensive Begineer Modern Chinese I
• 111     Intensive Beginner Modern Chinese II
• 120     Introduction to Indonesian-Malay I
• 121     Introduction to Indonesian-Malay II
• 130     Introductory Japanese I
• 131     Introductory Japanese II
• 150     Aspects of Chinese Culture I
• 151     Aspects of Chinese Culture II
• 170     Southeast Asian Cultures and Societies I
• 171     Southeast Asian Cultures and Societies II
• 180     Premodern Japanese Culture
• 181     Modern Japanese Culture
• 182     Aspects of Japanese Culture III

200-level courses

• 200     Introduction to Theories and Methods in Pacific and Asian Studies
• 201     Cultural Politics and Popular Culture in Asia and the Pacific
• 202     Topics in Asian Cinema
• 203     Imagining the Asia-Pacific
• 204     Introduction to Asian Religions
• 205     Indigenous Peoples of the Indo-Pacific Region
• 206     Comics and Graphic Novels in Asia and the Pacific
• 207     Ghosts and Spirits
• 208     Family and Gender in the Pacific
• 209     Introductory Special Topics in Pacific and Asian Studies
• 210     Intermediate Modern Chinese I
• 211     Intermediate Modern Chinese II
• 212     Elementary Mandarin for Speakers of Other Chinese Languages
• 220     Intermediate Indonesian-Malay I
• 221     Intermediate Indonesian-Malay II
• 230     Intermediate Japanese I
• 235     Supplementary Japanese
• 250     Engendering China
• 279     Introduction to the Chinese Language and Linguistics
• 289     Introduction to the Japanese Language and Linguistics
• 294     Ethical Issues in Contemporary Asian Societies
• 295     Islam in the Asia-Pacific

300-level courses

• 300     Social and Economic Change in the Pacific Region
• 301     Social Theory and Analysis in Pacific and Asian Area Studies
• 302     Literary and Cultural Theory in Pacific and Asian Languages and Literatures Studies
• 303     Fieldwork Methods for the Study of Asia-Pacific Communities
• 305     Religions of East Asia
• 306     Indo-Tibetan Religious Traditions
• 307     Globalization and Religion
• 308     Religion and Political Power
• 310     Advanced Readings in Modern Chinese I
• 311     Advanced Readings in Modern Chinese II
• 312     Classical Chinese Prose
• 313     Intermediate Mandarin for Speakers of Other Chinese Languages
• 330     Professional Japanese
• 331     Advanced Readings in Japanese I
• 332     Advanced Readings in Japanese II
• 333     Advanced Comprehension and Conversation in Japanese
• 334     Advanced Composition in Japanese
• 336     Japanese through Popular Culture
• 350     Chinese Economy, Politics and Culture
• 351     Contemporary Chinese Society
• 353     Survey of Classical Chinese Literature
• 354     Masterworks of Chinese Fiction
• 355     Modern Chinese Literature and Society 1900-1949 in English
• 356     The Literature of the People's Republic of China 1949 to the Present in English
• 357     Chinese Cinema from Text to Screen
• 358     Screening the Nation: Nationalism, Ideology, and Politics in Chinese Cinema
• 364     Indigenous Societies and Colonial Relations in Oceania
• 365     Society and Politics in Small Pacific States
• 368     Culture and Power in Southeast Asia
• 369     Development and the State in Southeast Asia
• 370     Indonesian and Pacific Literature
• 371     Narrating Southeast Asia: Novels, Films and History
• 372     Southeast Asian Cinema
• 373     The Theatre of Indonesia
• 380     Japanese Economy, Politics and Culture
• 385     Love and Sex in Japanese Culture
• 386     Premodern Japanese Literature in Translation
• 388     Modern Japanese Literature in Translation
• 393     Humanism in Japanese Cinema to 1960
• 394     Pre-modern Japanese Theatre
• 399     Sociolinguistic Issues in Japanese

400-level courses

• 400     Advanced Research Seminar
• 401     Seminar on Culture in Asia and the Pacific
• 402     Asian Canadians and Their Homelands
• 403     Capitalist Economy and the Asia-Pacific
• 405     Reproduction and Sexuality in the Asia-Pacific
• 406     Ideology and Cultural Conflict in the Asia-Pacific
• 409     Globalization, Cosmopolitanism and Asian-Pacific Cultures
• 410     Advanced Mandarin for Native Speakers of Chinese
• 411     Directed Readings in Chinese Language
• 430     Seminar in Modern Japanese Literature
• 432     Directed Readings in Japanese
• 450     Seminar on Social Issues in China
• 455     Authors in Contemporary Chinese Literature in Translation
• 456     Thematic Study of Contemporary Chinese Literature in Translation
• 457     Authors in Classical Chinese Literature
• 458     Themes in Classical Chinese Literature
• 459     Directed Readings in Chinese Linguistics
• 464     Topics in Studies of Australasia
• 465     Seminar on Oceania
• 466     Redistribution, Reciprocity and Commodity Relations in Pacific Societies
• 467     Seminar on Indonesia
• 468     Seminar on the Study of Southeast Asia
• 480     Seminar on Japan
• 485     Seminar in Japanese Language, Literature and Culture
• 486     Modern Japanese Theatre
• 487     Trends in Japanese Cinema, 1960 to Present
• 488     Japanese Fantasy
• 493     Seminar in Buddhism in English
• 495     Special Topics in Pacific and Asian Studies
• 496     Directed Studies in Pacific and Asian Studies
• 497     Special Topics in Asian Languages
• 499     Honours Thesis

Graduate Courses

500-level courses

• 500     Theories of Pacific Region Societies
• 501     Cultural, Linguistic and Literary Theories in Asia-Pacific Studies
• 520     Special Topics in Pacific Studies
• 521     Special Topics in Asia-Pacific Literature, Linguistics and Culture
• 550     Research Methodologies
• 580     Advanced Readings in Japanese, Chinese or Indonesian
• 590     Directed Studies
• 599     MA Thesis