Core courses | Specialisations | Electives

AS6000 The International History of Asia

This course provides an overview of the international history of East and Southeast Asia. It focuses on the themes of cooperation, order, and conflict in the region. Topics to be covered include regional security issues, inter-state tensions, and the foreign policies of the major players in East and Southeast Asia.

AS6002 Language Study: Chinese

Candidates will be given the opportunity to study an Asian language of their choice. They will be introduced to the language, learn basic grammar, and be acquainted with the essential vocabulary. The School offers Bahasa Melayu, Japanese, and Mandarin Chinese. Subject to instructor availability, the total number of languages offered for study in a given year is subject to change. Students intending to read this course will also be required to read a language that they have little prior knowledge of. This course is designed for beginners with no previous knowledge of Chinese. The course content is theme-based and includes communicative activities which help learners develop Chinese language skills in listening, speaking, reading and writing. At the end of the course, students will be able to conduct basic daily conversations in Chinese as well as reading and writing about 200 Chinese characters.

AS6007 Government and Politics of Southeast Asia

This course will examine the dynamics of the domestic politics of Southeast Asia. Within the framework of Comparative Politics, this course focuses on the political actors, institutions, and. processes that define the characteristics of political systems in the region. It will explore and analyze the challenges that states face along several themes which include, among others: political development and legitimacy; democratization and globalization; the role of elites and civil societies; ethnic and religious conflicts; and the politics of identity. While the course adopts a comparative country study approach, the objectives however go beyond knowing about the Southeast Asian countries. More importantly, it aims to enable students to think conceptually and comparatively about differing political systems and processes, and to critically analyze common problems, issues, and trends that cut across the dynamics of governance and politics of Southeast Asia.


AS6008 Contemporary Maritime Security in Asia

This course will address the dynamics of maritime security in Asia with a particular focus on issues of concern in Southeast Asia, including the safety and security of shipping using the vital waterways in the region. Shipping and seaborne trade continue to grow and the marine environment of the region is under increased threat from higher levels of land-based marine pollution, increased shipping traffic, degradation of marine habitats, and over-fishing. Meanwhile, naval budgets in the region are increasing and there is a risk of maritime strategies becoming competitive rather than cooperative. Law and order problems at sea are becoming more serious with piracy and armed attacks against ships, people smuggling, and drug smuggling, as well as the threat of maritime terrorism. Countering this illegal activity is handicapped by the lack of maritime boundaries in many parts of the region and conflicting claims to sovereignty over offshore islands. All these issues place a premium on the need for cooperation and regime building to address them. This need will be an important theme of the course.


AS6010 State and Politics in Modern Indonesia

This course evaluates the main currents in Indonesia's domestic politics since its independence in 1945. It evaluates the institutions, processes and practices of Indonesian politics. It begins with a basic analysis of pre-colonial and Dutch colonial history, the experiences of Japanese occupation, revolution, and the independence period divided into the sub-periods of Parliamentary Democracy, Guided Democracy, the New Order, and the current Reform era. The course identifies the major actors in the political system, the nature of their interaction and the sources of their power. It seeks to answer some of the more complex questions in the study of Indonesian politics: Is Indonesia a democracy? Who rules Indonesia: the politicians, the bureaucrats or the military? What are the causes of political corruption and money politics? Other themes include the impact of electoral reforms; civil-military relations; the politics of patronage; the resurgence of Islam; issues of national integration; and the role of the government in the economy. Whilst highlighting the more distinctive aspects of Indonesian politics, the broader comparative perspective is not ignored, with references to democratic theory, pluralist, elitist, and corporatist models of interest groups, electoral theory and other concepts. Contemporary policy problems are examined, including military, environmental and administrative reforms and decentralization.

AS6011 State, Society, and Politics in Malaysia

The course examines the successes and failures of Malaysian State, Society and Politics. The "State" is the vestibule of political power and includes all those institutions of government and political governance. "Society" represents all those other activities arising out of business and civil society that are not directly related to the "State". In this course, "politics" refers to the distribution of power across private and public domains. Malaysia's constitutionally-enshrined system of federal government exhibits unitary state characteristics rather than a federalist tone involving greater political devolution. The course also includes the role and function of the Malaysian Armed Forces and the Malaysian Special Forces. The course emphasizes an understanding of the shifting "Triangle of Power" that has evolved dramatically since the introduction of the NEP (1970). Students are encouraged to explore and consult as many historical and contemporary works on Malaysian politics well beyond those listed in the readings. State, Society and Politics in Malaysia includes all political, economic, and social activities across all Malaysian states in the Semenanjung, and the Eastern Malaysian states of Sabah and Sarawak and has been designed for the newcomer to Malaysian politics.

