Syllabus:

The South Pacific is a region of diverse and complex island states. Its post-colonial history has been characterized by both stability and turbulence at national, regional and local levels. Pacific leaders have recently taken stock of the situation, affirmed their commitment to maintain and strengthen cultural identities, and endorsed improved regional co-operation as a means toward effective governance, security and development. 

Australia’s policy towards the countries of the South Pacific, long supportive of their independence and economic development, has moved to a more interventionist approach in light of recent conflict in Fiji, the Solomon Islands, Tonga and elsewhere. 

This course aims to enhance understanding of the challenges and prospects facing the contemporary Pacific Islands region. It particularly engages Pacific Island cultural approaches to the current challenges. It is designed for later year undergraduates, graduate students, development practitioners and policy-makers alike. Through a series of short lectures and student-centered seminars the course examines the following topics and issues: 

* Peoples and cultures of Melanesia, Polynesia and Micronesia (focus on social organization, gender and power) 

* Historical roots of the contemporary Pacific

* Conflict, corruption and democracy

* Urbanization, labour mobility and migration

* Case studies on Fiji, Kiribati and the Solomon Islands

* Regionalism and the interests of external powers

* Cultural policy, popular culture, the arts and human development 

* Globalization and the environment (including climate change)

* Pacific Futures

At the end of this course students will have:

* Demonstrated a new appreciation and understanding of cultural and political diversity and complexity in the contemporary Pacific through their weekly response papers and multimedia, film and reading set reviews. This writing will synthesize course content and place them in the context of current challenges and issues facing the region including how island countries and peoples are portrayed by the media and donor governments. 

* Produced an individual research project highlighting a contemporary Pacific issue utilising a variety of research techniques including interviews with experts, literature reviews, ethnographic research, comparison and analysis of online sources.

* Presented their individual research projects orally and in a creative format utilising text-based and multimedia tools and resources.

Seminar participation and attendance: 25% (includes leading class discussion, organizing an interactive exercise and 1-2 pages of questions and reflections per week to be archived in a portfolio)  

Review of reading set  - 20% (approx. 4-5 pages) 

Review of exhibition, film or multimedia news set - 15% (approx. 3-4 pages) 

Research project - 40% (1-2 page proposal, 10-12 pages of background, methods, findings, interviews, in-class multimedia presentation and bibliography- no page limit)

32 contact hours

* Globalisation and Governance in the Pacific Islands at ANU EPress:

http://epress.anu.edu.au/ssgm/global_gov/pdf_instructions.html 

* Culture and Sustainable Development in the Pacific (2000/ 2005) at ANU EPress: 

http://epress.anu.edu.au/culture_sustainable/pdf_instructions.html 

* Readings will also be distributed electronically via Web CT or email, along with audiovisual materials occasionally viewed in class.

* Pre-course reading:

Culture and Sustainable Development in the Pacific (2000/ 2005) at ANU EPress: 

http://epress.anu.edu.au/culture_sustainable/pdf_instructions.html 

Introduction by Tony Hooper

Chapter 1: Culture and Sustainable Development in the Pacific by Langi Kavaliku 

Chapter 2: The Ocean in Us by Epeli Hau'ofa