AST4000

Contemporary issues in Asia

Executive officer, MAI

12 points
* One 2-hour seminar per week
* First semester
* Clayton

Objectives The principal objective of this subject is to enable students to achieve a familiarity with the `region' or `neighbourhood' usually described as `Asia'. By the end of the semester students should have a general knowledge of the three regions, East Asia, South Asia and Southeast Asia, and their relationships with each other and Australia at the present time, as well as the areas of cooperation, benefit and difficulty which these relationships create.

Synopsis This interdisciplinary offering sets out to identify the major problems - political, economic, social and global - confronting the Asian region today. Students are encouraged to develop expertise on a particular country or issue, but they are also expected to complete weekly reading assignments and to make an informed contribution to the general discussion. Taught seminar style, without formal lectures, the core subject is specifically designed to introduce students to postgraduate work in a supportive and informal atmosphere with weekly input from each student. For this reason, attendance is compulsory.

Assessment fourth year Participation and weekly assignment: 20%
* Interim report (3000 words): 30%
* Research report (5000 words): 50%