Asian Studies Commons^™

Agrarian Reform In Sumber Klampok, Emma Trainor

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Agrarian reform in Indonesia is part of a movement beginning after independence was gained in 1945. Farmers have been fighting to obtain rights to their land from a government that has a history of violence, repression, and corruption for decades. Environmental, indigenous peoples’, peasant, and agrarian movements were given a legitimate, legal framework to work within after 1960 when the Basic Agrarian Law was passed, protecting the rights of the people to their land. However, during both the Old Order and especially New Order regimes, the law was often ignored by the government, and many grassroots organizations had to work …

Pluralism And Religious Education In Bali: How Lack Of Implementation Of Educational Reform Threatens Indonesian Identity In The System Used To Construct It, Nikolai O. Birch

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Indonesia’s education system was developed with the construction of the Indonesian as a cohesive people in mind. In doing so, the system adopted the practice of mandatory religious education as a means of developing the character of the Indonesian student through religion, a component imperative to the nation’s statehood. In the years and decades following, the education system, and subsequently its program of religious education, has been reformed and changed many times. This research attempts to look at how and why this changed system has struggled to implement these changes in the classroom, and why pluralism has been included in …

Environmental Education In Post-Green Revolution Punjab, Qing Fan

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

In India, environmental education (EE) became compulsory for Classes I-XII nationwide in 1991, with curricula designed by central and state governments. Meanwhile, in the interest of food security, the government-promulgated Green Revolution of the 1960s brought about commercial agriculture practices have led to environmental degradation, with negative impacts on farmers’ livelihoods. This paper presents a case study in a rural region in the state of Punjab, the heartland of the Green Revolution. Through interviews with students, teachers and community members as well as a review of school curricula, it seeks to understand how EE in schools is impacting the perceptions …

Munnar Plantation Strike, 2015: A Case Study Of Keralan Female Tea Workers’ Fight For Justice, Shoshana Levy

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

In the southern state of Kerala, tea leaf pickers are nearly all women. They work 14 hour days, six days a week, rain or shine. What’s more, they earn the lowest minimum daily wage of any sector in the state, bringing home a meager average of Rs. 231 a day. With women constituting more than half of the workforce on tea plantations across India it is becoming increasingly crucial to understand the challenged, yet integral role they play. Through a case study of the Munnar Plantation Strike of 2015 - a strike organized by the Pempilai Orumai women, against the …

Gender Socialization In Chinese Schools: Teachers, Children And Gender Roles, Connor Swan

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

As the first major social environment most children will encounter outside the family, school plays a pivotal role in the socialization of gender roles for young children. The aim of this research is to examine how young children learn and practice gender roles in Chinese school environments. In what ways do teachers and adults communicate messages about gender to children, and how do children receive and internalize these messages? What do teachers consciously intend to teach children about gender, and what do they unconsciously teach through their actions? Over the course of one month, I attended classes and observed teacher-student …

Berita Spring 2017, Eric C. Thompson

Berita

Table of Contents

Chair’s Address ... 2

Editor’s Foreword ... 3

John A. Lent Prize Commendation ... 4

Ronald Provencher Travel Grant Commendation ... 5

Announcements ... 5

“Democracy and Development at Risk” – A Panel Report (J. Saravanamuttu) ... 7

Field Report: Kebun Culture (E.C. Thompson) ... 11

Remembering J. Norman Palmer (C.A. Lockard) ... 16

Member Notes ... 17

The Jagori Rural Charitable Trust Model: Menstrual Education Of Women And Adolescent Girls In The Villages Of Rural Dharamsala, Madelon Morford

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Reproductive rights and education of women in rural communities is of lesser importance in India’s patriarchal society. Reproductive health is a conversation that is rarely discussed, and the health status of women is of little priority behind that of men and children’s health. Education about the health and hygiene of menstruation allows for women and adolescent girls to play a role in their own health maintenance, as well as normalizes the discussion of menstruation and reproductive health. Studying Jagori Rural Charitable Trust’s efforts to disseminate knowledge about reproductive health, with specific focus on menstruation, allows for an understanding of the …

A Review Of 57 Zone: A Social Media Network For Tb Consultation And Communication In Kunming, China, India Medaris

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Yunnan, a predominantly agricultural province in southwest China, is a province with a high rate of both tuberculosis (TB) and multi-drug resistant tuberculosis (MDR TB), with nearly 25,000 cases of pulmonary TB reported each year. Former TB/MDR TB patients in Yunnan, with the support of Family Health International 360 NGO (FHI) are trying to combat this problem. They have created a social media network for TB consultation and communication, 57 Zone, where TB patients can talk about their medication, adverse drug effects, and nutrition and psychosocial concerns. The goal of this study was the look at what aspects of the …

The Model Minority Myths: Racism And Sexism Against Asian-American Community, Yingda Guo 17

Honor Scholar Theses

This project aims to investigate the negative influences of the model minority stereotypes to Asian Americans. The model minority myth is the idea that members from a minority group with Asian heritages are considered to achieve a higher degree of educational and socioeconomic success than the average population. Asian Americans are usually perceived as model minorities who achieve high educational and socioeconomic success without many negative experiences in the U.S. However, a closer examination of the model minority myth indicates that this idea is quite generalized and misleading, which cannot stand for the diversity and complexity of Asian American experiences. …

From The Margins To The Frame: Social Identities And A “Pan-Pacific” Moana, Keara Sternberg

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This paper investigates the implications of Pacific representation and regional identity in Disney’s film, Moana. It evaluates if the film successfully represented a broad range of Pacific cultures and peoples. It weaves together 20 secondary sources, 8 interviews and 56 surveys. The sample population involved college-aged students from universities throughout the Pacific along with academic professionals and involved members of the Oceanic Story Trust. Overall, the study found that Moana successfully captured a pan-Pacific identity on several indicators, while it also found dissenting reactions toward the film by some respondents on measures of cultural representation. To Pacific students, Moana appears …

The Disappearance Of Nyoman And Ketut, Laura Michelle Garvie

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

No abstract provided.

