• Offered by Centre for Arab and Islamic Studies
  • ANU College ANU College of Arts and Social Sciences
  • Course subject Political Science
  • Areas of interest Arab and Islamic Studies, International Relations, Political Sciences, Asian Studies
  • Academic career UGRD
  • Course convener
    • Dr Kirill Nourzhanov
  • Mode of delivery In Person
  • Offered in First Semester 2020
    See Future Offerings

This course covers a predominantly Muslim region, which has recently come to prominence in world politics since the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. Its focus is on the national politics and regional and international relations of Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan, with references to other players' role in the region. The course concentrates on selected themes concerning political and social change, economic modernisation and regional security against the backdrop of sectarian, ethnolinguistic and ideological diversity, as well as outside interference and geopolitical rivalry.

Learning Outcomes

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

  1. familiarise themselves with the region, its peoples, geography, culture, and the place in the world;
  2. reflect on, and discuss the key concepts, themes, and schools of thought pertaining to politics and international relations of Central Asia;
  3. analyse historical and current developments in the region, using these intellectual tools; and
  4. locate and collate materials on a topic relevant to Central Asian studies, and present their findings in a cogent and analytical manner.

Other Information

This course is considered compatible with Security Studies, Asian Politics and International Relations, and Contemporary Asian Societies, fields of study.

Indicative Assessment

  1. 3,000 word essay (50) [LO 1,2,3,4]
  2. 2-hour exam (two questions to be answered) or 2,000 word essay (40) [LO 3,4]
  3. Tutorial performance (10) [LO 2,4]

In response to COVID-19: Please note that Semester 2 Class Summary information (available under the classes tab) is as up to date as possible. Changes to Class Summaries not captured by this publication will be available to enrolled students via Wattle. 

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

130 hours of total student learning time made up from: a) 36 hours of contact over 12 weeks: 24 hours of lectures and 12 hours of tutorials; and b) 94 hours of independent student research, reading and writing.

Inherent Requirements

Not applicable

Prescribed Texts

The course uses an electronic reading brick available on Wattle.

Preliminary Reading

Svat Soucek. A History of Inner Asia, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2000.

Amin Saikal. Modern Afghanistan: A History of Struggle and Survival, London and New York: I. B. Tauris, 2004.

Daniel L. Burghart and Theresa Sabonis-Helf, eds. Central Asia in the Era of Sovereignty. Lanham: Lexington Books, 2018.

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
2020 $3840
International fee paying students
Year Fee
2020 $5460
Note: Please note that fee information is for current year only.

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.

The list of offerings for future years is indicative only.
Class summaries, if available, can be accessed by clicking on the View link for the relevant class number.

First Semester

Class number Class start date Last day to enrol Census date Class end date Mode Of Delivery Class Summary
2752 24 Feb 2020 02 Mar 2020 08 May 2020 05 Jun 2020 In Person N/A

Responsible Officer: Registrar, Student Administration / Page Contact: Website Administrator / Frequently Asked Questions