Course description

This course deals with the contemporary international relations of East Asia, including the sub-regions of Southeast Asia and Northeast Asia. It begins by analysing the region's historical development, colonisation and decolonisation process, and its influence on contemporary political, economic and security relations, especially as they impact on democratic reform and 'good governance'. It examines the sub-regional politics of Southeast Asia and Northeast Asia, before making a detailed analysis of prospects for institutionalisation and regionalisation in East Asia as a whole. The course also explores the foreign policies of major powers within the region including Japan, China, and Indonesia. Throughout the course, engagement with debates central to International Relations theory is promoted in order to understand the most significant economic and political factors that underwrite a dynamically evolving regional order.

Archived offerings