This upper-level seminar course allows students to deepen their knowledge of politics in Asia and the Pacific while acquainting themselves with some of the major methodological traditions in political science research. Through direct interaction with some of the world's leading scholars of Asia-Pacific politics, students will be introduced to major debates, puzzles, and challenges driving contemporary research on the region. By analysing and comparing how scholars approach important issues in contemporary state-society relations, the course will also familiarise students with research methods used in the study of comparative politics, including interpretivist approaches, case study research, historical institutionalism, and quantitative approaches. Cases will be drawn from across the South, Southeast and Northeast Asian regions, as well as from the Southwest Pacific. Assessment tasks will include review essay and research design options. These are designed to assist students develop basic research skills, for use in future professional careers and/or as preparation for more advanced research at honours level or beyond.
Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion, students will have the knowledge and skills to:
On satisfying the requirements of this course, students should be able to:
1. Understand major concepts associated with the study of state-society relations;
2. Understand the application of these concepts to historic and contemporary situations in the Asia-Pacific;
3. Possess a broad empirical knowledge of state-society relations in the Asia-Pacific region;
4. Critically evaluate approaches to the study of state-society relations in the region;
5. Possess an appreciation of key qualitative and quantitative research methods used in the study of comparative politics;
6. Design a longer research project about some aspect of state-society relations in the Asia-Pacific that uses their knowledge of key concepts, methods and issues introduced in the course;
7. Express themselves clearly with respect to the topic area in a variety of formats, including verbal and written.
Indicative Assessment
Seminar participation 10%
Review essay 20%
Research essay 4000 words 40%
Research proposal 30%
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
2 contact hours and 6 hours private study per week.
Requisite and Incompatibility
Prescribed Texts
Readings will be made available on 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. Students continuing in their current program of study will have their tuition fees indexed annually from the year in which you commenced your program. 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 | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 1994-2003 | $1164 | |
| 2014 | $2478 | |
| 2013 | $2472 | |
| 2012 | $2472 | |
| 2011 | $2424 | |
| 2010 | $2358 | |
| 2009 | $2286 | |
| 2008 | $2286 | |
| 2007 | $2286 | |
| 2006 | $2190 | |
| 2005 | $2190 | |
| 2004 | $1926 |
- International fee paying students
| Year | Fee |
|---|---|
| 1994-2003 | $2574 |
| 2014 | $3246 |
| 2013 | $3240 |
| 2012 | $3240 |
| 2011 | $3240 |
| 2010 | $3240 |
| 2009 | $3240 |
| 2008 | $3240 |
| 2007 | $3240 |
| 2006 | $3240 |
| 2005 | $3234 |
| 2004 | $2916 |
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.