• Offered by School of Culture History and Language
  • ANU College ANU College of Asia and the Pacific
  • Course subject Asian Studies
  • Areas of interest Non Language Asian Studies
  • Academic career UGRD
  • Mode of delivery In Person

This course is designed to provide an introduction to contemporary social, political and economic life in  independent East Timor, and act as a contextual complement to the Tetum language course taught within CHL.  It is proposed as a specialist regional course contributing  to the strategic objectives of CAP in terms of its smaller country focus in Asia and the Pacific. It will provide participating students with a solid grounding in the recent history of East Timor and the diverse challenges of post-conflict nation-building,  including the introduction of democratic electoral politics; challenges of governance and economic development in the face of persistent poverty and youth unemployment, the pluralist tensions between Catholicism and traditional religion, the impact of globalization, migration and the place of Timor-Leste in the wider region.  The course is presented in broad multi-disciplinary terms and does not require disciplinary pre-requisites, but at different points there is a strong emphasis on anthropological approaches, concepts and methodologies reflecting the convenor’s on-going research interests and expertise. The course would be suitable and of interest to students of Indonesia and Indonesian languages, Southeast Asian politics and comparative studies of post-conflict peace-building. Lectures will draw on selected expertise from the College of Asia and the Pacific in the fields of archaeology, history, politics, economics, religion, gender, security studies and law.

Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion, students will have the knowledge and skills to:

On successful completion of this course students will be able to:

(1) Critically assess and reflect on the ways Timor-Leste has been represented in various disciplines and popular media,
(2) Analyse and evaluate developments in East Timor in the context of the nation's economy, modern history, political system and traditions.
(3) Articulate the nature of East Timor's relations with Australia and its place in the dynamic regional context.
(4) Demonstrate a capacity to critically evaluate and present argument and analysis clearly and concisely.
(5) Demonstrate independent research skills on a topic related to the course using appropriate referencing and source materials


Other Information

The course will be team-taught with contributions from ANU academics (Faculty of Asian Studies and RSPAS) as well as experts from off-campus. In tutorial classes there is round-table discussion of the issues raised in lectures, and in the first weeks of the course films and TV reports will be shown. Current events in East Timor will be discussed.

Indicative Assessment

Active Participation in weekly tutorials including attendance, Assessed on the basis of contributions to discussions and evidence of critical thinking (15% ) ( Learning outcomes 1,2, 3)

One Seminar presentation (1500 words) of a selected topic drawn from weekly lectures and readings.  35% (Learning Outcomes 1,2,4)

Major Essay (3000 words) on a subject raised during the  course  50% (Learning Outcomes 1,2,4)

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

There are 36 class contact hours over the duration of the course.

Requisite and Incompatibility

To enrol in this course you must have successfully completed 36 units of university courses.

Prescribed Texts

Carey P 1999 The Catholic Church, religious Revival, and the nationalist movement in East Timor, 1975-98
James Fox and Dionisio Soares (eds.) 2000 Out of the Ashes: Destruction and Reconstruction of East Timor.
Grenfell D 2012  Remembering the Dead from the Customary to the Modern in Timor-Leste.
Gunn, Geoffrey C. Timor Loro Sae 500 Years, Macao: Fundacao Oriente
Hicks D 2007  Community and Nation State in East Timor: A view from the periphery. Anthropology Today.
Hohe T 2002 The Clash of Paradigms: International Administration and Local political legitimacy in East
  Timor.
Kent L 2011  Local Memory Practices in East Timor: Disrupting Transitional Justice Narratives
Leach M 2009 The 2007 Presidential and Parliamentary Elections in Timor-Leste
McWilliam A  2011 ‘Fataluku Living Landscapes’, in A McWilliam and E.G. Traube (eds) Land and Life in
  Timor Leste: Ethnographic Essays. ANU E-Press
Palmer L and Carvalho D 2008 Nation Building and the Politics of Resource Management: The politics of
  'nature' in Timor-Leste.
Sjoholn J 2009 Fiscal Policy challenges in Timor-Leste, is the Resource Curse on the Hirozon?
Timor Leste Census 2010:  http://www.mof.gov.tl/about-the-ministry/statistics-indicators/statistics-and-census/?lang=en
Taylor-leech K 2008 Language and Identity in East Timor: The discourse of nation building.
UN Independent Special Commission of Inquiry into Timor Leste (2006). http://www.ohchr.org/Documents/
  Countries/COITimorLeste.pdf
World Development Report 2011 Timor-leste's recovery form the 2006 Crisis: Some Lessons.

Preliminary Reading

Carey P 1999 The Catholic Church, religious Revival, and the nationalist movement in East Timor, 1975-98
James Fox and Dionisio Soares (eds.) 2000 Out of the Ashes: Destruction and Reconstruction of East Timor.
Grenfell D 2012  Remembering the Dead from the Customary to the Modern in Timor-Leste.
Gunn, Geoffrey C. Timor Loro Sae 500 Years, Macao: Fundacao Oriente
Hicks D 2007  Community and Nation State in East Timor: A view from the periphery. Anthropology Today.
Hohe T 2002 The Clash of Paradigms: International Administration and Local political legitimacy in East
  Timor.
Kent L 2011  Local Memory Practices in East Timor: Disrupting Transitional Justice Narratives
Leach M 2009 The 2007 Presidential and Parliamentary Elections in Timor-Leste
McWilliam A  2011 ‘Fataluku Living Landscapes’, in A McWilliam and E.G. Traube (eds) Land and Life in
  Timor Leste: Ethnographic Essays. ANU E-Press
Palmer L and Carvalho D 2008 Nation Building and the Politics of Resource Management: The politics of
  'nature' in Timor-Leste.
Sjoholn J 2009 Fiscal Policy challenges in Timor-Leste, is the Resource Curse on the Hirozon?
Timor Leste Census 2010:  http://www.mof.gov.tl/about-the-ministry/statistics-indicators/statistics-and-census/?lang=en
Taylor-leech K 2008 Language and Identity in East Timor: The discourse of nation building.
UN Independent Special Commission of Inquiry into Timor Leste (2006). http://www.ohchr.org/Documents/
  Countries/COITimorLeste.pdf
World Development Report 2011 Timor-leste's recovery form the 2006 Crisis: Some Lessons.

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
Domestic fee paying students
Year Fee
2016 $3054
International fee paying students
Year Fee
2016 $4368
Note: Please note that fee information is for current year only.

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