Geopolitics, or the study of international relations from a geographical perspective, has a venerable tradition as an academic discipline going back to the late-19th century. It has also informed strategic thinking of great powers seeking territorial expansion or global influence. The Eurasian heartland, and especially its southern fringe comprising Central Asia, has continuously been at the centre of the interpretation of the whole world situation from a spatial viewpoint.

 

This course will discuss the roots of contemporary geopolitical thought, focusing on the British, continental European, American, and Russian contributions. It will examine practical manifestations of geopolitics during World War II and the Cold War before moving to an analysis of contemporary conflicts in Eurasia's southern Muslim belt through the prism of great power rivalry involving China, Russia, the USA, and other regional actors.

 

The course will conclude with a survey of modern critical approaches within the discipline of geopolitics, which go beyond the Realist paradigm in explaining conflictual and associative patterns of behaviour of territorial states in the region.

Learning Outcomes

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

1. Familiarise themselves with Central Asia as a geographic and political entity, and its place in the global system of international affairs.
2. Reflect on, and discuss the key concepts, themes, and schools of thought pertaining to Geopolitics as an IR discipline and a particular modality of policy-making by powerful states.
3. Develop critical approaches to various Geopolitical discourses focusing on Central Asia.
4. Analyse patterns of alliance-making and the dynamics of cooperation and confrontation among great powers in Central Asia.
5. Locate and collate materials on a topic relevant to Central Asian studies, and present their analytical findings in a cogent manner.

Required Resources

Readings will be available on Wattle.

Staff Feedback

Students will be given feedback in the following forms in this course:

• Written comments
• Verbal comments
• Feedback to the whole class, to groups, to individuals, focus groups

Student Feedback

ANU is committed to the demonstration of educational excellence and regularly seeks feedback from students. Students are encouraged to offer feedback directly to their Course Convener or through their College and Course representatives (if applicable). The feedback given in these surveys is anonymous and provides the Colleges, University Education Committee and Academic Board with opportunities to recognise excellent teaching, and opportunities for improvement. The Surveys and Evaluation website provides more information on student surveys at ANU and reports on the feedback provided on ANU courses.

Class Schedule

Week/Session	Summary of Activities	Assessment
1	Introduction to Geopolitics and Central Asia
2	Western geopolitical analysis and Central Asia during the Age of Imperialism and the Cold War
3	Russian geopolitical thinking: from Slavophiles to Eurasianists
4	Central Asia after the Cold War: geostrategic vacuum and great power agendas	Essay progress discussion
5	The West and Central Asia: containment, energy security and normative transfer	Essay progress discussion
6	Russia: a receding or resurgent power?	Essay progress discussion
7	Chinese strategy in Central Asia	Essay progress discussion
8	Iran, Turkey, Pakistan and India: geopolitical agendas of regional powers	Essay progress discussion
9	‘Subaltern’ geopolitics? Mackinder’s legacy used (and abused) in Central Asia	Essay is due by 4pm on October 5
10	Practical geopolitics: traditional modalities of great power rivalry
11	Geopolitics of ideas: soft power projection
12	Assessing geopolitical dynamics in Central Asia today

Tutorial Registration

The course has a weekly seminar for which registration is not required.

Assessment Summary

Assessment task	Value	Due Date	Learning Outcomes
5,000 word research essay	50 %	05/10/2023	1,2,3,4,5
24hr final examination at the end of the semester	40 %	*	1,4,5
Seminar work	10 %	*	2,3

* If the Due Date and Return of Assessment date are blank, see the Assessment Tab for specific Assessment Task details

Policies

ANU has educational policies, procedures and guidelines, which are designed to ensure that staff and students are aware of the University’s academic standards, and implement them. Students are expected to have read the Academic Misconduct Rule before the commencement of their course. Other key policies and guidelines include:

• Student Assessment (Coursework) Policy and Procedure
• Special Assessment Consideration Policy and General Information
• Student Surveys and Evaluations
• Deferred Examinations
• Student Complaint Resolution Policy and Procedure

Assessment Requirements

The ANU is using 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. For additional information regarding Turnitin please visit the ANU Online website Students may choose not to submit assessment items through Turnitin. In this instance you will be required to submit, alongside the assessment item itself, hard copies of all references included in the assessment item.

Moderation of Assessment

Marks that are allocated during Semester are to be considered provisional until formalised by the College examiners meeting at the end of each Semester. If appropriate, some moderation of marks might be applied prior to final results being released.

Assessment Task 1

5,000 word research essay

The essay will be assessed against Learning Outcomes 1-5, on (in descending order of importance):

— whether and how well the question is answered;

— whether and how well an argument is presented;

— the factual accuracy of the essay;

— the depth and sophistication of research demonstrated in the essay;

— whether academic conventions have been followed; and

— the technical quality of the essay

Assessment Task 2

24hr final examination at the end of the semester

The final examination:

·     Will be held during the Second Semester examination period (3-19 November inclusive). Students must make themselves available to complete the examination at any time during this period.

·     Will be of 24 hours duration and follow the open-book format.

