Seminar of Asian Societies and Politics
Course code
HIL7262.HT
old course code
Course title in Estonian
Aasia ühiskondade ja poliitika seminar
Course title in English
Seminar of Asian Societies and Politics
ECTS credits
6.0
Assessment form
Examination
lecturer of 2023/2024 Spring semester
Not opened for teaching. Click the study programme link below to see the nominal division schedule.
lecturer of 2024/2025 Autumn semester
Not opened for teaching. Click the study programme link below to see the nominal division schedule.
Course aims
The aim of the course is to explore concepts of power and governance in contemporary Asia.
Brief description of the course
Conventional modes of political steering by nation-states and international regulations are not dealing with new global challenges such as environmental problems, humanitarian catastrophes, and new security threats effectively. This is one of the reasons governance has become such a central topic of research within the social sciences, yet the "ideal type" of modern statehood is the exception rather than the rule. In Asia we find areas and subjects of "limited statehood", with the lack of capacity or will to implement central decisions and monopoly on various areas and local elites and power cliques (Slater 2010; Risse 2011). On the other hand, there are still a number of countries in the region with more or less authoritarian nature with a legal ability to rule hierarchically and implement or enforce some central decisions using their monopoly of violence. Such a mixture of politically distinct regimes and decision making can be one wider perspective to analyze currently important topics with an aim to gain deeper understanding of trends and dynamics in the region. That is the central aim of this course: to discuss relevant and current debates in Asia from the perspective of limited and unlimited governance. Alongside liberal and democratic accountability ideologies, and related political coalitions, we identify the exploitation of moral ideologies to contain democratic reform in post-authoritarian and populist contexts (e.g. China, Thailand, Cambodia, Philippines, Malaysia) (Rodan and Hughes 2014). The course is equally interested in the relations of domination and resistance, the questions of how the central power structures break up and are contested on the local level and how local people organize for their rights in civil society and social movements. These important questions of social organization vis-a-vis local and national power structures and elites will be covered in the course.
Learning outcomes in the course
Upon completing the course the student:
- has acquired knowledge on topical issues in societies, politics and culture in Asia, and are aware of the diversity of such topics;
- is able to better follow academic and political debates on these issues and critically evaluate discussions in media;
- has deeper understanding on socio-political dynamics in the region and they acknowledge the differences as well as similarities in respective countries and societies;
- has practical experience in giving a presentation and holding debate on the selected topical issues in seminars.
- has acquired knowledge on topical issues in societies, politics and culture in Asia, and are aware of the diversity of such topics;
- is able to better follow academic and political debates on these issues and critically evaluate discussions in media;
- has deeper understanding on socio-political dynamics in the region and they acknowledge the differences as well as similarities in respective countries and societies;
- has practical experience in giving a presentation and holding debate on the selected topical issues in seminars.
Teacher
Lektor Karin Dean
Study programmes containing that course