General Notes

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INTS 150: Introduction to Southeast Asian Studies - Syllabus

I strongly encourage you, the student, to use ANGEL...

Course Description:
INTS 150 Introduction to Southeast Asian Studies is an introductory and interdisciplinary approach to studying modern Southeast Asia. This course will explore the social, religious, political, economic, and legal foundations of Southeast Asia. The course content is designed to give the student a background to understand the traditions, the values and thus the societies in Southeast Asia. In some cases we will explore history, in others the arts, in some cases politics, etc. The course is designed to run in parallel - country and themed based - by week. We will use film - as critique or to get a sense of the complexity of Southeast Asia.

Required Text:
Heidhues, Mary Somers. Southeast Asia - A Concise History. Thames and Hudson: London, 2000
Owen, Norman. ed. The Emergence of Modern Southeast Asia - A New History. University of Hawaii Press: Honolulu, 2005.

Films:
During the course of the semester we will view all or part of a number of films related to particular issues.

Evaluations: Papers and Presentation

* Each paper should be a minimum of ONE page (double spaced) in length. There are a total of 12 possible reaction paper topics of which you must select only 10. If you decide to do all 12 reaction papers, the two extras will be considered as "extra credit" and plus points will be applied either to your past reaction paper submissions, your In Class Presentation, or your Mini-Research paper.
** Presentation to be based on Mini-Research Paper.
*** Five to Six pages (excluding cover sheet and list of references). Research paper should be country specific and based on one or more of the themes covered in this course. All papers should be submitted in MLA format. All assignments should be handed to me personally and on time. Please do not leave assignments in my (or the department's) mailbox. Copy of the assignment should also be placed in the Angel Drop Box for grading.

Please note:
(1) Unfortunately, due to past abuses, attendance will be mandatory and attendance will be taken.
Once again, unfortunately, due to past abuses the doors will be closed to entry as soon as class starts and tardiness will count as an absence. Sorry.
(2) 4 unexcused absences will result in an automatic grade of D
(3) 5 unexcused absences will result in an automatic grade of F
(4) The videos shown in or outside of class should be watched carefully as they should be incorporated into the papers. It goes also for speakers/invited guests.
(5) There will be no midterm or final exam so each paper is of equal importance.

At the end of term your overall grade out of 100 will be matched against the scale below. In the interrim you will need to watch how many points you actually have. Calculate the number of points you actually have against the perfect score of what is possible - this way you can get a percentage out of a 100% and you can match it as well against the scale listed below.

February 6 - 8: Week 1 - Geography and Culture of Southeast Asia
Heidhues - Introduction 7-14
Heidhues - Waterways 15-34
Heidhues - Multiplicity of Beliefs 65-86

Question: What was your initial perception of Southeast Asia? How has your initial reading of the complexity or geography and multiplicity of beliefs changed, if at all, your perception of Southeast Asia?

Part I - Mainland Southeast Asia

February 13 - 15: Week 2 - Vietnam - In China's Shadow
Heidhues - China's special relationship with Vietnam 89-95
Owen - Vietnam 1700-1885: Disunity, Unity, and French Conquest 106-116
Owen - Vietnam 1885-1975: Colonialism, Communism, and Wars 335-349
Owen - Vietnam after 1975: From Collectivism to Market Leninism 468-480
Movie: Mùi du du and - L'odeur de la papaye verte (Scent of Green Papaya)
Movie: Journey From The Fall

Question: From about 214 B.C. China controlled Vietnam. Vietnam is the only country in Southeast Asia that was influenced more by China than by India. The Vietnamese people's limited but significant sinicization had began during the more than one thousand years that northern Vietnam had been a colony of the Chinese empire, before Vietnam became independent in the tenth century A.D. During those centuries, the ethical and political doctrines we call Confucianism, based on the teachings of the philosopher Confucius, had spread among Vietnamese scholars. What are your impressions of Vietnam's special relationship to China?

February 20 - 22: Week 3 - Cambodia - Issues of Hyper-Nationalism
Heidhues - Cambodia and Laos 147-149, 179-181
Owen - Cambodia: 1796-1884: Politics in a Tributary Kingdom 117 - 122
Owen - Cambodia 1884-1975 361-370
Owen - Cambodia since 1975 381-491
Movie: Cambodia: The Betrayal
Movie: The Killing Fields

Question Cambodia's legacy hyper-nationalism and of political instability continues to scare off foreign investors. What are your impressions of Cambodia's future in terms of finding a niche in the global economy and at the same time raise its standard of living?

