Social Transformation in Southeast Asia

The School of Arts and Social Sciences (SASS) at Monash University Sunway Campus focuses on social and political issues in the Southeast Asian region as its educational strength. Specifically, we are interested in the way certain individuals and/or groups of people are included or excluded because of certain social and/or political developments in a particular country. In considering these issues, we look at cultural, ethical and global issues and the way they can impact on the region’s progress.

Although there are other higher institutes of learning in the region which also focus on the above issues, SASS’s approach is unique because of our commitment to interdisciplinary methods of teaching. We pride ourselves on our use of theories drawn from disciplines such as gender studies, sociology, history, literary and film studies, anthropology, political science and international studies, to understand the current social and political issues with which Southeast Asia is grappling. From theorizing these issues, we then challenge our students to confront them through ethical, responsible, critical and informed thinking.

SASS’s educational strength support Monash University’s overall mission to be socially inclusive. Our aim is to make our students aware of the concerns confronting modern Southeast Asia, and to equip them with the knowledge that is vital when facing these challenges. As education in the Humanities and Social Sciences should ideally transform students into ethically and socially responsible individuals, it is SASS’s vision that in meeting this ideal, we will be a leading school and university in Southeast Asian studies.

Objectives

Monash’s SASS aims to pioneer and emphasize social and political inclusion and exclusion as an important dimension in Southeast Asian studies. We have narrowed our concerns to two main themes:

• Politics and Society: This includes the study of both local and regional socio-political issues, especially those related to groups or communities that have become advantaged or disadvantaged due to certain social or political changes or developments.
• Ethics and Religion: This involves the study of how certain groups or communities have been privileged or disregarded due to religion or ethical developments in the region.

In both, we are interested in questions such as: how have these groups/communities become privileged/disadvantaged? What are the ethical considerations for such developments? What must we do to address or redress such developments? Why should it matter that we do this?

Our primary focus is on Malaysia, but we are also interested in comparative studies using Malaysia as a case study against which other countries in the Southeast Asian region and beyond can be compared and contrasted. While we emphasize the study of political and social inclusion/exclusion in this country, we challenge our students, especially the international students, to provide insights into their countries’ policies and practices in order to encourage debates. As a foreign and private university, Monash Sunway is uniquely positioned to develop such a learning environment – one that combines “insider’s” perspectives with those of our international friends. In this way, the educational emphasis shifts from merely “learning” about issues, to actively engaging with them, thereby challenging students to be more critical and questioning.

Methods and Approaches

The two themes mentioned above will be further subdivided into four disciplinary areas, from which important issues relating to the themes will be taught to the students:

1. Politics and International Studies. Issues include: how politics is used to advantage/disadvantage certain groups or communities; how minority voices are challenging discrimination; the relationship between politics and religion, gender, race, etc.
2. Journalism and the Media. Issues include: how does the media promote ideas about certain groups or communities that reinforce their advantage or disadvantage and issues surrounding ethical and responsible journalism; etc.

1. Gender and Sexuality. Issues include: the relationship between gender and sexuality; questioning a male-dominated agenda and its impact on society; the place of intersexed individuals in society; etc.

1. Literature and Film: Issues include: how literature/film portrays certain groups/communities to reinforce their advantage/disadvantage; literature and film as propaganda; literature and film as criticism against accepted views and the status quo.

To achieve the educational strength’s objectives, SASS has several strategies in place, some which are already happening, while others will be implemented step-by-step over the next three years. With careful monitoring and reviewing of these strategies, we hope to develop a clear educational focus within the school that will be meaningful to the communities in this region. Our vision is not only to graduate students, but to graduate future leaders who are ethical, responsible, socially and political aware, progressive-looking and global in outlook.

Below is a brief overview of some of the strategies that are already in place:

(a) SASS’s curriculum.

Many of the subjects taught in the School are linked to the educational strength of social and political issues in the Southeast Asian region They are structured in such a way that they promote debates and argument about the various social and political concerns in the region in order to foster ethical and critical thinking. Some of these subjects include:

Governing the Global Economy: Stability, Efficiency, Justice (INT2085/3085) – this unit introduces students to the politics of governing Southeast Asian and global economy. It explores the way local and regional factors influence the processes and institutions that constitute economic governance, and the extent to which they focus on efficiency and stability as primary goals, and whether justice is and should be a central focus.

Postcolonial and Diasporic Literature (WRT2407) – this unit introduces students to the literature of Southeast Asia and other Asian nations that were once under colonial rule. Through studying these texts, students will confront the historical and cultural factors that have influenced the formation of Southeast Asian identities, and the extent to which these factors continue to operate.

Malaysian Cinema (FTV2120/3120) and Independent Cinema in Southeast Asia (FTV2110/3110) – these units are concerned with the historical legacy and contemporary practice of regional cinemas in the way they capture, represent and problematize political/social issues.

