This course investigates the dynamic transformations unfolding in contemporary Asia and the Pacific. It introduces Area Studies as a field of scholarship and asks what it means to study this diverse and rapidly changing region. Through an interdisciplinary approach, students will explore three key themes:
- Organising lives: How people in Asia and the Pacific live, work, and connect in fast-changing societies, and how culture, religion, technology, and gender shape daily life and drive social change.
- Poverty and riches: Social and economic inequalities, highlighting urban–rural divides and patterns of wealth, poverty, and inequality.
- Race, ethnicity, and creativity: Diverse forms of creativity and cultural production, and how race and ethnicity shape social identity and cohesion.
These themes highlight shifting power dynamics, regional interconnections, and the impact of digital and technological transformations.
Students will gain diverse perspectives on the region’s complexities, drawing from disciplines such as anthropology, cultural studies, gender studies, politics, history, economics, international relations, and related fields. The course emphasises inter-referencing within the region to demonstrate how concepts and theories from Asian and Pacific contexts are relevant across local and translocal scales. Lectures will feature leading experts from ANU presenting comparative case studies and posing critical questions, while tutorials will build students’ critical thinking, communication, and research skills.
This course is one of two required foundational courses for the Bachelor of Asian Studies. It is also highly suitable for students in other programs who recognise the importance of engaging with Asia and the Pacific for their studies and future careers. The course enhances students’ capacity to engage with twenty-first-century challenges related to Asia and the Pacific, including the future of Australia’s place in the region, from transdisciplinary and comparative perspectives.
Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion, students will have the knowledge and skills to:
- Understand and value the diversity of cultural, social, economic, and political experiences across Asia and the Pacific, especially in ways that promote independent, lifelong learning from and with these regions.
- Demonstrate how different concepts and methods from the humanities and social sciences can be applied to analyse the complexities of Asia and the Pacific.
- Recognise and critically evaluate different theoretical perspectives, and reflect on how these shape interpretations of regional change, power dynamics, and social identity.
- Analyse contemporary transformations within Asia and the Pacific, including Australia, by engaging with research evidence, constructing coherent arguments, and using appropriate scholarly conventions, including citation and referencing.
- Develop critical thinking, self-reflective awareness, independent judgment, and effective communication through written, oral, and multimedia forms, individually and collaboratively.
Indicative Assessment
- Critical and reflective note on reading materials from weeks 1 to 8, due in weeks 4 and 8. Each note should be approximately 150 words per week, with a total of 1200 words across the two submissions. (40) [LO 1,2,3,4,5]
- Essay: 2000 words (30) [LO 1,2,3,4,5]
- Multimedia project: The script is equivalent to a 2000-word essay (20) [LO 1,2,3,5]
- Tutorial Participation (10) [LO 1,2,5]
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
The standard workload for a 6 unit course is 130 hours including in class time and independent study.
Prescribed Texts
There is no single prescribed text for this course. Readings will be provided from various sources and made available on Canvas.
Preliminary Reading
Readings for this course will be from a variety of sources, and will include introductory texts to the Asia and Pacific region from the perspectives of a wide range of disciplines.Assumed Knowledge
This course assumes no prior knowledge of Asia and the Pacific.
Majors
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 |
|---|---|
| 2026 | $4500 |
- International fee paying students
| Year | Fee |
|---|---|
| 2026 | $5820 |
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.
First Semester
| Class number | Class start date | Last day to enrol | Census date | Class end date | Mode Of Delivery | Class Summary |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3505 | 23 Feb 2026 | 02 Mar 2026 | 31 Mar 2026 | 29 May 2026 | In Person | N/A |