AS6013 State, Society, and Politics in China

This course is intended to be an in-depth examination of the key aspects of contemporary Chinese political economy. There will be four major parts in the course. First, we will have a quick survey of the political and economic legacies left by Mao. Second, we will look at the origins of China's reform and opening up policy, and the political dynamics of the incremental reform approach. Special attention will be paid to the question why and how China adopted and implemented its gradualist reform program. In the third part, we will focus on the results and consequences of the reform, including such topics as the changes in center-local relations, state-society relations, income gap and regional imbalance, rural political economy, and social instability and social welfare. In the last section, we will try to understand the Chinese society in a broader context of globalization, the ideological and institutional evolutions of the CCP, and China's political reforms. The ultimate purpose of the course is to encourage students to understand and analyze contemporary China by grasping the complex interactions of cultural, historical, societal, political, economical, as well as global forces.

AS6014 The United States and Asia

It has been said that the United States presence in Asia has been a major stabilizing influence. This seminar probes the establishment of this U.S. presence in the region, and its impact on Asia since World War II. The following questions direct the inquiry: What motivated, and continues to motivate, Washington’s involvement in Asia? What was/is the nature of that involvement? Have U.S. interventions been productive or counterproductive? What do they tell us about U.S. power and how it has been wielded in Asia?

AS6015 Non-Traditional Security Issues in Asia

Non-Traditional Security (NTS) issues are challenges to the survival and well-being of peoples and states that arise primarily from non-military sources. These challenges include climate and environmental change, resource scarcity, infectious diseases, natural disasters, irregular migration, food shortages, people smuggling, drug trafficking, and transnational crime. These dangers are often transnational in scope. They typically defy unilateral solutions. And they customarily demand the attention of multiple agencies and states. This seminar investigates the idea and scope of non-traditional security, the key trends and developments in NTS, and the multifaceted strategies that have been implemented to address NTS issues in Asia. It will also provoke thinking on future trends in NTS and consider new strategies to deal with the challenges posed by new developments in NTS.

AS6017 Non-Traditional Security and Global Governance

This course contextualizes and conceptualizes non-traditional security from the broader perspective of global governance. It introduces new approaches to understand and explain global and regional collective action in addressing non-traditional security challenges. Existing theories of cooperation assume a stable geo-political order, led by countries with a shared conception of the scope and modalities of global cooperation. These assumptions are no longer justified. Western liberal order is in a protracted process of transition. There is no new hegemon that would be able (or willing) to replace the United States and to push for a redesign of the global governance architecture from scratch. Emerging powers such as Brazil, China, and India are engaging in global and regional cooperation in their own way and on their own terms. While there seems to be a growing demand for effective global and regional cooperation, there are no universally applicable concepts to analyze it nor a common language with which to describe it. In sum, the course, first, offers alternative approaches to understand non-traditional security challenges; and, secondly, it helps generating concepts of global governance to explain and address those challenges more effectively.

AS6019 Politics and Foreign Policy of Singapore

The course will be approached from a national security perspective. There will be three key components: understanding domestic politics, reflecting on foreign relations; and the adoption of a security, especially defence, approach to national security. All three components are inter-related, adopting the framework of ‘linkage politics’ as the basis of a small state’s understanding and approach to national security and survival. By addressing  the dynamics of politics and foreign policy of Singapore, it will provide a handle to explain the Republic’s ‘globalist’ framework in its overall approach to survival as well as its ability to position itself as a key anchor in most multilateral frameworks, be it political (ARF), economic (APEC) or even security (FPDA, ASEAN + 8,etc.). How effective this has been and how various challenges have been managed, especially in the context of the changing security architecture, will be addressed in the module.

