This course is available for in-person and remote (online) learning. Remote (online) and in-person students participate in separate classes.
This course exists for three reasons. First, it introduces students to the leading concepts that sit at the heart of Strategic Studies and allows them to study these in real depth. Second, the course examines how these ideas can be applied in the ‘real world’ of strategy, especially in terms of conflict issues in the Asia-Pacific. And third, given that most of these concepts were developed – or, at the very least, took on new meaning - during the 1950s and 1960s at the height of the Cold War, the course also critically analyses how well they apply today in a much different cultural, geographic and temporal setting. Do they usefully illuminate contemporary Asia-Pacific conflict and how this might work out? Or are adapted and possibly even new versions of these strategic concepts needed as this region enters an era of deepening strategic competition?
Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion, students will have the knowledge and skills to:
- A strong understanding of core Strategic Studies concepts;
- An appreciation of the relationship between these concepts and strategy in practice, especially in Asia-Pacific conflict situations;
- An ability to critically analyse the utility of a set of predominantly western-derived concepts to a different cultural, geographic and temporal setting; and
- The capacity to effectively communicate these findings, both verbally and in writing, in a scholarly and accessible way.
Other Information
Indicative Assessment
- Class participation: 10% (10) [LO 1,3,4]
- Short essay (2,000 words): 40% (40) [LO 2,3]
- Research essay (4,000 words): 50% (50) [LO 1,2,3,4]
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
Students undertaking this course could expect a workload of 10 hours a week. This is inclusive of actual contact hours for lectures and also out of class preparation time.Inherent Requirements
Not applicable
Requisite and Incompatibility
Prescribed Texts
N/A
Preliminary Reading
Robert Ayson, ‘Asia’s Diplomacy of Violence: China-US Coercion and Regional Order’, Survival, vol.59, no.2, April-May 2017, pp.85-124.
Robert Ayson and Desmond Ball, ‘Can a Sino-Japanese War Be Controlled?’, Survival, vol.56, no.6, December 2014-January 2015, pp.135-66.
Coral Bell, The Conventions of Crisis: A Study in Diplomatic Management (London: Oxford University Press, 1971).
Victor Cha, Powerplay: The Origins of the American Alliance System in Asia (Princeton and Oxford: Princeton University Press, 2016).
Thomas J. Christensen, ‘China, the U.S.-Japan Alliance and the Security Dilemma in East Asia’, International Security, vol.23, no.4, Spring 1999, pp.49-80.
Lawrence Freedman, Strategy: a history (Oxford and New York: Oxford University Press, 2013).
Lawrence Freedman, ed., Strategic Coercion: concepts and cases (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1998).
Lawrence Freedman, Deterrence (Malden, MA: Polity Press, 2004).
Evelyn Goh, ed., Rising China’s Influence in Developing Asia (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2016).
Michael J. Green, et.al., Countering Coercion in Maritime Asia: The Theory and Practice of Gray Zone Deterrence (Lanham, Boulder, New York and London: Rowman & Littlefield for the Center for Strategic and International Studies, 2017).
Van Jackson, Rival Reputations: Coercion and Credibility in US-North Korea Relations (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2016).
Robert Jervis and Mira Rapp-Hooper, ‘Perception and Misperception on the Korean Peninsula’, Foreign Affairs, vol.97, no.3, May/June 2018, pp.103-117.
Robert Jervis, Perception and misperception in international politics (Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1976).
Alastair Iain Johnston, Cultural Realism: strategic culture and grand strategy in Chinese history (Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1995).
Thomas C. Schelling, Arms and influence (New Haven: Yale University Press, 1966).
Thomas C. Schelling, The Strategy of Conflict (Cambridge, MA: Harvard 1960).
Fees
Tuition fees are for the academic year indicated at the top of the page.
Commonwealth Support (CSP) Students
If you 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). More information about your student contribution amount for each course at Fees.
- Student Contribution Band:
- 14
- Unit value:
- 6 units
If you are a domestic graduate coursework student with a Domestic Tuition Fee (DTF) place or international student you will be required to pay course tuition fees (see below). Course tuition fees are indexed annually. Further information for domestic and international students about tuition and other fees can be found 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 |
|---|---|
| 2021 | $4110 |
- International fee paying students
| Year | Fee |
|---|---|
| 2021 | $5880 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7208 | 26 Jul 2021 | 02 Aug 2021 | 14 Sep 2021 | 29 Oct 2021 | In Person | View |
