The ideas, concepts, and theories we use in International Security have overwhelmingly been developed through the study of Western historical cases. Yet key security challenges and practices in the Asia-Pacific region do not always accord with concepts derived in the West. In this course, students will explore how the Asia-Pacific region challenges or complements existing security concepts, such as order & hierarchy, history & memory, alliances, reputation & credibility, and economics & security. We will consider the relevance of these concepts to security in the Asia-Pacific region by exploring case studies such as: the historical prevalence of hierarchical orders in Asia, the role of history and memory in shaping regional security challenges, the history (and future) of alliances in Asia, how reputation and credibility have influenced the US presence in Asia, and the curious nexus between economics and security in the region.

Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion, students will have the knowledge and skills to:

1. Demonstrate an understanding of the origins, evolution, and relevance of key security concepts in the Asia-Pacific region.
2. Employ different security concepts to analyse and explain key international security issues in the Asia-Pacific, and reflect critically on the relative merits of these concepts.
3. Identify, reconstruct and evaluate arguments in both written and oral form.
4. Conduct scholarly research, express ideas, and construct arguments.
5. Demonstrate open-minded and reflective thinking about the process of scholarly research.

Research-Led Teaching

Lectures 1, 2, 3, 4, 10 and 11 draw on the Convenor's research into China-Japan relations, international order, the economics-security nexus, and history and memory in Asia. Lectures 7 and 8 will draw on the guest lecturer's research on reliability, credibility and US alliances in Asia. The lectures, tutorials and scaffolded assessment items provide students with the frameworks and skills to learn to conduct their own scholarly research.

Field Trips

NA

Additional Course Costs

NA

Examination Material or equipment

NA

Required Resources

NA

Recommended Resources

There are no compulsory textbooks for this course, though students may wish to read Saadia M. Pekkanen, John Ravenhill and Rosemary Foot (Eds). The Oxford Handbook of the International Relations of Asia. New York, Oxford University Press, 2014.  This book is available online through the ANU Library.

Staff Feedback

Students will be given feedback in the following forms in this course:

• Written comments
• Verbal comments
• Feedback to the whole class, to groups, to individuals, focus groups

Student Feedback

ANU is committed to the demonstration of educational excellence and regularly seeks feedback from students. Students are encouraged to offer feedback directly to their Course Convener or through their College and Course representatives (if applicable). The feedback given in these surveys is anonymous and provides the Colleges, University Education Committee and Academic Board with opportunities to recognise excellent teaching, and opportunities for improvement. The Surveys and Evaluation website provides more information on student surveys at ANU and reports on the feedback provided on ANU courses.

Class Schedule

Week/Session	Summary of Activities	Assessment
1	Lecture 1 & Tutorial 1. Introduction to the Course &Concepts: order and hierarchy	Tutorials will commence in Week 1, with the tutorial topic taking place in the SAME week as the lecture (i.e. Tutorials in Week 1 will focus on: Concepts: order and hierarchy)
2	Lecture 2 & Tutorial 2. Case studies: order and hierarchy in early modern, post-World War II, and post-Cold War Asia
3	Lecture 3 & Tutorial 3. Concepts: history and memory
4	Lecture 4 & Tutorial 4. Case studies: China-Japan relations, Japan-South Korea relations, Taiwan	Mon 10 Mar 2025: Canberra Day Public Holiday. The Lecture will be pre-recorded and made available on Wattle. Tutorials falling on Monday 10 March will be rescheduled.
5	Lecture 5 & Tutorial 5. Concept: alliances
6	Lecture 6 & Tutorial 6. Case studies: U.S. bilateral alliances, SEATO, the Quad
7	Lecture 7 & Tutorial 7. Concepts: reputation and credibility	Fri 18 April 2025: Good Friday Public Holiday: Tutorials falling on Friday 18 April will be rescheduled.
8	No lecture or tutorials this week	Mon 21 April 2025: Easter Monday Public HolidayFri 25 April 2025: ANZAC Day Public HolidayThere will be no lecture or tutorials this week.
9	Lecture 8 & Tutorial 8. Case studies: Vietnam War, First Taiwan Strait Crisis
10	Lecture 9 & Tutorial 9. Concepts: economics and security
11	Lecture 10 & Tutorial 10. Case studies: Northeast Asia, Southeast Asia
12	Lecture 11 & Tutorial 11: Concluding Lecture: Conceptualizing security in the Asia-Pacific

