Format of the Final Exam: The final exam consists of three parts. Parts 1-2 are essays, while Part 3 consists of identification terms.

PART 1 (40 points): A required essay on a topic synthesizing material from the entire semester. In your answer, you must discuss three authors or examples chosen from the list provided, at least one of which must be from before the midterm and one after. The third author can be from before or after the midterm. Additionally, the three authors need to be from three different units of the course (see list below).

PART 2: (one essay, 40 points): The essay questions in this section will focus on the second half of the course. Your essay must include discussion of two authors from two different units after the midterm (units 5-10; see list below). The authors should also be different from the authors you discuss in part 1.

PART 3 (20 points): Identify 5 out of 8 terms chosen from the list below. For each term, explain what it means and where it comes from (approximately 1.5 points) and why it is significant in the context of the themes covered in class (2.5 points).

Important! Your essays in Part 1 and Part 2 may not repeat examples. If you repeat material, points will be deducted from your essay grade.

Identification Terms

mukena terkecil
jilbab
Market Islam
ESQ
One-Child Policy
brotherless daughters
suzhi jiaoyu
"Good student kills mother"
affect/qinggan
Obasuteyama
aesthetic restructuring
butsudan
yielding/yuzuri
Mori-san
plastic surgery
techno-orientalist imagining
lookism
soft power
K-Pop
affective labor
Business Process Outsourcing (BPO)
sex work
Naughty Girls
Khong Sao
Foreign Direct Investment (FDI)
reproductive labor
surrogacy
cross-border reproductive care
ova "donation"
Phu My Hung or Thu Thiem (depending on which chapter you read)
property rights
civility

Study-Guide Essay Questions for the Final

The following are study-guide essay questions to guide you in your preparation for parts 1 and 2 on the final exam. Some of these questions may very well appear on the exam exactly as they are phrased here or in slightly revised form.

In thinking through possible answers for these questions in preparation for the final, pay particular attention to formulating a clear, interesting, and arguable thesis statement. For more information about thesis statements, see the guidelines for response papers.

Note: Your essay questions need to choose authors from different parts (pre- or post-midterm) and different units of the course, as indicated below:

Pre-midterm units
Unit 1: Said, Anderson, Strassler (book intro), Besky
Unit 2: Chio, Schein, Strassler (article), MacLean, Thum
Unit 3: Parrenas, Constable, Tizon, Lindquist
Unit 4: Espiritu, Trinh, Schwenkel, Lieu, Hoang

Post-midterm units
Unit 5: Rudnyckyj, Hoesterey, Jones
Unit 6: Fong, Kuan, Kuan
Unit 7: Danely
Unit 8: Leshkowich and Jones, Lee, Tu, Lie, Bestor, Fish
Unit 9: Mankekar and Gupta, Hoang, Rudrappa, Deomampo
Unit 10: Harms
You may discuss additional authors to supplement your substantive discussions of the three (Part 1) or two (Part 2) main authors.

Questions for Part 1 (broad, synthesizing essay): choose three authors from three different units. One author must be from before the midterm (units 1-4) and another must be from after the midterm (units 5-10). Please be sure that you choose different authors for your essay in Part 2.

1. Why has the opposition between tradition and modernity been so central to discussions of contemporary Asia? What does this opposition mean in specific contexts? What issues do we need to consider in studying how this opposition is defined and asserted at particular moments? Discuss with reference to THREE authors from different units of the course, at least one of which must be before and one after the midterm.

2. What do we mean when we talk about "culture," and what are the strengths and weaknesses of focusing on culture as a way to understand the changes that Asians are experiencing in Asia and other parts of the world? Discuss with reference to THREE authors from different units of the course, at least one of which must be before and one after the midterm.

3. Not only is the macro visible through the micro, but the micro plays a central role in shaping what the macro is. How can anthropological research help us to understand this relationship? Discuss with reference to THREE authors from different units of the course, at least one of which must be before and one after the midterm.

4. We've seen in this course that the past is often invoked to make claims about the present or to advocate for a particular kind of future. What dynamics are involved in these representations of the past? How should we evaluate them? Discuss with reference to THREE authors from different units of the course, at least one of which must be before and one after the midterm.

5. A central theme of this course has been the relationship between, on the one hand, global economic and political structures of production and consumption and, on the other hand, individuals' experiences of daily life or senses of themselves, including issues of work, consumerism, subjectivity, and affect. Imagine that you've been asked to write an essay for a popular audience in which you explain, based on your analysis of important recent scholarship on these topics, what you see as the most important developments taking place in Asia today with respect to these issues. How might you challenge readers' assumptions about Asia? What would you want them to think about?

6. Throughout the semester, we've encountered issues of representation: how are people defined and perceived by others? Through what means? With what effects? Why does representation matter? Discuss with reference to THREE authors from different units of the course, at least one of which must be before and one after the midterm.

Questions for Part 2 (essay focused on second half of the semester): choose two authors from two different units after the midterm (units 5-10). These authors must also be different from the authors you used in your answer to Part 1.

1. A key topic for the second half of the course has been changing lifestyles, including consumption, religion, family, and urbanization. Imagine that you have been asked to write a report on what you see as the two most significant lifestyle changes or challenges that Asians face. Explain what dynamics have produced these circumstances, how people are responding, and what we substantively need to understand about these issues. Discuss with reference to TWO authors from different units, chosen from units 5-10.

2. What impact has globalization had on different countries or people in Asia? Be sure that your answer includes a specific definition of what you understand globalization to be, as informed by the authors you discuss. Discuss with reference to TWO authors from different units, chosen from units 5-10.

3. "The commodification of culture destroys culture." Respond to this statement with reference to TWO authors from different units, chosen from units 5-10.

4. How has family been connected to definitions of identity (religious, national, ethnic, regional, class, gender, or sexuality), citizenship, or modernity in different contexts in Asia? With what consequences? Discuss with reference to TWO authors from different units, chosen from units 5-10.

5. How are economic or political changes in Asia connected to changes in forms of individual subjectivity? With what consequences? Discuss with reference to TWO authors from different units, chosen from units 5-10.

6. Why have scholars been focused on affect as a means to understand contemporary Asia? What is the concept of affect good for? Discuss with reference to TWO authors from different units, chosen from units 5-10.