February 27 - March 1: Week 4 - Burma - Women in Southeast Asia
Heidhues - Burma 174-177
Owen - Myanmar Becomes British Burma 83-92
Owen - British Burma and Beyond 322-334
Owen - Burma Becomes Myanmar 497-506
Movie: Inside Burma - Land of Fear
Movie: Beyond Rangoon

Question: Aung San Suu Kyi is the daughter of one of Burma's most cherished heroes, the martyred General Aung San, who led his country's fight for independence from Great Britain in the 1940s and was killed for his beliefs in 1947. Suu Kyi has equaled her father's heroics with her calm but passionate advocacy of freedom and democracy in the country now called Myanmar, a name chosen by one of the most insensitive and brutal military dictatorships in the world. What does Aung San Suu Kyi's past, present, future speak to: (1) Burma's prospects as a developing country, (2) the role of women in Southeast Asia, (3) the future of military regimes in Southeast Asia?

March 6 - 8: Week 5 - Thailand - Buddhism in Southeast Asia
Heidhues - Thailand 160-162
Owen - Siam: From Ayutthaya to Bangkok 93-105Owen - Siam Becomes Thailand, 1910-1973 350-360
Owen - The Kingdom of Thailand 448-454
Movie: Suriyothai

Question: Theravada Buddhism is the national religion of Thailand, practiced by 90% of its population. Theravada Buddhism, an orthodox Buddhist sect that keeps the original doctrine and tradition succeeded from the Buddha, is adopted by Sri Lanka, Myanmar (Burma) and Thailand. Ever since the Sukhothai Period, Buddhism has been recognized as the state's religion and significantly fundamental influence of Thai society and culture. Nowadays, development and technology of the modern world has somehow changed the traditional lifestyle of Thai people, especially in major metropolitan centers. Thai people still adopt Buddhist philosophy of simplicity and moderation to inform their ways, making Thai society much more tolerant and peaceful if compared against those which are suffering the stress from our competitive world today. What does this signify in terms of Buddhism in Southeast Asia in general? If Thailand is somewhat representative of the Buddhist experience in Southeast Asia what are the prospects of Thailand for the future vis-à-vis holding on to its traditional ways?

March 13 - 15: Week 6 - Laos - The Forgotten in Southeast Asia
Heidhues - Hmong 149; Cambodia and Laos 147-149, 179-181
Owen - Laos to 1975 371-378
Owen - Laos since 1975 492-496
Movie: Being Hmong Means Being Free

Question: Obscured by historical ties to France, the Vietnam War, and recent development but endowed with vast resources and capacity to generate hydroelectric power for the region, what will it take to bring Laos into the realm of major players in the region and how will it reconcile its geography, history, and cultural diversity?

March 19 - 23: Spring Break

Part II - Maritime Southeast Asia

March: 27 - 29: Week 7 - Philippines - In the Crossroads of Christianity and Islam in Southeast Asia
Heidhues - Philippines 166-168
Owen - The Spanish Philippines 147-160
Owen - The Philippines, 1896-1972: From Revolution to Martial Law 283-295
Owen - The Philippines since 1972 455-467
Moovie: Jose Rizal
Movie: Dekada '70 (The Decade of the 70s)

Question: In the crossroads of Christianity and Islam and its unique relationship to the United States, the Philippines inhabits a space of liminality unlike any other country in the region. What does the future hold for reconciling the confluence of all these traditions and taking that and its recent historical, political, and economic development into the 21st century and beyond?

April 3 - 5: Week 8 - Indonesia - Islam in Southeast Asia
Heidhues - Indonesia 168-170
Owen - Realignments: The Making of the Netherlands East Indies 1750 - 1914 123-136
Owen - Becoming Indonesiia, 1900-1959 296-311
Owen - Indonesia: The First Fifty Years 431-447
Movie: The Year of Living Dangerously

Question: Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim county, is a vast archipelago with porous maritime borders, a weak central government, separatist movements, corrupt officials, a floundering economy, and a loosely regulated financial system-all characteristics which make it fertile ground for terrorist groups. While Indonesia is known as a secular, tolerant society that practices a moderate form of Islam, radical Islamists have gained momentum. U.S. officials and terrorism experts worry about al-Qaeda using Indonesia as a base for a Southeast Asian front. Taking into account Indonesia's past balancing secularism and a Muslim majority what are its prospects for the future?

April 10 - 12: Week 9 - Malaysia - Ethnic Dynamics in Southeast Asia
Heidhues - Malaysia 171-172
Chua, Amy. "Rubbies and Rice Paddies - Chinese Minority Dominance in Southeast Asia." in World on Fire: How Exporting Free Market Democracy Breeds Ethnic Hatred and Global Instability. 23-48. New York: Doubleday, 2003.
Owen - The Malay Negeri of the Peninsula and Borneo 1775-1900 137-146
Owen - British Malaya 312-321
Owen - Malaysiia since 1957 414-421
Movie: Gol & Gincu
Movie: Mei li de xi yi ji (The Beautiful Washing Machine)

Question: Given its diversity, Malaysia's unity is regarded as tenuous. Great disparity remains between urban and rural communities and political and economic power is delicately balanced between the Malays, who are in the majority, and the Chinese, who are the wealthiest, while the Indians and the indigenous are the poorest. Yet the nation has attained a degree of social harmony and stability that is unmatched by most of its neighbors. What are the prospects of maintaining this tenuous harmony?

