Type of Credit: Elective
Credit(s)
Number of Students
The course combines theoretical material with corresponding practical instances as they have taken place and continue to occur in Southeast Asia. The aim is to expose students to the region's diversity while cultivating a critical awareness of key theoretical models and dominant narratives, which have and continue to define each country's political and social climate. Upon completing this course, students should be familiar with the dominant approaches and theories in comparative politics, and the basic contours of modern Southeast Asian politics. Students should also be able to determine the merits and weaknesses of various theoretical approaches and apply these to analyze current political developments in the region critically.
能力項目說明
For political scientists, Southeast Asia is one of the most interesting and important arenas for comparative studies, particularly in comparative democratization. The region includes Asia’s oldest democracy, the Philippines, the recently consolidated democracy, Indonesia, the once-and-future democracy, Thailand and Burma/Myanmar, and various forms of semi-democratic/ soft-authoritarian rule, including Malaysia and Singapore. Aside from the puzzle of this pattern of diversity, the transitions from authoritarian rule in the region have attracted much attention, beginning with the ‘People Power’ revolt against long-time strongman Marcos in the Philippines in 1986, and the student protests that led to the resignation of Suharto in Indonesia in 1998, to the more recent ‘political transition’ from military junta to civilian government in Burma/Myanmar in 2011 (but in 2021….hummm…..). Beyond these dramatic transitions, the longer-term and complicated processes of political change ongoing in Southeast Asia in recent years have involved important examples of forces and dynamics found elsewhere in the world: civil society and social movements, political Islam, ethno-communal violence, armed separatism, and terrorism. Even those countries still under authoritarian rule have experienced socio-economic transformation in recent years, with subtle political changes also underway despite apparent regime stability. The course will seek to explain the patterns and dynamics of contemporary politics in this rapidly changing region and to provide guidelines for evaluating their future developments.
While the course will cover the entire Southeast Asia, it will devote most attention to the region’s six countries: Burma/Myanmar, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand.
The course will begin by introducing various theoretical approaches used by political scientists in comparative democratic studies. With those ‘tools’ in mind, the latter units of course will be to understand processes of political change and continuity in Southeast Asian countries, particularly growing pressures for ‘more democracy’ in most of them. The course will also cover some major political issues including political Islam, ethno-communal conflict, and gender.
| 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 |
|---|---|---|
Weekly Course Schedule
Week 1 Feb 21 Introduction
Week 2 Feb 28 Holiday (no class)
Week 3 Mar 07 Election and Democracy (1): Electoral and Party System of 6 countries
Week 4 Mar 14 Election and Democracy (2): Patronage; Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines
Week 5 Mar 21 Military and Democracy (1): Theory; Singapore
Week 6 Mar 28 Military and Democracy (2): Myanmar, Indonesia, Thailand, Philippines
Week 7 Apr 04 Holiday (no class)
Week 8 Apr 11 Civil Society and Populism (1): Theory; Singapore, Thailand
Week 9 Apr 18 Civil Society and Populism (2): Recession; Philippines
Week 10 Apr 25 Civil Society and Populism (3): Ethnicity; Malaysia, Indonesia
Week 11 May 02 Media, Fake News, and Democracy (1): Singapore v.s. Myanmar
Week 12 May 09 Media, Fake News, and Democracy (2): Indonesia, Thailand, Philippines
Week 13 May 16 Democracy in Southeast Asia: A Review and Prospects
Week 14 May 23 Paper outline presentation
Week 15 May 30 Holiday (no class)
Week 16 Jun 06 Final essay submission deadline
Class participation and presentation 30%
Every week’s short “response paper” 30%
Final essay 40%
Class participation and presentation: This is a reading and discussion seminar. Our class sessions will focus on discussions of course readings. All seminar members should complete the assigned readings before the seminar meeting and come prepared to discuss the readings. Every student shall choose 1 week to lead the discussion. The first-year Master’s students can find a partner to do teamwork. NOTE: please lead the discussion, not summarize every article or make an hour-long presentation.
Short response papers: Every student has to write a one-page response paper on the readings each week. These are due 11:00 P.M. on Thursdays before each class via email. NO LATE SUBMISSION. In every response paper, you should make some substantive comments on the readings and address 2-3 questions that you want to discuss in class. The paper should not be a mere summary of the readings.
Final essay: Write a 20-page (12-page for master students) (double-spaced) final essay on a specific topic according to the syllabus. There is no specific minimum or maximum number of books and/or articles to be covered in this assignment, but students should try to identify multiple perspectives and review some of the best works on the topic. The essay needs not cover all the assigned and recommended readings, though broad coverage is desirable. Students should consult the instructor about the topics early in the semester. The complete papers are due Jun. 6 at 11:59 PM (according to the time on your E-mails). NO LATE SUBMISSION.
Please go to Moodle to download the following items