This course examines Indonesia's foreign and security policy against the background of the country's decades-long, but still unfulfilled quest for a larger global role. As the nation with the fourth-largest population in the world, and as the third-largest democracy, Indonesia rightly aspires to expand its influence and have a greater say in international affairs. But both its foreign policy and its regional and international security policy have often been criticised as insufficient to achieve this goal. What, then, have been the hurdles to Indonesia's development into a key diplomatic and security actor? What have successive Indonesian presidents done to overcome these obstacles and increase Indonesia's international weight? How do Indonesia's neighbours, including Australia, view Indonesia's foreign and security potential, and its limitations? What is the most likely trajectory of Indonesia's foreign and security role in the decades ahead? How has the COVID-19 pandemic, which hit the country hard, influenced this trajectory?
In this course, we will investigate the questions outlined above and evaluate Indonesia's status in the web of regional powers in the Asia-Pacific region. In doing so, we will also reflect on key theoretical and conceptual questions regarding the sources of a country's diplomatic and strategic power. Indonesia, with its quickly growing economy but continuously weak military, is a highly suitable case study for investigations into what exactly constitutes political and security influence in today's global security system.
In this ‘L’ version of ASIA2111, students will engage with readings and complete written assessment in Indonesian language. This course may be counted toward the Indonesian language major. Enrolment is conditional on students' skills in the Indonesian language and the availability of a marker for Indonesian language assessment. Students are typically expected to have completed Level 6 courses in Indonesian or have equivalent language skills. Please contact the course convenor if you are interested in enrolling in this course.
Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion, students will have the knowledge and skills to:
- Possess a deep understanding of the historical and conceptual foundations of Indonesian foreign and security policy.
- Possess knowledge of key concepts for analysing core issues of foreign and security policy. This will include understanding definitions of, among others, middle and great powers, realism, constructivism and democratic foreign policy.
- Apply these concepts in analysing Indonesia's past and current foreign and security policy..
- Conduct research independently and effectively, especially by identifying scholarly acceptable sources and materials.
- Express themselves clearly and scholarly in verbal and written formats.
Indicative Assessment
- Tutorial participation (10) [LO 1,2,3]
- Short Paper (1,000 words) (20) [LO 1,2,3,5]
- Research Paper (2,000 words) (35) [LO 2,3,4,5]
- Take-home Exam (2000 words) (35) [LO 1,2,4,5]
The ANU uses Turnitin to enhance student citation and referencing techniques, and to assess assignment submissions as a component of the University's approach to managing Academic Integrity. While the use of Turnitin is not mandatory, the ANU highly recommends Turnitin is used by both teaching staff and students. For additional information regarding Turnitin please visit the ANU Online website.
Workload
This course comprises some 130 hours of activity over 12 weeks, including some 24 hours of lectures or an equivalent activity and some 12 hours of tutorials or equivalent activity. The course comprises a maximum of 6000 words of assessment or the equivalent.
Requisite and Incompatibility
You will need to contact the Department of Political and Social Change to request a permission code to enrol in this course.
Prescribed Texts
All texts for each week are available on Wattle, but it would be helpful to read Amitav Acharya (2014) Indonesia Matters: Asia's Emerging Democratic Power. Singapore: World Scientific.
Assumed Knowledge
An introductory knowledge of Asian societies, indicated by the completion of two introductory courses in Asian Societies, or two introductory courses in history, politics, security studies or international relations is desirable.
Fees
Tuition fees are for the academic year indicated at the top of the page.
Commonwealth Support (CSP) Students
If you 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). More information about your student contribution amount for each course at Fees.
- Student Contribution Band:
- 14
- Unit value:
- 6 units
If you are a domestic graduate coursework student with a Domestic Tuition Fee (DTF) place or international student you will be required to pay course tuition fees (see below). Course tuition fees are indexed annually. Further information for domestic and international students about tuition and other fees can be found 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 |
|---|---|
| 2025 | $4680 |
- International fee paying students
| Year | Fee |
|---|---|
| 2025 | $6360 |
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.
First Semester
| Class number | Class start date | Last day to enrol | Census date | Class end date | Mode Of Delivery | Class Summary |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4222 | 17 Feb 2025 | 24 Feb 2025 | 31 Mar 2025 | 23 May 2025 | In Person | View |