Type of Credit: Elective
Credit(s)
Number of Students
This course aims to make students understand the nature of security in the Asia Pacific region. Regional security issues include traditional (normally the military) aspects and non-traditional aspects. The objective is to provide students with a comprehensive picture of Asia Pacific international relations from the perspective of security, defined broadly to include not only the military but also other aspects such as economic, political, societal, cultural, and environmental security. Almost the entire Asian region will be surveyed, including Northeast Asia (China, Japan, Korea Peninsula, and Taiwan), Southeast Asia (the ASEAN countries), and South and Central Asia (India, Russia). These four regions form distinct “security complexes,” but given the rise of China which is involved in all four regions, and the U.S. capacity to project power in all four, the security complexes of Asia Pacific are all ultimately connected together.
There are several flash points in the Asia Pacific region, including the Korean Peninsula, Taiwan Strait, East China Sea, and South China Sea. These points have made the security in the Asia Pacific region unpredictable and volatile. Situation over Taiwan Strait has been under close observation in recent years. In 2022, China launched the largest-ever military exercises near Taiwan’s territorial waters and airspaces after Nancy Pelosi’s visit in August, in which some people consider it as the fourth Taiwan Strait Crisis. It is worthwhile for students to dig down and investigate the security issues in the Asia Pacific region in order to avoid wars and regional conflicts. Given the fact that Taiwan is situated in what the Economist called "the most dangerous place on earch", wecurity of the Taiwan Strait and China’s factors will be discussed slightly more during the semester.
The course also seeks to familiarize student themselves with the process and content of Asia-Pacific security issues and related foreign policies. It is intended to help you acquire a conceptual and practical understanding of the foreign policy challenges that the policy-makers of Asia Pacific countries face. It will also prepare students to start involve in the professional field of international relations and diplomacy.
Several guest speakers/experts from a variety of areas will be invited/arranged to the class to share their views on difference security aspects in the Asia Pacific region. The instructor will introduce students to each different topic. Interaction is highly appreciated. At the end of each class, we will devote some time for discussion. Students will be asked to prepare few power points when giving their presentations.
能力項目說明
Goals of the Course
Learning Outcomes
At the end of this course, students are expected to be able to:
| 教學週次Course Week | 彈性補充教學週次Flexible Supplemental Instruction Week | 彈性補充教學類別Flexible Supplemental Instruction Type |
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Tentative Course Schedules (Subject to change) |
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Week |
Date |
Topic |
Unit |
Remark |
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1 |
09/11 |
Course orientation |
Overview and Introduction |
Add/Drop Period |
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2 |
09/18 |
Introduction of Security Environment in Asia Pacific and Taiwan Strait I |
General Introduction of Security in Asia Pacific |
Add/Drop Period |
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3 |
09/25 |
Introduction of Security Environment in Asia Pacific and Taiwan Strait II |
General Introduction of Security in Asia Pacific |
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4 |
10/02 |
Japan's Strategic Posture, Security and Defense Policy (Guest Speaker: Dr Saya Kiba from Kobe City University) |
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5 |
10/09 |
Taiwan’s Defense Capabilities and Strategy I |
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6 |
10/16 |
Taiwan’s Defense Capabilities and Strategy II & Overall Defense Concept |
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7 |
10/23 |
The Historical Development of China's Politics; China's Political System and the military Growth of China’s Military Capability and Its Hybrid Warfare |
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8 |
10/30 |
Mid-Term Week |
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9 |
11/06 |
Security of the Southeast Asia |
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10 |
11/13 |
The US and its Indo-Pacific Strategy |
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11 |
11/20 |
Introduction of War Game and Table Top Exercise |
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12 |
11/27 |
Field Trip (tentative arrangement) |
Visit the ROC National Defense University |
To be confirmed |
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13 |
12/04 |
Joint Table Top Exercise (2024 International Civilian & Military Joint Crisis Game organized by National Defense University) (tentative arrangement, TBD) |
Whole Day Event |
Venue to be announced |
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14 |
12/11 |
Asia Pacific Non-Traditional Security Security of the Korea Peninsula |
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15 |
12/18 |
Student in-class Presentations |
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16 |
12/25 |
Self-Study of the assigned readings (No classroom meeting) |
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17 |
01/01 |
National Holiday |
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18 |
01/8 |
Finals Week Student in-class Presentations |
Final Paper due on January 15 |
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Class Discussion and Participation (30%):
There is no mid-term and final exam, therefore class participation is important. Students are expected to read and discuss the reading materials, as well as participate in class activities. This means that you need to complete the assigned tasks and readings properly and immerse yourself into the class discussions during the lectures. There will be multiple opportunities for participation, including class discussion, bringing in comments or feedback to class, asking questions, and other group activities such as visits and table top exercise, and other events.
It is fine if you need to be absent or leave class early, just let course instructors know beforehand.
In-Class Presentation (25%):
Students need to conduct an in-class presentation; choosing one topic relevant to the Asia-Pacific security issues and present it in class for about 20 minutes. After presentation presenters should lead the discussions and answer questions. A power point slide should be used for presentation. If you are not sure about topics, consult with the course instructor.
Participation of Extracurricular Activities (5%):
A visit to military institutes, academies, or defense R&D institutes will be organized during semester. Students (especially international students) should take advantage this opportunity to take part and get to know more about the ROC Armed Forces through the visit.
In addition, towards the end of this semester, the ROC National Defense University will organize the annual Table Top Exercise (2024 International Civilian & Military Joint Crisis Game) in Taipei. We strongly recommend you to participate this table top exercise as you will be able to engage with teams from other universities.
Since these events will be held on Thursday or Friday, participation is not mandatory.
Final Paper: (40%)
A 2500 words (maximum 3000 words) of paper or essay is required. It should focus on Asia-Pacific security related topics. For example, choosing an Asia-Pacific country(s) and examine their strategic posture or defense policy. If you are not sure whether your topic is relevant or acceptable, please ask the instructor. Essays should conform to the following basic format: 1. Introduction, 300 words; 2. Background description, 300-500 words; 3. Analysis, 1000-1,500 words; 4. Policy Recommendations, 3-500 words. References should be provided. For questions of style and usage, you should consult the Chicago Manual of Style. Please see (https://taiwancss.org/strategic-vision/) for further information. Paper due date is January 15, 2025.
In addition, a course "Line" Group will be established so students and course instructors can easily communicate and interact. Reading materials will also be sent through this Line Group.
Primary Texts
Andrew Scobell (2017). The Routledge Handbook of Asian Security Studies.
Other supplement reading materials (mainly in electronic version) will be provided by course instructors and sent to the Course Line Group.
N/A