Tutorial Registration

Via My Timetable

Assessment Summary

Assessment task	Value	Due Date	Return of assessment	Learning Outcomes
Tutorial participation	10 %	*	*	1, 2, 3, 5
Critical Review	20 %	11/03/2025	31/03/2025	1, 3, 4
Reflective Research Plan	30 %	15/04/2025	06/05/2025	1, 2, 3, 4, 5
Research Essay	40 %	29/05/2025	26/06/2025	1, 2, 3, 4, 5

* If the Due Date and Return of Assessment date are blank, see the Assessment Tab for specific Assessment Task details

Policies

ANU has educational policies, procedures and guidelines, which are designed to ensure that staff and students are aware of the University’s academic standards, and implement them. Students are expected to have read the Academic Misconduct Rule before the commencement of their course. Other key policies and guidelines include:

• Student Assessment (Coursework) Policy and Procedure
• Special Assessment Consideration Policy and General Information
• Student Surveys and Evaluations
• Deferred Examinations
• Student Complaint Resolution Policy and Procedure

Assessment Requirements

The ANU is using 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. For additional information regarding Turnitin please visit the ANU Online website Students may choose not to submit assessment items through Turnitin. In this instance you will be required to submit, alongside the assessment item itself, hard copies of all references included in the assessment item.

Moderation of Assessment

Marks that are allocated during Semester are to be considered provisional until formalised by the College examiners meeting at the end of each Semester. If appropriate, some moderation of marks might be applied prior to final results being released.

Participation

Tutorial participation is assessed.

Examination(s)

There is no examination in this course.

Assessment Task 1

Tutorial participation

Students will be assessed on the quality of their contribution to discussion and debate within tutorials. To do well in this assessment, students should ensure that they complete the assigned readings before their tutorial, attend the tutorial in which they are enrolled, and participate in class discussion.

Assessment Task 2

Critical Review

In 1000 words, you are required to critically review one of five nominated texts.

Each text relates to one of the different concepts studied in this course. You may not write your Critical Review on the same security concept as your Research Essay.

You should:

• Identify the author’s argument.
• Explain how the author develops their argument (i.e. demonstrate the steps and form of the argument’s reasoning)
• Evaluate the author’s argument:
• Is the argument logical?
• What evidence is used to support the argument? Is the evidence sound, does it support the argument, and is any contradictory or alternative evidence missing?
• What are the strengths and weaknesses of the argument?
• Offer an overall judgement on the text: has the author convinced you? Why/why not?

The ANU College of Asia and the Pacific’s Word Length and Excess Word Penalty Guidelines applies to this assessment item and can be found here.

Students should follow Chicago Style Referencing (Chicago 17th Edition (Note) for all pieces of assessment in this course. Further details and resources to support Chicago Style Referencing can be found here.

Assessment Task 3

Reflective Research Plan

To prepare for the final Research Essay, you are first required to submit a 2000-word Reflective Research Plan.

This piece of assessment is designed to assist you in preparing your Research Essay by practicing key research and academic writing skills, and reflecting on the processes underpinning academic research. Students will be provided with a Word-document template in which to complete and submit their answers to this piece of assessment. Further resources and guidance will be provided over the course of the semester on developing a conceptual framework; writing annotated bibliographies; developing a thesis statement; and writing reflectively.

First, please choose a question for your Research Essay (note that you may not write your Research Essay on the same security concept as your Critical Review. Any students who submit a Reflective Research Plan or Research Essay in contravention of this requirement will receive a 20% penalty).