·     Will entail answering, in writing, two questions, word count of approximately 1500 words (~750 per question). Advice on the structure and content of the examination will be provided during seminars.

. Late submission is not accepted for take-home examinations.

·     Will be assessed against Learning Outcomes 1,4 and 5, and will be assessed on (in descending order of importance):

— whether and how well the questions posed are answered;

— whether and how well facts and arguments, as applicable, are presented in the answers;

— the depth and sophistication of knowledge and understanding demonstrated in the examination.

Assessment Task 3

Seminar work

Demonstration of understanding of themes/ideas presented in the weekly readings;

Discussion of weekly topics during the seminars;

Demonstration of critical engagement with weekly literature in students' contribution to class discussion.

Academic Integrity

Academic integrity is a core part of our culture as a community of scholars. At its heart, academic integrity is about behaving ethically. This means that all members of the community commit to honest and responsible scholarly practice and to upholding these values with respect and fairness. The Australian National University commits to embedding the values of academic integrity in our teaching and learning. We ensure that all members of our community understand how to engage in academic work in ways that are consistent with, and actively support academic integrity. The ANU expects staff and students to uphold high standards of academic integrity and act ethically and honestly, to ensure the quality and value of the qualification that you will graduate with. The University has policies and procedures in place to promote academic integrity and manage academic misconduct. Visit the following Academic honesty & plagiarism website for more information about academic integrity and what the ANU considers academic misconduct. The ANU offers a number of services to assist students with their assignments, examinations, and other learning activities. The Academic Skills and Learning Centre offers a number of workshops and seminars that you may find useful for your studies.

Online Submission

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.

Hardcopy Submission

For some forms of assessment (hand written assignments, art works, laboratory notes, etc.) hard copy submission is appropriate when approved by the Associate Dean (Education). Hard copy submissions must utilise the Assignment Cover Sheet. Please keep a copy of tasks completed for your records.

Late Submission

No submission of assessment tasks without an extension after the due date will be permitted. If an assessment task is not submitted by the due date, a mark of 0 will be awarded. OR Late submission of assessment tasks without an extension are penalised at the rate of 5% of the possible marks available per working day or part thereof. Late submission of assessment tasks is not accepted after 10 working days after the due date, or on or after the date specified in the course outline for the return of the assessment item. Late submission is not accepted for take-home examinations.

Referencing Requirements

Accepted academic practice for referencing sources that you use in presentations can be found via the links on the Wattle site, under the file named “ANU and College Policies, Program Information, Student Support Services and Assessment”. Alternatively, you can seek help through the Students Learning Development website.

Returning Assignments

The Research Essay will be returned within 14 days of submission.

Extensions and Penalties

Extensions and late submission of assessment pieces are covered by the Student Assessment (Coursework) Policy and Procedure The Course Convener may grant extensions for assessment pieces that are not examinations or take-home examinations. If you need an extension, you must request an extension in writing on or before the due date. If you have documented and appropriate medical evidence that demonstrates you were not able to request an extension on or before the due date, you may be able to request it after the due date.

Resubmission of Assignments

Not permitted.

Privacy Notice

The ANU has made a number of third party, online, databases available for students to use. Use of each online database is conditional on student end users first agreeing to the database licensor’s terms of service and/or privacy policy. Students should read these carefully. In some cases student end users will be required to register an account with the database licensor and submit personal information, including their: first name; last name; ANU email address; and other information. In cases where student end users are asked to submit ‘content’ to a database, such as an assignment or short answers, the database licensor may only use the student’s ‘content’ in accordance with the terms of service — including any (copyright) licence the student grants to the database licensor. Any personal information or content a student submits may be stored by the licensor, potentially offshore, and will be used to process the database service in accordance with the licensors terms of service and/or privacy policy. If any student chooses not to agree to the database licensor’s terms of service or privacy policy, the student will not be able to access and use the database. In these circumstances students should contact their lecturer to enquire about alternative arrangements that are available.

Distribution of grades policy

Academic Quality Assurance Committee monitors the performance of students, including attrition, further study and employment rates and grade distribution, and College reports on quality assurance processes for assessment activities, including alignment with national and international disciplinary and interdisciplinary standards, as well as qualification type learning outcomes. Since first semester 1994, ANU uses a grading scale for all courses. This grading scale is used by all academic areas of the University.

Support for students

The University offers students support through several different services. You may contact the services listed below directly or seek advice from your Course Convener, Student Administrators, or your College and Course representatives (if applicable).

• ANU Health, safety & wellbeing for medical services, counselling, mental health and spiritual support
• ANU Diversity and inclusion for students with a disability or ongoing or chronic illness
• ANU Dean of Students for confidential, impartial advice and help to resolve problems between students and the academic or administrative areas of the University
• ANU Academic Skills and Learning Centre supports you make your own decisions about how you learn and manage your workload.
• ANU Counselling Centre promotes, supports and enhances mental health and wellbeing within the University student community.
• ANUSA supports and represents undergraduate and ANU College students
• PARSA supports and represents postgraduate and research students