The Emergence Of Modern Southeast Asia

The Emergence of Modern Southeast Asia introduces you to the background, factors contributing to the development, and the shaping of the nature of modern Southeast Asian nation-states from the colonial through the post-World War II and post-independent periods. The course draws materials from a diverse range of sources: from earlier, contemporary and later reflections to literature (novels) and even comics. By drawing case studies, examples, images and readings, the course helps you to acquire elementary skills to interpret the information you learn in the class meetings. Once you can identify and contrast available data, you will be able to write critical essays comparing and contrasting the arguments proposed by various scholars. In evaluating these arguments and comparing their efficacies, you will be able to construct a critical, evident based, and well-argued paper. Your ability to synthesize the range of viewpoints, assess their merits and demerits, and make a decisive conclusion regarding the effectiveness of different arguments will give you a foundation of knowledge and critical enquiry skills which you can use to proceed to more advanced courses in history. This course will provide you with a firm foundation in understanding the history, socio-political and economic transformation of modern Southeast Asian countries which you can build on when you consider furthering your studies in higher level courses on Southeast Asia, colonialism, political history, socio-economic history, and key historical developments in Southeast Asia in the 20th century.