Next, please complete all four parts of this piece of assessment:

Part 1: Conceptual framework (500 words)

You are required to develop a draft conceptual framework for your Research Essay. A conceptual framework should:

• Identify the security concept you are working with, and outline its key elements (you might do this by discussing how other authors in the literature have defined, developed, and used this security concept)
• Offer a working definition of the security concept as you intend to use it in your Research Essay
• Outline how you will apply the security concept to structure your analysis of the main issues discussed in your essay
• Define the parameters or limitations of the analysis (i.e. are there aspects or particular definitions/interpretations of the security concept that you will deliberately exclude from your Research Essay? Why/why not?)

Your conceptual framework should:

• Cite at least two sources from the Required or Further Reading Lists for the weeks associated with your chosen security concept (you are welcome to use more than two of these sources).
• Conform to academic writing conventions and standards (you will be permitted to reuse this draft conceptual framework in your final Research Essay submission).

Part 2: Annotated bibliography (800 words)

You are required to compile an Annotated Bibliography of four sources that will inform the empirical evidence (case studies) for your Research Essay. An Annotated Bibliography should:

• Briefly summarise the content of each source;
• Outline the author’s argument, methodology and conclusions;
• Offer a critique of each source (e.g. appraises the persuasiveness of the author’s argument, the reliability of its evidence, the relationship of the source to other key texts in the field, etc);
• Identify how each source might be used in advancing the argument/s made in your final Research Essay.

 

Your list of sources should include:

• at least one book
• at least one academic journal article
• no more than one website/internet source.

For each source you should provide a 200-word annotation, for a total of 800 words for this part of the assessment.

Part 3: Argument overview (200 words)

You are required to provide a draft one-sentence thesis statement for your Research Essay. Then, you are to provide an explanation of how you plan to make your argument:

• What empirical case(s) do you plan to use to help you develop your argument?
• Why did you choose this/these case(s)?
• How will you limit the focus of your Research Essay?
• Are there any other key issues or weaknesses you need to consider?

Please note: the goal of this piece of assessment is to practice the skill of writing a thesis statement and planning an argument. This is a draft only, and we anticipate that you are likely to change the thesis statement or empirical cases that you ultimately include in your final Research Essay.

Part 4: Research Reflection (500 words)

In the final part of this assessment you are required to reflect on your personal experience of the process of conducting this research. Some prompts to help you get started in writing this section include, but are not limited to:

• What dead-ends or challenges have you faced in your research process so far? These might include issues such as time management, finding sources, learning to read academic writing, changing research essay questions, building on feedback from the Critical Review, etc.
• What have you done in response to these dead-ends or challenges?
• What skills did you already bring to this research task, and what skills have you needed to learn?
• Anything else?

 

The ANU College of Asia and the Pacific’s Word Length and Excess Word Penalty Guidelines applies to this assessment item and can be found here.

Students should follow Chicago Style Referencing (Chicago 17th Edition (Note) for all pieces of assessment in this course. Further details and resources to support Chicago Style Referencing can be found here.

Assessment Task 4

Research Essay

In a 3000-word essay, answer one of the five questions listed on the Wattle site. You may not write your Research Essay on the same security concept as your Critical Review. (Any students who submit a Research Essay in contravention of this requirement will receive a 20% penalty).

The ANU College of Asia and the Pacific’s Word Length and Excess Word Penalty Guidelines applies to this assessment item and can be found here.

Students should follow Chicago Style Referencing (Chicago 17th Edition (Note) for all pieces of assessment in this course. Further details and resources to support Chicago Style Referencing can be found here.

Academic Integrity

Academic integrity is a core part of our culture as a community of scholars. At its heart, academic integrity is about behaving ethically. This means that all members of the community commit to honest and responsible scholarly practice and to upholding these values with respect and fairness. The Australian National University commits to embedding the values of academic integrity in our teaching and learning. We ensure that all members of our community understand how to engage in academic work in ways that are consistent with, and actively support academic integrity. The ANU expects staff and students to uphold high standards of academic integrity and act ethically and honestly, to ensure the quality and value of the qualification that you will graduate with. The University has policies and procedures in place to promote academic integrity and manage academic misconduct. Visit the following Academic honesty & plagiarism website for more information about academic integrity and what the ANU considers academic misconduct. The ANU offers a number of services to assist students with their assignments, examinations, and other learning activities. The Academic Skills and Learning Centre offers a number of workshops and seminars that you may find useful for your studies.

