Road to East Asia
Road to East Asia
Written by students of FC1750.06
at
Founders College, York University
When I logged onto the Internet on March 1, 1996, there was a title in bold which caught my eye.At the very top of The World-Wide Web Virtual Library is What's New in WWW Asian Studies Newsletter, where I found endless relevant subjects as I skimmed through the various titles. I did not expect Asian studies to be in plain sight.
The first web-site I logged onto was Pacific Rim Used Books . The titles are categorized by country and listed alphabetically by author, followed by a short description of the book, its condition, and price. I chose a book from each of the three East Asian countries -- China, Japan, and Korea. I have rarely seen lists of books which have Asian content and essential information.
Next, I wanted to explore the job market. I found a web-site titled Asian Internet Marketing Mailing List , which relates to one of my career choices, business. This site offers information for marketers in Asia who wish to do business on the Internet. There is a list of sample subjects which gives the reader an idea of what is available to them once they subscribe. Such examples are job announcements, book reviews and Asian Internet Marketing/Sales related questions and answers. An address is given to those who are interested in posting messages.
Serving the same basic purpose is Asian Business Chronicle , which publishes a new issue every month. At this web site I have learned about different types of businesses in which both Asian and non-Asian countries are involved. It features articles such as country Backgrounder and competitive insights. This allows me to think about what type of business I may choose as my career.
Journalism is a career option in which I express an interest. I was curious about Asian media and I found many sites for Asian Americans who share my aspirations and interests. Asian American Mall caters to North Americans of Asian origins. It contains information about Asian American artists, articles about entrepreneurs, opportunities for meeting new people and orders for sexy Asian American calendars. This site profiles some of the emerging Asian American artists, authors and musicians. I found two magazines founded by Asian Americans. Asian Am. Resources is a magazine with articles on movies, fraternities, clubs, literature, events and more. One of the events was a party held in Florida for all Asian Americans during the March break. I wish I had attended such an apparently enjoyable gathering! Giant Robot Magazine includes staff that are not Asian. This magazine is imaginative and fun to read. It contains articles such as "Asian Soft Drinks" and "China A to Z." There are articles which are personal, recipes, movie recommendations and more.
One of my favorite web sites is Road to East Asia, which features articles by my classmates and myself at Founders College, York University. We usually discuss the short stories and novels that we have read in the East Asian Literature course or respond imaginatively to these works. Sometimes we compare them with books by such authors as Joy Kogawa and Amy Tan. I hope the reader enjoys our journal whether he or she shares our opinions or not.
The web-site titled Register of Leading Asian & Pacific Studies Electronic Journals allows people to submit an entry for Asian studies. Sites for Asia-related subjects are given. I stop my Internet search for now. I have found many sites which have diversified my thinking. I have learned a great deal about the career options that are open to me. Tomorrow I will continue to experience the Internet and submit more articles.
Copyright © 1996 by the author. Information from this article should be attributed to the author.