While many area studies courses have taken the nation-state as the initial unit of analysis and inquiry, this course shifts to look at margins and borders in order to understand the broader (sub) and (supra)state historic, economic, cultural, and political processes throughout the region of Mainland Southeast Asia. In so doing, this course is divided into two major parts: first, we will examine transnational historic processes which are themselves transgressive of state boundaries, and second, we will look at the ways in which borders themselves are mobilized as part of the state's assertion of sovereignty over geography, however incomplete this might be. In addition to assigned readings and two short essays, students will complete an independent research paper on a topic of their own choosing.

Through this course, students will engage in non-nation-based analyses of transnational economic, historical, and cultural processes. Topics for investigation include human migration/trafficking, the international narcotics trade, cosmopolitanism, and transnational culture flows. Students will hone their analytical skills and ability in written expression through assigned essays, as well as their independent research skills in a term project.

Assessment/Undergraduate

Attendance/ Participation:                     20%              
Essay 1 (1,500 words, min)                   20%               
Essay 2 (1,500 words, min)                   20%                
Independent Research Paper (3,000w)   40%                 

Six university courses (36 units)

ASIA6167

Thongchai Winichakul, Siam Mapped

Andrew Walker, The Golden Boat

Horstmann and Wadley, eds. Centering the Margins