This course provide students with an in depth understanding of leading concepts and ideas in the field of strategic studies. Among the concepts covered will be a selection of the following: coercion, pre-emption, strategic culture, arms races and the security dilemma, stability, victory, human security, and intervention. In each session one of these concepts will be discussed followed by an evaluation of the relevance and potential application of these concepts to conflict and security issues in the Asia-Pacific region. Cases considered range from the Taiwan Strait crisis (coercion), to the Bush Administration's statements on pre-emption, China's strategic culture, what victory would mean in the case of Iraq, to the potential for concepts such as human security and intervention to explain developments in East Timor and Solomon Islands.

On satisfying the requirements for this course, students will have developed a strong understanding of leading strategic concepts; an appreciation of the relationship between these concepts and strategy in practice, especially in Asia-Pacific conflict situations; the capacity to unwrap and analyse strategic concepts, test their assumptions and examine their relationship with other concepts; and the capacity to communicate these findings in a scholarly, accessible and effective manner.

Short assignment 20%, Essay 40%, Examination 40%.

Students undertaking this course could expect a workload of 10 hours a week. This is inclusive of actual contact hours for lectures and also out of class preparation time.

Delivery Mode:

On Campus