The three subjects mentioned above are designed by academics of the School specifically for students on this campus. There are many other units (imported from Monash campuses in Australia) with a strong focus on issues of inclusion and exclusion, such as the following:

• INT2/3050: Mobile Worlds (which studies migrants and refugees, and the politics of belonging)
• INT2/3030: Nationality, Ethnicity and Conflict
• COM2411/3411 :Media, Culture, Power
• JRN2909/3909: Media Law
• JRN2910/3910: Journalism Ethics  

The School is currently working on introducing a new Arts major that is based on the educational strength, provisionally called the Bachelor of Arts (Southeast Asian Studies), which will emphasize theories and issues of political and social inclusion/exclusion in the region. It is hoped that this new major will be launched in 2014.  

Placement

The School has a placement program which will enable students to work directly with local NGOs or the various media/communication organizations. This program takes the form of a subject which students can enroll and gain credit points. The aim of this subject is to encourage students to participate actively in NGO concerns. It is also linked to the School’s NGOw Your World Day (see below).

Postgraduate Programs

To strengthen the educational strength further, SASS encourages postgraduate students to work on areas related to this strength and in doing so to use a multidisciplinary approach. Comparative studies, especially those which include Malaysia as a focus, are especially encouraged.

(b) Extra-curricular Activities

SASS conducts many extra-curricular activities throughout the year as part of its strategy to reinforce the School’s educational strength. They are as follows:

SASS Seminar Series: This seminar is run monthly during the teaching semesters. Notable academics or activists are invited to speak on matters related to Malaysian and Southeast Asian societies, cultures and politics. Students are exposed to high-profile speakers and learn first hand the issues and concerns surrounding the region in a dynamic and critical educational setting. Speakers who have participated in the series include: Professor Clive Kessler, Lat (the Malaysian cartoonist), Professor Diane Stone, Hishamuddin Rais (Malaysian activist) and others. For more details, see: http://www.sass.monash.edu.my/research/SASS-Seminar-Series.html

NGOw Your World Day: This event provides students with opportunities to seek internships and explore career opportunities with Malaysian and regional NGOs. A subject devoted to placement has been introduced to create a direct educational link to this event. For further information, please visit: 2011 Monash NGO Day

Journalism and Film-making Workshops: Through a series of workshops run by experts and practitioners of the fields, students are encouraged to put their theoretical learning into application within the disciplines of journalism and film studies. In these workshops, students are encouraged to focus on the ethics of film-making and journalism, and how these skills can contribute to important civil causes. For details, please visit: http://www.sass.monash.edu.my/news-a-events/Film-Making-for-Dungus.html

Local and Regional Study Trips: Since 2004, the SASS has been organizing study trips to both local and regional places in order to carry out specific researches related to social-political inclusion and exclusion. The main objectives of these study trips are:

1. To expose students to the complex and changing social, cultural and political realities – frequently related to human rights – in Malaysia and its neighboring countries.
2. To provide students with opportunities to put their education (theories) and skills (interviewing, film-making, documenting, writing) to practice.

 A major learning outcome of these trips is that students learn to see clearly the connection between what is taught in the classroom and what is happening “out there” in Southeast Asia. This conforms to the University’s vision of helping the student realize that the world is their campus. For more details, please visit: http://www.sass.monash.edu.my/news-a-events/SASS-Study-Trips.html

“Nasi Bungkus” Cinema (“Packed Lunch” Cinema): This monthly event aims:

1. To support the screening of short films made by students at Monash Sunway
2. To encourage the experimental film-making scene in Malaysia and Southeast Asia by serving as a base for which these films may be screened to the public.

This activity supplements the film studies subjects of SASS, and complements the other via extra-curricular activities such as the study trips and workshops. As many such films are concentrated on issues of disadvantaged groups, civil actions, and human rights, this activity provides students with the unique opportunity to think about and critique the role of films in society, and the power of the visual to motivate social and political awareness. For more details, please visit: http://www.sass.monash.edu.my/news-a-events/Nasi-Bungkus-Cinema.html

Filmmaker- and writer-in-residency programs

The aim of this program is to provide space and resources already available at Monash Sunway to a filmmaker or writer to develop a film or a writing project at our campus for the period of one teaching semester. Film-makers and writers whose works are concerned with rights and disadvantaged communities are especially encouraged. The educational outcome of this project is the mentoring of students of film studies and writing by professional filmmakers and/or writers. Students will not only learn important techniques related to these crafts, but the ethical issues surrounding them as well. For more details, please visit: http://www.sass.monash.edu.my/news/Film-maker-in-Residence.html

Outcomes

 The abovementioned strategies benefit the School and the University as a whole in many ways. Amongst its most significant outcomes are:

• Reflecting SASS’s vision to be a leading School in Southeast Asian studies, with a clear focus on issues of political and social inclusion and exclusion.
• Strengthening the research-teaching nexus in areas directly related to issues of human rights, ethics, and justice. SASS academics are among some of the leading researchers in various fields of social and political enquiry in the region, which directly forge a strong link between what they teach and what they research.
• Contributing to the Monash Passport Program, especially via its B.A Global degree and the various extra-curricular activities (especially the study-trips) mentioned above.

Members of the Education Strength:

Leader: Dr Andrew Ng Hock Soon

Members:
Dr Helen Nesadurai, Senior Lecturer (International Studies)
Dr Yeoh Seng Guan, Senior Lecturer (Communications)
Dr Sharon Bong, Senior Lecturer (Writing)
Mr Wong Chin Huat (Lecturer, Journalism)