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Psci 3072 Government & Politics of Southeast Asia

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Psci 3072 Government & Politics of Southeast Asia PSCI 3072 GOVERNMENT & POLITICS OF SOUTHEAST ASIA University of Colorado at Boulder Fall 2015 T & Th 9:30-10:45 Econ 205 Instructor: Dr. Sam (Selma K.) Sonntag Office hours: Tues. 11:00-12:00; location to be arranged E-mail: [email protected] Course Description: In this course, we will survey historical and contemporary forces shaping politics and economics in Southeast Asia. In our survey, we will employ both a case-study approach and a thematic approach. Our case studies will be Thailand, Myanmar, Vietnam, Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, and the Philippines. In addition to examining the political institutional structure and current political issues and events for each of our case studies, we will employ a thematic lens for our analysis. We can think of the themes as the historical and contemporary forces (such as colonialism, nationalism, democratization and economic globalization) which shape the political institutions, policies and processes of our case studies. The thematic focus adopted for the different case studies allows us to particularize broad comparative themes providing for more in- depth analyses, while at the same time allowing us to make cross-national comparisons providing for more robust analyses. The prerequisites for this course are PSCI 2012 or IAFS 1000. Textbook and Assigned Reading: 1. Dayley, Robert and Neher, Clark D. 2013. Southeast Asia in the New International Era (6th ed.). Boulder: Westview Press. 2. Assigned articles and book chapters listed in the course outline below. PDFs are available on D2L and are arranged by case study (country) files. Please note that the PDFs will not always have the author’s name or full citation, although the PDF name will include, at minimum, the last name of the author. Full citations are given in the syllabus below. 3. On-line news sources, such as The Bangkok Post (Thailand Daily): http://www.bangkokpost.net Myanmar Times (Myanmar Weekly; semi-governmental): http://www.mmtimes.com/ Vietnam News (English language Daily): http://vietnamnews.vn/ The Jakarta Post (Indonesia Daily): http://www.thejakartapost.com The New Straits Time (Malaysia Daily): http://www.nst.com.my Philippine Daily Inquirer (Philippines Daily): http://www.inquirer.net The Straits Time (Singapore Daily): http://www.straitstimes.com More on-line news sources are suggested at the end of each chapter in the Dayley and Neher textbook. News sources such as the BBC News, The New York Times and The Economist weekly magazine are also appropriate. 1 Course Structure: The course will be a combination of lecture format and seminar discussion. Lectures will present information that complements the assigned reading; discussions will be centered on analytical and/or theoretical questions raised in the assigned readings. It is imperative that students stay current with the reading assignments to maximize comprehension of lecture material and participate in productive discussion. Course Assignments and Exams: Current Events: You are responsible for current news coverage of one of the seven case studies we will be studying over the semester. You will choose which country to cover the first week of the semester. You will then give an informal presentation of a couple of minutes in length about the major news stories at the end of the last class session scheduled for that case study. Within two weeks of giving your oral presentation, you will submit a written report (hard copy) of approximately two pages in length. For this report, you will first summarize (in your own words) the news coverage you presented orally. Next you will relate your summary to coverage of the topic(s) in the Dayley and Neher textbook. Finally, you will discuss how the recent news covearage of the topic(s) complements or contradicts coverage in the Dayley and Neher textbook (e.g., does the Dayley and neher textbook give you needed background information to analyze recent news coverage of the topic? Does recent news coverage provide a needed update to the Dayley and Neher textbook? Does the news coverage reveal a bias that contradicts the analysis provided in the Dayley and Neher textbook?) Exams: Two mid-terms and a final. The format of the mid-term exams will be objective component (e.g., multiple choice, map quiz), short answers (e.g., term definitions), and essay prompts. The final exam will have an essay-only format. All three exams are non-cumulative, although you are welcomed to incorporate information and analyses from any point in the semester in your essays, particularly in the final exam. Research project: Research and analyze a topic of your choosing in one or two of the countries covered in the course. For example, you could choose to research and analyze the 2014 military coup in Thailand; political power of hereditary rulers in Thailand and Malaysia; electoral systems adopted in democratizing countries such as Myanmar; the growth of the call center industry in the Philippines; the