Online Submission

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.

Hardcopy Submission

For some forms of assessment (hand written assignments, art works, laboratory notes, etc.) hard copy submission is appropriate when approved by the Associate Dean (Education). Hard copy submissions must utilise the Assignment Cover Sheet. Please keep a copy of tasks completed for your records.

Late Submission

Late submission permitted. Late submission of assessment tasks without an extension are penalised at the rate of 5% of the possible marks available per working day or part thereof. Late submission of assessment tasks is not accepted after 10 working days after the due date, or on or after the date specified in the course outline for the return of the assessment item. Late submission is not accepted for take-home examinations.

Referencing Requirements

Accepted academic practice for referencing sources that you use in presentations can be found via the links on the Wattle site, under the file named “ANU and College Policies, Program Information, Student Support Services and Assessment”. Alternatively, you can seek help through the Students Learning Development website.

Returning Assignments

Under normal circumstances, assignments will be marked and return to students within three weeks of the due date.

Extensions and Penalties

Extensions and late submission of assessment pieces are covered by the Student Assessment (Coursework) Policy and Procedure The Course Convener may grant extensions for assessment pieces that are not examinations or take-home examinations. If you need an extension, you must request an extension in writing on or before the due date. If you have documented and appropriate medical evidence that demonstrates you were not able to request an extension on or before the due date, you may be able to request it after the due date.

Resubmission of Assignments

"Recycling" is submitting work that is not original (i.e. that you have previously submitted) and is not permitted. See this website for more information.

Resubmission of assignments permitted only in exceptional circumstances and as approved by the Course Convenor.

Privacy Notice

The ANU has made a number of third party, online, databases available for students to use. Use of each online database is conditional on student end users first agreeing to the database licensor’s terms of service and/or privacy policy. Students should read these carefully. In some cases student end users will be required to register an account with the database licensor and submit personal information, including their: first name; last name; ANU email address; and other information. In cases where student end users are asked to submit ‘content’ to a database, such as an assignment or short answers, the database licensor may only use the student’s ‘content’ in accordance with the terms of service — including any (copyright) licence the student grants to the database licensor. Any personal information or content a student submits may be stored by the licensor, potentially offshore, and will be used to process the database service in accordance with the licensors terms of service and/or privacy policy. If any student chooses not to agree to the database licensor’s terms of service or privacy policy, the student will not be able to access and use the database. In these circumstances students should contact their lecturer to enquire about alternative arrangements that are available.

Distribution of grades policy

Academic Quality Assurance Committee monitors the performance of students, including attrition, further study and employment rates and grade distribution, and College reports on quality assurance processes for assessment activities, including alignment with national and international disciplinary and interdisciplinary standards, as well as qualification type learning outcomes. Since first semester 1994, ANU uses a grading scale for all courses. This grading scale is used by all academic areas of the University.

Support for students

The University offers students support through several different services. You may contact the services listed below directly or seek advice from your Course Convener, Student Administrators, or your College and Course representatives (if applicable).

• ANU Health, safety & wellbeing for medical services, counselling, mental health and spiritual support
• ANU Diversity and inclusion for students with a disability or ongoing or chronic illness
• ANU Dean of Students for confidential, impartial advice and help to resolve problems between students and the academic or administrative areas of the University
• ANU Academic Skills and Learning Centre supports you make your own decisions about how you learn and manage your workload.
• ANU Counselling Centre promotes, supports and enhances mental health and wellbeing within the University student community.
• ANUSA supports and represents undergraduate and ANU College students
• PARSA supports and represents postgraduate and research students