Asia Pacific Studies

Since the 1980s awareness of the importance of Australia's role in the Asia-Pacific has led to the University of Wollongong giving priority to the study of the region and our place in it. Trade, culture, history, politics, economics and language have all received attention, with particular focus on Southeast Asia and Japan.

The teaching staff have long-standing research expertise in the region, and have published extensively. The University has a specialised Asia-Pacific Research Network, which brings together scholars from many Faculties. In particular the University of Wollongong has noted experts in Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Papua New Guinea, China, Korea, Japan, India, Bangladesh, the Philippines and a number of other parts of the Asia-Pacific.

The following subjects have been approved for inclusion in the Major in Asia-Pacific Studies because they reflect the particular areas of expertise at the University of Wollongong: the understanding of development in the Asia-Pacific, the interaction of culture, language and politics in the region and intensive study of the Japanese language.

Major Study: A major study in Asia-Pacific Studies for the Bachelor of Arts degree requires the completion of a minimum of 52 credit points from the subjects listed below, including all core subjects. At least 24 credit points must be at 300-level. This interdisciplinary major may be taken as a single major study, but its flexibility makes it a useful component in a double-major.

Students should plan their degree programs carefully, bearing in mind the need to satisfy subject prerequisites particularly at 200- and 300-levels.

Studying Southeast Asia in Southeast Asia
Through existing exchange programs with Thailand, Indonesia and Vietnam students from the University of Wollongong can study for a semester or more in these countries as part of their degree. Through these exchanges the languages of these countries can be studied in their context. The Faculty of Arts also offers a range of Asian language studies over the Summer Session, normally including Chinese and Indonesian/Malaysian.

Co-ordinator: Associate Professor Adrian Vickers, History and Politics Program.

Number Subject Credit Points

Core Subjects
HIST107	Plunder, Profit and 'Progress': Colonialism
	in the Asia-Pacific 1500-1900	6
SOC243	Southeast Asian Transformations	6
HIST287	Southeast Asian Transformations	6
Optional Subjects
100-level
STS120	Technology in Society: East and West
	(Also available as STS220 or STS221)	6
HIST124	The Cold War and After	6
JAPA101	Japanese - Level 1	6
JAPA151	Japanese 1A Language	6
JAPA152	Japanese 1B Language	12
JAPA153	Japanese 1C Language	12
JAPA160	Japanese 1D/E Language	12
INDO101	Introductory Indonesian/Malaysian - Level 1
INDO103	Introductory Indonesian/Malaysian
INDO104	Introductory Indonesian/Malaysian 1A Language
INDO105	Introductory Indonesian/Malaysian 1B Language
INDO106	Introductory Indonesian/Malaysian - Level 1
LANG196	Chinese (Mandarin) Level I	6
LANG197	Chinese (Mandarin) Level II	6
LANG198	Chinese (Mandarin) Intermediate Level for Other
	Dialect Speakers	6
200-level
ECON251	Industry and Trade in East Asia	8
HIST286	From Ancient Kingdoms to Colonies in Southeast
	Asia, 1500-1870	8
HIST288	Religion and Military Rule in Mainland
	Southeast Asia, 1930-2000	8
POL225	International Relations, An Introduction	8
GEOS246	A Hungry World: Food Resources and the
	World Economy	6
STS220	see STS120
ASIA299	Special Topics in Southeast Asian Studies	8
LANG210	Communicating in a Foreign Language	8
300-level
ASIA399	Southeast Asian Language and
	Culture Exchange Subject	8
ECON303	Economic Development Issues	8
ENGL373	Studies in Decolonising Literatures	8
GEOS347	Northern Neighbours: Economic and
	Social Change in the Asia-Pacific Rim	8
GEOS349	Population, Health and Environment	8
HIST379	Culture and Identity in Indonesian History, 1870-1999	8
HIST388	Vietnam in War and Revolution: Indo-Chinese
	Societies 1860-2000	8
HIST394	Consumption and Production in Australian and
	Southeast Asian Histories
POL316	Chinese Politics: Problems and Prospects	8
POL317	Politics in the South Pacific	8
POL318	The Asian Tigers - Newly Industrialising
	Countries in Transition	8
POL323	North and South: Approaches to Relations
	Between Advanced, Industrialising and
	Developing Countries	8
SOC318	The Sociology of Development	8