For those whose motivation is linked to East Asian Studies, it's an opportunity to develop ideas that will underwrite the process of defining and constructing the senior thesis; for those with no particular East Asia background or interests, it's an instance of the general life-long problem of finding and managing and using information and information media.
American mass media have a very mixed record in their dealings with Asia, and indeed with any but "homeland" concerns. It's tempting to concentrate on the stereotyping and blinkered ignorances of the past... but also important to realize how many of those episodes of ignorance continue into the present. The mirror doesn't show a pretty picture, and there's not a whole lot of hope that technological process will change that very much.
What does it take to get our attention?
I've decided to incorporate sound/mp3 into the course