Course - 2008 - Block Two

Block Two: The Contemporary and Future Strategic Setting

Aim

Block Two provides course members with an understanding of the forces that shape Australia’s security environment, including those within the Asia-Pacific region and the three major powers within the region.   The Block analyses the effectiveness of the regional security architecture.

Description

In this Block, course members study internal and external structures and dynamics driving state and non-state actors in the Asia-Pacific region. These include major influences on policy and security in the Asia-Pacific region, including the foundations of political development. The Block then divides into a core element (which all course members undertake) and an electives element which provides course members with a choice of topics from which to select over a four week period.

In the core element of the Block, course members examine the major players in the Asia-Pacific region that shape the security environment. These are the United States of America, China and Japan. Given their strategic importance to Australia, Indonesia and Papua New Guinea are also examined.  Course members consider:

• The internal and external influences on each state’s national security, including historical, economic, social and cultural factors.
  
• Each state’s political setting and governance, including a comparison with course members’ respective decision-making processes.
  
• The nature and role of regional security architecture.

In the electives element of the Block, course members choose from a selection of sub-regional and thematic topics. Six to eight electives are conducted from 12 May – 5 June 2008. In February, course members are briefed on the specific topics available and given the opportunity to select which electives they will attend.  This selection coincides with course members identifying the topic(s) they plan to cover in their respective Strategic Assessment Papers.  The electives component of the Block provides course members with the opportunity to explore, in more depth, selected regional or thematic issues to complement research for their Strategic Assessment Papers.

Learning Objectives

• Comprehend the enduring historical factors that influence regional relationships and decision-making.
• Analyse the security perspectives of major powers and other selected states in the Asia-Pacific region.
• Evaluate how internal and external factors affect security perspectives in the following geographic sub-regions:
                  ·               North East Asia, particularly amongst the major powers;
                  ·               South West Pacific;
                  ·               South East Asia;
                  ·               South Asia; and
                  ·               the Middle East and Persian Gulf.
• Analyse the effect of selected thematic issues on the Asia Pacific security environment.
• Evaluate security architecture(s) in the Asia-Pacific region.

Course Member Deliverables

There are two course member deliverables in Block Two:

• An individual 2000 word written assignment based on a range of topics from the core areas of Block Two. This assignment is internally assessed.

• The major deliverable from Block Two is the Strategic Assessment Paper (SAP) which is one of the two major written papers for the course. In the Strategic Assessment Paper, course members demonstrate that they can analyse at least one external driver of security policy in the strategic environment. The length of the assignment depends on whether or not the course member is enrolled in the MA program. An MA course member writes an individual 10,000 word Strategic Assessment Paper which is supervised and assessed externally by Deakin University. Non-MA course members write a 5,000 word Strategic Assessment Paper. This can be completed either as an individual or as part of a small group (usually of two but no more than three course members). Non-MA course members’ Strategic Assessment Papers are internally supervised and assessed. The Strategic Assessment Paper is due on Monday 21 July 2008.