Development of Asia Course Descriptor

Course Overview

This course is an in-depth comparative study of the role and dynamics of Asian area studies politics in a global context. The rise of the Asian region represents the most significant global shift and power transition of the past 50 years. A number of Asian countries, exemplified by China, India, and the ASEAN member states, are experiencing rapid economic growth and (re-)emerging as key players in regional and global affairs. This course will provide students with a theoretically informed and empirically grounded introduction to key issues on the development of contemporary Asia. It will show how the success stories and milestones of Asian development are entangled with increasing challenges such as persistent socio-economic inequalities, political changes, and environmental challenges. The course will enable students to understand development processes in modern Asia and evaluate how this relates to the economic development of the state, the politics and practices of regional governance, and the interplay between political-economic and societal forces.

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of the course, students will be able to:

Knowledge and Understanding

Subject Specific Skills

Transferable and Employability Skills

Teaching and Learning

This course has a dedicated Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) page with a syllabus and range of additional resources (e.g. readings, question prompts, tasks, assignment briefs, discussion boards) to orientate and engage students in their studies.

The scheduled teaching and learning activities for this course are:

Lectures and seminars

40 scheduled hours – typically including induction, consolidation or revision, and assessment activity hours.

Version 1:all sessions in the same sized group

OR

Version 2: most of the sessions in larger groups; some of the sessions in smaller groups

Faculty hold regular ‘office hours’, which are opportunities for students to drop in or sign up to explore ideas, raise questions, or seek targeted guidance or feedback, individually or in small groups. 

Students are to attend and participate in all the scheduled teaching and learning activities for this course and to manage their directed learning and independent study.

Indicative total learning hours for this course: 150 hours

Assessment

Both formative and summative assessments are used as part of this course, with purely formative opportunities typically embedded within interactive teaching sessions, office hours, and/or the VLE.

Summative Assessments

Students will apply theories and concepts from development and democratisation studies to the analyses of economic, political, and social evolutions of different countries across Asia:

Further information about the assessments can be found in the Course Syllabus.

Feedback

Students will receive formative and summative feedback in a variety of ways, written (e.g. marked up on assignments, through email or the VLE) or oral (e.g. as part of interactive teaching sessions or in office hours).

Indicative Reading

Note: Comprehensive and current reading lists are produced annually in the Course Syllabus or other documentation provided to students; the indicative reading list provided below is for a general guide and part of the approval/modification process only.

• Beeson, M. (2014). Regionalism and globalization in East Asia: politics, security and economic development. Macmillan International Higher Education.
• Mason, A. (2001). Population change and economic development in East Asia: Challenges met, opportunities seized. Stanford University Press.
• Satoshi, A., Shunji, M., and Kenji, H. (2013). Regional Integration in East Asia: Theoretical and Historical Perspectives. United Nations Publication.

Indicative Topics

Note: Comprehensive and current topics for courses are produced annually in the Course Syllabus or other documentation provided to students; the indicative topics provided below are used as a general guide and part of the approval/modification process only.

• Historical context: Asia under the Cold War System
• Democratic transitions in Asia
• Asian economic integration and key challenges: ASEAN & SAARC
• Environmental issues, climate change, and trade
• The digital divide and socio-economic inequality in Asia