ASST3017 Asia Rising: The Politics of Development in the Asia Pacific Region

2015

4.5

10 x 2-hour lectures per semester
9 x 50-minute tutorials per semester

1 of ASST3049, INTR2003, INTR2044 has been successfully completed

As a third-level topic in the Asian Studies major sequence, this topic assumes a familiarity with the kind of knowledge, conceptual understanding and skills that would be acquired by the completion of at least 9 units of second-level topics from the Asian Studies major sequence.

This topic introduces students to the study of International Political Economy by critically surveying the creation and rise of the Asia Pacific as a region of dynamic economic and social development from about 1950 to the early 1990s. It places these developments in historical contexts that look back to Japanese and European colonial legacies, and examines rival explanations for the success of the region, including historical, 'developmentalist' and cultural explanations. The pivotal roles of Japan and America are major foci of attention in this topic, since the conception of Asia Pacific as a region is substantially defined in terms of the relationship between these two countries. It is anticipated that this topic will prepare students for further study of International Political Economy topics, especially those dealing with the Asian region.

This topic introduces students to the study of Asian Political Economy by critically surveying the creation and rise of the Asia Pacific as a region of dynamic economic and social development from about 1950 to the early 1990s. It places these developments in historical contexts that look back to Japanese and European colonial legacies, and examines rival explanations for the success of the region, including historical, `developmentalist¿ and cultural explanations. The pivotal roles of Japan and America are major foci of attention in this topic, since the conception of Asia Pacific as a region is substantially defined in terms of the relationship between these two countries.

Students successfully completing the topic should be able to:

• demonstrate an understanding of the geo-political and geo-economic development of the Asia-Pacific region
• demonstrate familiarity with the theoretical debates relevant to the development of this region
• critically assess the impact of Japan and the USA in particular on the way in which the Asia-Pacific has developed
• use a variety of statistical sources as well as access and demonstrate an understanding of scholarly writing on the subject
• participate in tutorials effectively, namely to produce clear and concise arguments and respond to the points raised by others
• produce written work in accordance with good scholarly practice