April 17 - 19: Week 10 - Singapore - The Chinese in Southeast Asia
Heidhues - Accelerated Growth 163-166
Owen - Consolidation of Colonial Power and Centralization of State Authority 201-221
Culture Is Destiny - A Conversation with Lee Kuan Yew (in conversation with Fareed Zakaria)
Is Culture Destiny? The Myth of Asia's Anti-Democratic Values - Kim Dae Jung
Democracy in Confucianism
Movie: Big Business and the Ghost of Confucius

Question: Asian values was a concept that came into vogue in the 1990s, predicated on the belief in the existence in Asian countries of a unique set of institutions and political ideologies which reflected the region's culture and history. Lee Kuan Yew, at that time the prime minister of Singapore was a particularly vocal advocate of Asian values. Some critics of the term argue that no universal "Asian" value system exists, because the cultural diversity of Asia is too great for there to be a single set of common values across the region. What are your impressions on the "Asian Value" debate and does it continue to have relevance and influence?

April 24 - 26: Week 11 - Brunei - Southeast Asia's Kuwait
Heidhues
Owen - Singapore and Brunei 422-430

Question: What role does Brunei play in the region?

May 1 - 3: Week 12 - Southeast Asia's Future: Globalization, Asian Values, and ASEAN
Heidhues - ASEAN 9, 177, 179, 182
Owen - Globaliization and Economic Change 161-179
Owen - ASEAN 396-397, 479-480, 490, 495-496, 5001, 506

Question: What role, if any, did ASEAN play in the region and what is its present role? What, if any, does ASEAN provide in terms as a unifier in the region?

May 8 - 10: Week 13 - In Class Presentation
** Since this is "Introduction to Southeast Asian Studies", the presentation will be based on your Mini-research paper. One will present (using PowerPoint) on a topic mutually agreed upon with the professor. A group could do a presentation along a "themed" line. Grounded on the readings, lectures, and discussions, one could very well expand on a country profile taking into account the issues taken up (and papers written about) in class and apply them to the presentation. How are these countries serving the needs (political and social) of its citizens - is that even the question? One could also take a specific individual or interest. The possibilities are limitless.
Evaluation:
Grade will be based on the quality of research done. Taken into account will be such things as sources, theme, and formulation. In other words, how you put it all together.

Action:
1. You will need to pair up as soon as possible.
2. I will need a topic from the pair or student as soon as possible.
3. Based on the topic, it might be wise to consider at least 2 outside sources (no internet, please). Searching the databases in the library is allowed and encouraged. Using search engines like Google, Yahoo, etc. falls under the "no internet, please" umbrella.

Preparing Your Presentation:
1. In class presentation is a maximum of 10 minutes followed by 5 minutes of Q & A.
2. Provide one page outline to me in the form of an email attachment one week prior to presentation to be put up on the class page on Angel. Students are required to consult with me concerning: (a) the in-class presentation, and (b) the research paper.
3. Students are expected to confirm the topic of their in-class presentation by the end of week 7.
4. Students are also expected to confirm the topic of the research paper no later than end of week 10. Research paper is due during exam week.

Week 14 - Exam Week: Research Paper Due

Suggested Reading List

Southeast Asia
Berquist, Karin Bo. ed. Images of Asia: Cultural Perspectives on a Changing Asia. Copenhagen: Danish Center for Culture and Development, 2004.
Bullis, Douglas. Fashion Asia. New York: Thames and Hudson, 2000.
Chua, Amy. World on Fire: How Exporting Free Market Democracy Breeds Ethnic Hatred and Global Instability. New York: Doubleday, 2003
Dalpino, Catharin, and Steinberg, David. eds. Georgetown Southeast Asia Survey 2002-2003. Washington, DC: Georgetown University Press, 2004.
Gunaratna, Rohan. ed. Terrorism in the Asia-Pacific: Threat and Response. Singapore: Eastern University Press, 2003.
Kerlogue, Fiona. Arts of Southeast Asia. New York: Thames and Hudson Inc., 2004
Leinbach, Thomas, and Ulack, Richard. eds. Southeast Asia: Diversity and Development. Upper Saddle River: Prentice Hall, 2000.
Millard, Mike. Jihad in Paradise: Islam and Politics in Southeast Asia. London: M.E. Sharpe, 2004.
Yamashita, Shinji and Eades, J.S. eds. Globalization in Southeast Asia: Local, National, and Transnational Perspectives. New York: Berghahn Books, 2003.

