Some analysts claim we are now living in the 'Asian Century', that is, rapidly growing Asian nations such as India and China do, and will increasingly, exert influence on international economic and political relations into the 21st century. Though others argue these claims are exaggerated, there is no doubt that both Australia and the Asian region are undergoing rapid and far-reaching social, political and economic change.What, then, are some of the key social, political and environmental issues facing this region?  What is being done and/or can be done about them? This course directly addresses these two questions.  Place-based case studies will expand student's knowledge of the region through in-depth discussion about key concepts such as development, colonialism, globalization and power. In the process, students will also explore the different ways that social researchers come to know and think about the problems, people and places of Australia and Asia, learning about and putting into practice some social theoretical approaches.

On satisfying the requirements of this course, students will have the knowledge and skills to:

Assessment will be based on:

• Essay exploring a key theoretical debate (40%; LO 1, 2, 3)
• Presentation and facilitation of one tutorial in the semester (25%; LO 1, 3)
• Learning portfolio, with five entries each reflecting on a tutorial reading's links with real-world events (25%; LO 1, 3)
• Tutorial contributions based on weekly discussions on readings (10%; LO 1, 3)