This course provides students with the conceptual and analytical tools they need to develop a deeper understanding of politics in contemporary Asia. Through the framework of comparative politics, it will take on several major themes including democratization, identity politics, corruption, and development. In ordinary language, comparisons are often implicit, and arguments are based on weak evidence or poor logic. In this course, students will master not just facts and figures, but a sophisticated approach to analysis that can be used in the study of politics not just of countries in Asia but around the world. The twin thrusts of this course will be learning how to evaluate key concepts in political science (e.g. democracy), and learning how to draw valid causal inferences from comparative political analysis. Students will thus develop the skills to critically evaluate causal claims made in academic, policy, and journalistic writing. The course will be structured by first introducing students to key theoretical and comparative works on selected themes and then applying the approaches comparatively across and within countries in Asia. At the end of the course, students will have a greater understanding of political events in Asia and have better understood why it matters for us to think about the region comparatively.
Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion, students will have the knowledge and skills to:
1. Demonstrate a broad understanding of domestic politics in contemporary Asia.
2. Debate the major issues around concept formation and measurement in comparative politics.
3. Apply these concepts in analysing political phenomena within and between states in Asia.
4. Analyse the foundations and implications of the comparative method in political science research.
5. Critically evaluate the elements of causal inference as it applies to contemporary politics.
6. Express themselves clearly in verbal and written formats.
Indicative Assessment
Class activities (10%) [LO 1,2,6]Response Papers (30%) [LO 2,4,5]
Critical Essay (40%) [LO3,4,5,6]
Final Exam (20%) [LO 2,4,5]
In response to COVID-19: Please note that Semester 2 Class Summary information (available under the classes tab) is as up to date as possible. Changes to Class Summaries not captured by this publication will be available to enrolled students via Wattle.
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Workload
3 contact hours and 6 hours private study per week.
Requisite and Incompatibility
Prescribed Texts
All reading materials will be made available online prior to commencement of the course.
Majors
Minors
Fees
Tuition fees are for the academic year indicated at the top of the page.
If you are a domestic graduate coursework or international student you will be required to pay tuition fees. Tuition fees are indexed annually. Further information for domestic and international students about tuition and other fees can be found at Fees.
- Student Contribution Band:
- 1
- Unit value:
- 6 units
If you are an undergraduate student and 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). You can find your student contribution amount for each course 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 |
|---|---|
| 2020 | $3840 |
- International fee paying students
| Year | Fee |
|---|---|
| 2020 | $5460 |
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.
Second Semester
| Class number | Class start date | Last day to enrol | Census date | Class end date | Mode Of Delivery | Class Summary |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9356 | 27 Jul 2020 | 03 Aug 2020 | 31 Aug 2020 | 30 Oct 2020 | In Person | N/A |