Module SGIA2161: THE POLITICS OF PACIFIC ASIA

Department: Government and International Affairs

SGIA2161: THE POLITICS OF PACIFIC ASIA

Prerequisites

• Any Level 1 SGIA module

Corequisites

• None.

Excluded Combination of Modules

• None.

Aims

• The module will give students a systematic understanding of the politics of Pacific Asia by studying political institutions, processes and conflict within the wider context of cultural diversity and historical inheritances.
• Particular emphasis will be placed on understanding large-scale political and economic transformations – such as democratisation and industrialisation – that have shaped the region in recent decades.
• Students will also explore how to apply theories and concepts of contemporary political science to the regional context, helping them to gain an understanding of politics as a contested discipline: Do its concepts ‘travel’ to non-Western contexts?
• The module is aimed at Level 2 students who wish to understand the complexities of this emerging and important region, and who may want to pursue more specialised options in East Asian politics at Level 3.

Content

• The module will – with special reference to colonial and Cold War history as well as to cultural identities – define Pacific Asia as a geographic area to discuss how key concepts and theories of political science are being contested within the region on a daily basis.
• Students will identify the key actors – such as states, regimes, social classes, the military, and political parties – and explore how these actors have shaped political outcomes within the particular socio-political context. Consideration will also be given to the interplay between domestic and international politics.
• Although the module aims to examine Pacific Asia as a whole, teaching is based on the assumption that an adequate understanding of politics in the region must take into account variation and cultural differences as well as the specific challenges faced by different countries.
• At the same time, the module encourages students to think more widely about how studying Asian politics can contribute to general debates in political science and international relations.

Learning Outcomes

• Students will gain subject specific knowledge and understanding in order to be able to:
• define and manipulate the key theories and concepts relevant to the study of the region.
• demonstrate an appreciation of the variety of political issues and tensions characteristic of the region.
• demonstrate knowledge of the contested nature of political science in terms of its study of the region.
• demonstrate awareness of the nature and relative merits of the principal methodologies employed in the study of the region.

• Students should be able to:
• describe and apply a basic – and in some contexts more advanced – understanding of the academic literature concerning the region.
• identify and evaluate the key areas of dispute in this field of political study.
• demonstrate the ability to reach informed judgements as to the relative merits of the appropriate concepts and methodologies in this field of politics.
• demonstrate a self-critical and self-aware approach to their learning in the module.

• Students will develop:
• more advanced techniques in the research and evaluation of academic resources.
• higher and a more diverse range of skills in the preparation and presentation of academic work to the appropriate standards and within the time constraints.
• increased independence in planning and managing their own learning.

Modes of Teaching, Learning and Assessment and how these contribute to the learning outcomes of the module

• The module will be taught by means of 21 one-hour lectures and ten one-hour tutorials. Lectures will make the major contribution to subject specific knowledge and understanding, delivering formal instruction in appropriate theories and facts. Tutorials aim to develop subject specific skills, notably through student presentations and small-group exercises.
• One lecture near the beginning of the module will be organised together with Durham Oriental Museum to introduce students to the history and cultural diversity of the region.
• Formative assessment is by a 1,500-word essay due at the end of Michaelmas term and a tutorial presentation. The formative submissions will prepare students for their summative assessments and will be responded to by the tutor in the feedback report.
• Summative assessment will be by means of a 2,000-word essay due at the end of the Epiphany Term and a 1-hour unseen written examination in May/June.

Teaching Methods and Learning Hours

Summative Assessment

Formative Assessment:

Formative assessment will be by means of a 1,500 word essay and a presentation to the tutorial class. Tutors will give written feedback on both the presentation and essay on specific feedback forms.

■ Attendance at all activities marked with this symbol will be monitored. Students who fail to attend these activities, or to complete the summative or formative assessment specified above, will be subject to the procedures defined in the University's General Regulation V, and may be required to leave the University