The course provides an introduction to the main political, economic, social and strategic issues that East Timor will face in the first decade of its independence. The first part of the course provides an overview of East Timor's past and present as an essential context for the study of its future. The major component of the course assesses the nation's future problems and prospects in diverse domains, concentrating on politics, the economy, community development and military/strategic issues. There is a special focus on the aftermath of East Timor's 2006 crisis, its second general election in 2007, and local elections held in late 2008 and early 2009.

On satisfying the requirements for this course, students will acquire a comprehensive overview of contemporary East Timorese society. They will be able to analyse, critique and evaluate recent and current developments in East Timor in the context of the nation's economy, modern history, political system and traditions. They will also be able to describe and evaluate East Timor's relations with Australia and its place in regional security. The course is team-taught and draws upon expertise in the College of Asia and the Pacific in the fields of modern history, politics, economics, religious studies, linguistics, anthropology, sociology, security studies and law.

Participation and attendance at lectures and tutorials (15%), two seminar presentations (40%), and a final essay of 3,000 words (45%).

There are 36 class contact hours over the duration of the course.

Six university courses (36 units)

An anthology of relevant and up to date readings compiled by the course convenor will be available via WebCT. No preliminary reading is required, but students may wish to consult:
(a) Damian Kingsbury and Michael Leach (Eds.), East Timor: Beyond Independence, Monash University Press, Clayton 2007, and
(b) James Fox and Dionisio Soares (Eds.), Out of the Ashes: Destruction and Reconstruction of East Timor, Crawford House, Bathurst 1999

The course will be team-taught with contributions from ANU academics (Faculty of Asian Studies and RSPAS) as well as experts from off-campus. In tutorial classes there is round-table discussion of the issues raised in lectures, and in the first weeks of the course films and TV reports will be shown. Current events in East Timor will be discussed.