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IP6000 Theories and Issues in International Political Economy (IPE)

This graduate course is designed to give students an introduction to key theoretical and empirical concepts in the study of international political economy (IPE). IPE sits at the intersection of politics and markets. Many political scientists study political decisions divorced from the economic context. Similarly, economists frequently study the mechanisms of the market as though the economy works without manipulation by political actors. Yet these two areas should not be regarded separately. This course will study the interaction between production, distribution and the use of wealth with politically organized rules and institutions in the global environment. This interaction will be studied at two levels-theoretical and practical. At the theoretical level, four primary approaches to IPE, including liberalism, mercantilism, Marxism and critical approaches will be examined. These theories will help structure students' comprehension of real-world examples. The course will also examine substantive issue areas like trade, monetary and fiscal policy, foreign investment, globalization, development, foreign aid, and international cooperation. An economics background is not a prerequisite for this course.

IP6001 Economics for International Political Economy

This course covers selected basic theories and approaches in economics with a special focus on macroeconomics, including trade, finance and exchange rate economics that will assist students in understanding the issues and problems that are central in International Political Economy. The course will also explore the ideas and concepts that have informed economics through the years, such as for instance, Keynesianism. In addition, it will address, where relevant, the institutional arrangements that are central in any open economy, such as the gold standard and currency boards for exchange rate management. The course thus aims to provide students with a macro level understanding of how an open market economy with its trade, foreign exchange and asset markets work, the economic linkages these markets create, and the implications of such linkages for macroeconomic policy, especially international trade, international finance and exchange rate policies. The course will therefore help students make sense of the many contemporary economic frictions between states that stem from their diverse approaches to macroeconomic policy, including trade and exchange rate policy, as well as the debates among policymakers, economists and politicians over the 'best' or 'right' policy that states should adopt. An economics background is not a prerequisite for this course.

IP6006 The Political Economy of Development

This course examines different paths that states can take enroute to development. It begins with a review of liberal recommendations that have formed the bedrock of Western objectives for development. It considers the role played by three key institutions—the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the World Bank, and the World Trade Organization (WTO). It will then explore possible alterations in these institutions that might improve the prospects for growth in the least developed states. The final section of the course reviews critical approaches to development, including Marxism/Leninism, the legacy of colonialism, and world systems theory. Throughout the course, both theoretical and practical aspects of economic growth, will be considered.

IP6008 A Globalizing China in the World Economy

Since the inauguration of the "Open Door" policy in 1979, China's linkages with the world economy have multiplied extensively. China's accessions to the World Bank, IMF and Asian Development Bank in the 1980s, the APEC in the 1990s and the WTO in the early 21st century were milestones in its long journey to broaden its engagement with the world economy. Likewise, over the past 25 years, Beijing has opened its markets and enterprises progressively wider to FDI, trade and international capital markets. More recently, Beijing is grooming its promising indigenous enterprises to cross beyond China's borders and compete with non-Chinese MNCs in the global market. The UNCTAD has predicted that China's outward FDI would explode in the next few decades to match, or even surpass, that of Japan's in the 1980s and 1990s. Already, China is re-shaping the global economic landscape by helping Japan mount an export-led economic recovery, financing a greater portion of the US current account deficit, holding down global inflation and interest rates through its cheap exports, and reviving growth of resource-rich and commodity-based economies through its insatiable demand for raw materials. With rising economic clout, China is set to join an expanded G-7 grouping within this decade. This course charts the evolving pattern of China's participation in the world economy and draws out the implications of China's increasing weight in the international investment, trade and monetary communities.

IP6009 Monitoring, Forecasting and Managing Country Risk and Economic Crisis

Since the Asian Financial Crisis in 1997-98, several similar but smaller-scale crises have erupted in some developing economies like Brazil, Argentina, Russia, and so on. These events have spurred multilateral institutions (e.g. World Bank, IMF), MNCs, international investment banks and national governments to develop more rigorous early-warning systems to anticipate such economic crises in countries where they have invested in or lent to. Failure to monitor these kinds of crises would entail extremely high costs for international investors and lenders. Recognizing this, country risk monitoring and forecasting have become more sophisticated and elevated management functions in these international and national organizations. This course aims to introduce students to the concepts, theories and methodologies of country risk assessment and crisis prediction. It takes a holistic approach, combining the tools of political, economic and financial risk analyses from both the qualitative and quantitative perspectives. The course will incorporate real life, retrospective crises as case studies to help students gain an in-depth understanding of the ingredients that lead to the successes and failures of country risk monitoring and forecasting.