Grooming The Future Disruptive Accounting Professionals, Gary Pan, Gan Hup Tan, Poh Sun Seow

Research Collection School Of Accountancy

In this chapter, we will discuss how SMU brought about innovation changes in the university’s learning environment. In 2011, a steering committee was set up by SMU President, Professor Arnoud De Meyer to develop strategies that focused on innovation in learning pedagogy at the university. Subsequent brainstorming sessions led to the evolution of the SMU-X programme, which aimed to broaden the scope of university education by encompassing real life problems and problem-solving skills in the curriculum. The concept encompassed three key elements: mindset, pedagogy, and physical space. The challenge was to offer more applied learning with close coordination between classroom …

Human Migration And Health: A Case Study Of The Chinese Rural-To-Urban Migrant Population, Leah C. Pinckney

Student Publications

Human migration is a complex, ancient process driven by a variety of social, political, and economic factors. Modern migrants and their families are often compelled to migrate voluntarily in pursuit of new opportunities for study or work and, in extreme circumstances, involuntarily for safety and survival. Chinese domestic migrant populations were mobilized with China’s early 1980s economic reform, which enabled rapid economic development largely dependent on urban factories. While this massive influx of young people predominantly from rural locales to urban locales seeking opportunity enabled China’s rise as a world power, their move not only marked changing internal labor patterns …

Enhancing Singapore’S Pension Scheme: A Blueprint For Further Flexibility, Koon Shing Kwong, Yiu Kuen Tse, Wai Sum Chan

Research Collection School of Economics

Building a social security system to ensure Singapore residents have peace of mind in funding for retirement has been at the top of Singapore government’s policy agenda over the last decade. Implementation of the Lifelong Income For the Elderly (LIFE) scheme in 2009 clearly shows that the government spares no effort in improving its pension scheme to boost its residents’ income after retirement. Despite the recent modifications to the LIFE scheme, Singapore residents must still choose between two plans: the Standard and Basic plans. To enhance the flexibility of the LIFE scheme with further streamlining of its fund management, we …

Sac Outreach Bulletin 2017, South Asia Center

Newsletters from the South Asia Center

No abstract provided.

How Smu Became An Agent Of Change For Universities, Arnoud De Meyer, Lily Kong

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

Its partnership with Wharton has helped enrich the landscape of higher education in Singapore, two SMU leaders write in response to Han Fook Kwang's column last Sunday.

World War Ii, Race, And The Southeast Asian Origins Of The Domino Theory, Wen-Qing (Wei Wenqing) Ngoei

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

This essay examines how the history of World War II in Southeast Asia, and US and British attitudes toward the Asian races, underpinned the emergence of the domino theory.

Late-Life Widowhood In Developing Southeast Asia: Comparative Perspectives From Myanmar, Thailand, And Vietnam, Bussarawan Puk Teerawichitchainan, John Knodel

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

We analyze recent aging surveys to examine the prevalence and correlates of widowhood among elderly in Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam and investigate how widowhood is associated with intergenerational support and old-age wellbeing. Widowhood is often associated with depressive symptoms, elevated mortality risk, and social-relationship changes. How one fares after spousal loss is nevertheless contingent on individual-level attributes, dyadic characteristics, and macro-social conditions. Thus, consequences likely vary across contexts. Most studies are conducted in western developed countries. Few existing Asia-focused research is primarily based on developed East Asia or China. Little is empirically known about the situation in non-western developing countries. …

Long-Term Care Needs In The Context Of Poverty And Population Aging: The Case Of Older Persons In Myanmar, Bussarawan Puk Teerawichitchainan, John Knodel

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

Myanmar is one of the poorest and least healthy Asian countries. Policy makers have only begun to discuss the implications of population aging for health system. There is no policy in place to provide long-term care (LTC). Family has been the mainstay of support for elderly with LTC needs. Myanmar’s demographic transitions will soon challenge the current form of family-caregiving for frail elderly. We analyze Myanmar’s first national aging survey to understand LTC needs and the roles that families play in LTC. We examine prevalence in older-aged disability. Subsequently, we assess the likelihood of receiving care and the composition of …

Dreaming As A Critical Discourse Of National Belonging: China Dream, American Dream And World Dream, William A. Callahan

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

This article explores the normative politics of national belonging through an analysis of the ‘China Dream’ and the ‘American Dream’. It traces how politicians and public intellectuals employ such slogans to highlight how national dreams emerge in times of crisis and involve a combination of aspirations and anxieties. It compares parallel rhetorical strategies – ‘patriotic worrying’ in China and the American Jeremiad in the US – to examine how belonging to these two nations involves a nostalgic longing for the past as a model for the future. Debates about the meaning of these national dreams highlight the tension between freedom …