Burma
Smith, Martin. Burma: Insurgency and the Politics of Ethnicity. London: Zed Books, Ltd., 1993.
Tinker, Hugh. The Union of Burma: A Study of the First Years of Independence. London: Oxford University Press, 1961.

Indonesia
Schwarz, Adam. A Nation in Waiting: Indonesia in the 1990s. New York: Westview Press, 1994.
Taylor, Jean Gelman. Indonesia: Peoples and Histories. New Haven: Yale University Press, 2003.
Toer, Pramoedya Ananta. The Girl from the Coast. Trans. Willem Samuels. New York: Hyperion East, 2002.

Philippines
Chai, Arlene. The Last Time I Saw Mother. New York: Fawcett Columbine, 1995.
Go, Julian, and Foster, Anne L. The American Colonial State in the Philippines: Global Perspectives. Durham: Duke University Press, 2003.
Holmes, Burton. Burton Holmes Travelogues. Chicago: The Travelogue Bureau, 1914.
Jose, F. Sionil. Dusk. New York: The Modern Library, 1992.
McKenna, Thomas M. Muslim Rulers and Rebels: Everyday Politics and Armed Separation in the Southern Philippines. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1998.
Miller, Stuart Creighton. Benevolent Assimilation: The American Conquest of the Philippines, 1899-1903. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1982.
Phelan, John Leddy. The Hispanization of the Philippines: Spanish Aims and Filipino Responses, 1565-1700. Madison: The University of Wisconsin Press, 1959.

Thailand
Jeffrey, Leslie Ann. Sex and Borders: Gender, National Identity, and Prostitution Policy in Thailand. Vancouver: University of British Columbia Press, 2002.
Masavisut, Nitaya, and Grose, Matthew. eds. Thai Short Stories and Poems. Chiang Mai: Silkworm Books, 1996.

Vietnam
Sheehan, Neil. A Bright Shining Life: John Paul Vann and America in Vietnam. London: Picador, 1990.

Web Resources:

The Geography and Politics of Southeast Asia

Mainland Southeast Asia

Vietnam
CIA Factbook
Capital City: HANOI
Date of Independence from France: Date: 02 Septmber 1945
Population: 84, 402, 966
Current Leader: President Truong My Hoa
Type of Government: Communist State

Cambodia
CIA Factbook
Capital City: PHNOM PENH
Date of Independence from France: Date: 09 November 1953
Population: 13, 881, 427
Current Leader: Prime Minister Hun Sen
Type of Government: Multiparty Democracy under a Constitutional Monarchy

Burma
CIA Factbook
Capital City: RANGOON
Date of Independence from Great Britain: Date: 4 January 1948
Population: 47, 382, 633
Current Leader: Prime Minister Gen Soe Win
Type of Government: Military Junta

Thailand
CIA Factbook
Capital City: BANGKOK
Date of founding: 1238 (traditional founding date: never colonized)
Population: 64, 631, 595
Current Leader: Interim Prime Minister Surayut Chulanon
Type of Government: Constitutional Monarchy

Laos
CIA Factbook
Capital City: VIENTIANE
Date of Independence from France: Date: 19 July 1949
Population: 6, 368, 481
Current Leader: Prime Minister Bouasone Bouphavanh
Type of Government: Communist State

Maritime Southeast Asia

Philippines
CIA Factbook
Capital City: MANILA
Date of Independence from United States of America: Date: 04 July 1946
Population: 89, 468, 677
Current Leader: President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo
Type of Government: Republic

Indonesia
CIA Factbook
Capital City: JAKARTA
Date of Independence from The Netherlands: Date: 17 August 1945
Population: 245, 452, 739
Current Leader: President Susilo Bambang
Type of Government: Republic

Malaysia
CIA Factbook
Capital City: KUALA LUMPUR
Date of Independence from Great Britain: Date: 31 August 1957
Population: 24, 385, 858
Current Leader: Prime Minister Abdullah bin Ahmad Badawi
Type of Government: Constitutional Monarchy

Singapore
CIA Factbook
Capital City: SINGAPORE
Date of Independence from Malaysian Federation: Date: 09 August 1965
Population: 4, 492, 150
Current Leader: Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong
Type of Government: Parliamentary Republic

Brunei
CIA Factbook
Capital City: BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN
Date of Independence from Great Britain: Date: 01 January 1984
Population: 379, 444
Current Leader: Sultan and Prime Minister Sir Hassanal Bolkiah
Type of Government: Constitutional Sultanate

page last updated 28 December 2006
Copyright © 2006 Miguel B. Llora, MA. All Rights Reserved.
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