status of Indonesia as a member of the “fragile five”; or environmental issues in Vietnam. After you have familiarized yourself with your topic through finding, accessing and reading scholarly and primary (e.g., legitimate news) sources on your topic, you will need to develop a clear thesis statement on your topic. Your thesis statement should take the format of “I will argue that … the 2014 Thai military coup was a repeat of the 2006 coup; …the king in Thailand has more power, albeit informal, than the sultans in Malaysia; … Myanmar’s new electoral system disenfranchises opposition parties; … American English, a legacy of U.S. colonialism, has been a key factor in the growth of call centers in Manila; … the Indonesian economy should no longer be considered fragile; … region-wide environmental regulations could prove effective.” You will then engage in further research and analysis to support your thesis statement. 2 You will present your research and analysis in the form of a written paper (approximately 8 double-spaced pages in length) and an eight-minute oral presentation (plus ~2 minutes of Q&A). You must include full citations of sources used and consulted, including course material, using APSA style for in-text citations and bibliography. You are welcomed to discuss your research project on an individual basis with me during my office hour at any point during the semester. Your final paper is due at the beginning of class on Tuesday, Dec. 1 and your oral presentation will be scheduled during the last two weeks of the semester. Assessment and Grading: Requirement % of overall Grading criteria grade Participation 10% Physical presence in class; contributions to class discussion; demonstration of comprehension of reading News coverage 10% Oral and written report of news coverage of current events in chosen case study/country Mid-terms 20% each Demonstration of factual knowledge; ability to synthesize and critically analyze material Final 10% Ability to synthesize and critically analyze material Oral presentation 10% Clarity and organization of material; public speaking ability Term paper 20% Factual accuracy regarding topic; evidence of research; clear thesis statement; sophistication of analysis; quality of writing (e.g., grammatical correctness, spelling) Grading scale: 100-94 points: A; 94-90: A-; 89-87: B+; 86-83: B; 82-80: B-; 79-77: C+; 76-73: C; 72-70: C-; 69-66: D+; 65-60: D; 59 and below: F. Policies: Students with Disabilities: If you qualify for accommodations because of a disability, please submit to me a letter from Disability Services in a timely manner (for exam accommodations provide your letter at least one week prior to the exam) so that your needs can be addressed. Disability Services determines accommodations based on documented disabilities. Contact Disability Services at 303-492-8671 or by e-mail at [email protected]. If you have a temporary medical condition or injury, see Temporary Medical Conditions: Injuries, Surgeries, and Illnesses guidelines under Quick Links at Disability Services website. Be sure to also discuss your needs with me. Religious Observations: Campus policy regarding religious observances requires that faculty make every effort to deal reasonably and fairly with all students who, because of 3 religious obligations, have conflicts with scheduled exams, assignments or required attendance. In this class, you will need to provide me with a written request for accommodation at least two weeks in advance of the religious observation. I will provide the opportunity for a makeup exam or an equivalent assignment and arrange for an increased flexibility in assignment due dates, etc. If class is missed to observe a religious holiday, this will not affect your participation grade. See full details at http://www.colorado.edu/policies/fac_relig.html. Classroom behavior: Students and faculty each have responsibility for maintaining an appropriate learning environment. Those who fail to adhere to such behavioral standards may be subject to discipline. Professional courtesy and sensitivity are especially important with respect to individuals and topics dealing with differences of race, culture, religion, politics, sexual orientation, gender, gender variance, and nationalities. Class rosters are provided to the instructor with the student's legal name. I will gladly honor your request to address you by an alternate name or gender pronoun. Please advise me of this preference early in the semester so that I may make appropriate changes to my records. See policies at http://www.colorado.edu/policies/classbehavior.html and at http://www.colorado.edu/studentaffairs/judicialaffairs/code.html#student_code . Discrimination and Harassment: The University of Colorado Boulder (CU-Boulder) is committed to maintaining a positive learning, working, and living environment. The University of Colorado does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, age, disability, creed, religion, sexual orientation, or veteran status in admission and access to, and treatment and employment in, its educational programs and activities.
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