HUMN 3080 The History of Southeast Asia

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Credit Points 10

Legacy Code 102491

Coordinator Steven Drakeley Opens in new window

Description This unit introduces students to the history of Southeast Asia, and to the major ideas and debates pertaining to the historical development of Southeast Asia as an important and distinctive world region in its own right. The course will examine the historical, cultural and religious factors that have shaped Southeast Asian societies, from antiquity to the modern era. Key topics include the origins and characteristics of early civilisations, traditional patterns of state formation, global trade networks and European imperialism, popular resistance and the nationalist challenge to the colonial order, decolonisation in Cold War Southeast Asia, and nation-building in the twentieth century.

School Humanities & Comm Arts

Discipline History

Student Contribution Band HECS Band 4 10cp

Check your HECS Band contribution amount via the Fees page.

Level Undergraduate Level 3 subject

Restrictions Succcessful completion of 60 credit points of study in currently enrolled program.

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this subject, students should be able to:
  1. Identify the central themes and debates pertaining to the historical development of Southeast Asian societies and the region.
  2. Demonstrate basic analytical skills of historical interpretation, argument and evidence relevant to Southeast Asia.
  3. Explain the various ways in which geography and environment have affected the historical development of the Southeast Asian region.
  4. Analyse the historical processes that created the complex societies of Southeast Asia.
  5. Scrutinise major cultural borrowings, religious influences and the impact of European colonialism on individual nations of Southeast Asia.
  6. Distinguish between the historical development of Southeast Asian states from the early modern to the post-colonial era.

Subject Content

The setting: the population, environment and geography of Southeast Asia
The Indianisation of Southeast Asia
The rise and fall of the classical states
The Islamisation of Southeast Asia
Trade and its networks during the ?eThe Age of Commerce?f
East-west encounters in Southeast Asia: the first European impact
European colonialism in 19th century Southeast Asia
The economic transformation of Southeast Asia during the colonial era
The rise of nationalism and challenges to colonial rule
Progress and modernity in 20th century Southeast Asia
The impact of the Japanese occupation and the revolutionary moment
Independence and a new world order
Cold War Southeast Asia
The Southeast Asian region in the modern world

Assessment

The following table summarises the standard assessment tasks for this subject. Please note this is a guide only. Assessment tasks are regularly updated, where there is a difference your Learning Guide takes precedence.

Item Length Percent Threshold Individual/Group Task
Discourse Analysis 1,500 words 35 N Individual
Research Essay 2,500 words 45 N Individual
Online Quizzes 20 N Individual

Teaching Periods

Structures that include subject