The South Pacific is a region of diverse and complex island states. Its post-colonial history has been characterized by both stability and turbulence at national, regional and local levels. Pacific leaders have recently taken stock of the situation, affirmed their commitment to maintain and strengthen cultural identities, and endorsed improved regional co-operation as a means toward effective governance, security and development.
Australia’s policy towards the countries of the South Pacific, long supportive of their independence and economic development, has moved to a more interventionist approach in light of recent conflict in Fiji, the Solomon Islands, Tonga and elsewhere.
This course aims to enhance understanding of the challenges and prospects facing the contemporary Pacific Islands region. It particularly engages Pacific Island cultural approaches to the current challenges. It is designed for later year undergraduates, graduate students, development practitioners and policy-makers alike. Through a series of short lectures and student-centered seminars the course examines the following topics and issues:
* Peoples and cultures of Melanesia, Polynesia and Micronesia (focus on social organization, gender and power)
* Historical roots of the contemporary Pacific
* Conflict, corruption and democracy
* Urbanization, labour mobility and migration
* Case studies on Fiji, Kiribati and the Solomon Islands
* Regionalism and the interests of external powers
* Cultural policy, popular culture, the arts and human development
* Globalization and the environment (including climate change)
* Pacific Futures
Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion, students will have the knowledge and skills to:
At the end of this course students will have:
* Demonstrated a new appreciation and understanding of cultural and political diversity and complexity in the contemporary Pacific through their weekly response papers and multimedia, film and reading set reviews. This writing will synthesize course content and place them in the context of current challenges and issues facing the region including how island countries and peoples are portrayed by the media and donor governments.
* Produced an individual research project highlighting a contemporary Pacific issue utilising a variety of research techniques including interviews with experts, literature reviews, ethnographic research, comparison and analysis of online sources.
* Presented their individual research projects orally and in a creative format utilising text-based and multimedia tools and resources.
Indicative Assessment
Seminar participation and attendance: 25% (includes leading class discussion, organizing an interactive exercise and 1-2 pages of questions and reflections per week to be archived in a portfolio)
Review of reading set - 20% (approx. 4-5 pages)
Review of exhibition, film or multimedia news set - 15% (approx. 3-4 pages)
Research project - 40% (1-2 page proposal, 10-12 pages of background, methods, findings, interviews, in-class multimedia presentation and bibliography- no page limit)
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
32 contact hours
Requisite and Incompatibility
You will need to contact the School of Culture History and Language to request a permission code to enrol in this course.
Prescribed Texts
* Globalisation and Governance in the Pacific Islands at ANU EPress:
http://epress.anu.edu.au/ssgm/global_gov/pdf_instructions.html
* Culture and Sustainable Development in the Pacific (2000/ 2005) at ANU EPress:
http://epress.anu.edu.au/culture_sustainable/pdf_instructions.html
* Readings will also be distributed electronically via Web CT or email, along with audiovisual materials occasionally viewed in class.
Preliminary Reading
* Pre-course reading:
Culture and Sustainable Development in the Pacific (2000/ 2005) at ANU EPress:
http://epress.anu.edu.au/culture_sustainable/pdf_instructions.html
Introduction by Tony Hooper
Chapter 1: Culture and Sustainable Development in the Pacific by Langi Kavaliku
Chapter 2: The Ocean in Us by Epeli Hau'ofa
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 |
|---|---|
| 2015 | $2604 |
- International fee paying students
| Year | Fee |
|---|---|
| 2015 | $3576 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10036 | 24 Jul 2017 | 31 Jul 2017 | 31 Aug 2017 | 27 Oct 2017 | In Person | N/A |
