In 1999 SDSC's Emeritus Professor Paul Dibb coined the term 'arc of instability' to describe the island chain to the north of Australia, ranging from Indonesia through the Pacific islands to New Zealand. Although this idea is contested, the Australian government consistently identifies this arc as the region from or through which a security threat to Australia could most easily be posed. As a result, Australia is engaged in extensive efforts to support stability and security in this region, which is the site of the majority of Australia's military deployments, policing operations and development expenditure. This course critically analyses the security challenges facing this arc, and the efforts Australia is taking to secure the region. These efforts include transnational crime and counterterrorism cooperation, natural disaster response, intervention and stabilisation, criminal justice assistance, governance capacity-building and development assistance. It considers the implications of the whole-of-government approach taken by the government, which draws upon the Australian Defence Force, Australian Federal Police, DFAT and other agencies. It evaluates the interaction between Australian and local security responses, and the success of efforts to achieve mutually-beneficial partnerships between them. It also assesses the outlook over the next decade for security in this strategically important region.
Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion, students will have the knowledge and skills to:
Students who successfully complete this course should be able to:
- Express a comprehensive understanding of the security challenges facing Australia’s arc of instability.
- Describe the purpose and activities of the key Australian government agencies working to secure the region.
- Critically evaluate the Australian government’s efforts to secure the region.
- Demonstrate an insight into the particularities of the security challenges faces states in the region.
- Conduct scholarly research, express ideas and construct evidence-based arguments in both written and oral form.
Indicative Assessment
- Tutorial presentation 10%
- Briefing paper 20%
- Crisis simulation and reflective essay 35%
- Final take-home examination 35%
The ANU uses Turnitin to enhance student citation and referencing techniques, and to assess assignment submissions as a component of the University's approach to managing Academic Integrity. While the use of Turnitin is not mandatory, the ANU highly recommends Turnitin is used by both teaching staff and students. For additional information regarding Turnitin please visit the ANU Online website.
Workload
35 contact hours per semester.
A 2-hour lecture session per week for 10 weeks, a 1-hour tutorial per week for 8 weeks, a one-day (7-hour) crisis simulation and one optional field visit per semester.
Prescribed Texts
Key readings will be provided via Wattle.
Majors
Minors
Fees
Tuition fees are for the academic year indicated at the top of the page.
If you are a domestic graduate coursework or international student you will be required to pay tuition fees. Tuition fees are indexed annually. Further information for domestic and international students about tuition and other fees can be found at Fees.
- Student Contribution Band:
- 1
- Unit value:
- 6 units
If you are an undergraduate student and have been offered a Commonwealth supported place, your fees are set by the Australian Government for each course. At ANU 1 EFTSL is 48 units (normally 8 x 6-unit courses). You can find your student contribution amount for each course at Fees. Where there is a unit range displayed for this course, not all unit options below may be available.
| Units | EFTSL |
|---|---|
| 6.00 | 0.12500 |
Course fees
- Domestic fee paying students
| Year | Fee |
|---|---|
| 2016 | $3054 |
- International fee paying students
| Year | Fee |
|---|---|
| 2016 | $4368 |
Offerings, Dates and Class Summary Links
ANU utilises MyTimetable to enable students to view the timetable for their enrolled courses, browse, then self-allocate to small teaching activities / tutorials so they can better plan their time. Find out more on the Timetable webpage.
Class summaries, if available, can be accessed by clicking on the View link for the relevant class number.
Second Semester
| Class number | Class start date | Last day to enrol | Census date | Class end date | Mode Of Delivery | Class Summary |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9945 | 18 Jul 2016 | 29 Jul 2016 | 31 Aug 2016 | 28 Oct 2016 | In Person | N/A |
