ASIA 2018 - Australia and the Asia-Pacific

The course will examine Australia's relations with Asia in global and regional perspective. Some of the enduring concerns of Australian and Asian policy makers such as the search for regional order, the resolution of political and trade disputes and management of political and economic interdependence will be addressed throughout the course. While some historical aspects of Australia's links with Asia will be considered to provide a backdrop to the relationship, the major part of the course's focus is placed on contemporary and current issues. The course will examine selected thematic issues concerning Australia's ties with Asia as well as regional and bilateral relations. While the course is designed to provide students of Asian and international studies some of the essential conceptual and analytical tools to understand Australia's Asian context, it also serves as an introduction to Australia's relations with Asia which will be of interest to a wide range of students, especially those whose future jobs might be related to a particular Asian country or to the Asia Pacific region.