MEAS8103 Central Asia in Regional and Global Perspectives

Offered By	Centre for Arab & Islamic Studies
Academic Career	Graduate Coursework
Course Subject	Middle Eastern & Central Asian Studies
Offered in	First Semester, 2010
Unit Value	6 units
Course Description	The course is designed to provide students with an in-depth understanding of politics in Central Asia. It aims at exploring issues of governance, security, conflict and cooperation in the region as a whole, as well as investigating problems and processes specific to each of the former Soviet republics of Kazakstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. While international relations of the newly independent states will be analysed primarily from the geopolitical and geostrategic point of view, students will be encouraged to develop interpretive frameworks based on indigenous knowledge and perceptions.
Indicative Assessment	One 4,000-5,000-word essay (60%), 3-hour final examination (40%)
Workload	One two-hour seminar per week
Course Classification(s)	AdvancedAdvanced courses are designed for students having reached 'first degree' level of assumed knowledge, which provide a deep understanding of contemporary issues; or 'second degree' and higher levels of knowledge; or for transition to research training programs.
Areas of Interest	Arab and Islamic Studies
Preliminary Reading	S Soucek, A History of Inner Asia, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2000. O Oliker & T S Szayna (eds), Faultlines of Conflict in Central Asia and the South Caucasus, Santa Monica: RAND, 2003.
Programs	Graduate Diploma in Middle Eastern and Central Asian Studies and Master of Middle Eastern and Central Asian Studies
Academic Contact	Dr Kirill Nourzhanov

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