IP6015 Quantitative Methods in the Study of International Politics

The class offers an introduction to quantitative methods commonly used in many scholarly journals of international studies so that students will become educated readers and practitioners of these techniques. The course focuses on quantitative methods commonly used for constructing theories and for empirical testing. With regard to theory construction, students will receive an introduction to mathematical methods such as maximization, optimization, and game theory. The material is presented in the context of applications and examples that illustrate the relevance of the methods for understanding and analyzing social phenomena. The empirical testing portion - the main emphasis of the class — will introduce students to the use of statistical techniques for testing their theories. Students will become familiar with SPSS, a commonly used, and easy to use, statistical software program.

IP6016 Energy Security

Energy is a private good but a fungible commodity while security is a public good. When two distinct goods are combined, the underlying characteristics of the composite good are multifaceted. Though the concept of energy security is not well known, energy security could be simply an assurance of energy supply that can be depended upon both in times of abundance as well as in times of scarcity. As recent international affairs such as China's deepening relationship with African nations, a cooperation between the UN and India on nuclear technology or Iran's initiation to build pipelines to India via Pakistan have shown, efforts to secure energy resources are believed to have shaped relations within and across energy-deficient and energy abundant countries. Hence, energy security is not only a security issue but an economic issue. This course aims to understand the multi-faceted characteristics of energy security ranging from the inherent economic aspect of energy security to strategic and geopolitical nature of energy security. As a way of the understanding, it studies various aspects of energy, security and energy security in the four broadly defined frameworks- economic, political economic, geopolitical, and legal and regulatory context. First, it reviews the economics of energy security, mainly the consequences of import dependence and instability of energy markets. Second, it examines the political economy of energy security, especially interrelations between crude power and oil-importing and -exporting countries. Third, it explores how geopolitics of international relations influences and shapes coalition, cooperation or unilateral action for energy security. Fourth, it analyzes the aspects of energy security in legal and regulatory frameworks in local, regional and international context. Apart from the multi-faceted characteristics of energy security, it also discusses particular issues in energy security such as the different perceptions of energy security between developed and developing countries, a different time dimension of energy security, the risk perception of energy security, the role of government, and the nature of the threat. Throughout this course, students are required to read recommended books, reports, and scholastic papers among others and present and discuss what they found from the readings, and write an analytical paper on energy security.

IP6017 Management of the Labour Markets for Competitiveness

This course will examine various approaches in managing manpower and labour costs for competitiveness. Competition among countries and cities depends on the ability to create competitiveness in management of the labour markets specifically with regard to labour and wage costs. Certain types of competitiveness advantage can be emulated and therefore the sustained advantages are short term. Competitiveness that is embodied in a larger setting such as in a society cannot be emulated therefore is more lasting. It is important to create lasting competitiveness via managing the labour markets.

IP6018 Regional and Global Financial Crisis

This course discusses regional and global financial crises, the causes, policy responses and impacts as well as theories and approaches behind them. The students will be introduced to relevant concepts to theories and approaches as well as the policy aspects of the crisis. Practical cases of regional and multilateral cooperation to address crises and to mitigate the adverse impacts, and to avoid from their repeat, will be discussed and demonstrated.

The objective is to help students acquiring better understanding about the issues of financial crisis and to provide them with tools of analysis for better understanding and assessments about the financial crises, whether country specific or systemic.

IP6019 Political Economy: Classical Theories of Market and State

Political economy is an interdisciplinary subject which integrates economics and politics. Its canonical sources of theoretical inspiration include Smith, Marx, Marshall, Keynes, Schumpeter and Buchanan. This course seeks to understand what these great authors said about cross-disciplinary issues of market and State which remain the focus of our present-day concerns.

IP6020 The Political Economy of Knowledge-Intensive Growth

This course offers an interdisciplinary approach to understanding the political, economic and business implications of knowledge and technology for economic growth. This includes consideration of the economic role of knowledge; the global business revolution; government policies for supporting innovation; new systems of global economic competition; adaptation of firms to open innovation and distributed co-creation; and cyberwar.

IP6021 International Economic Institutions and International Economic Policies

This course will examine the evolving role played by key international organizations - the IMF, the FSF, the WTO, the World Bank, and regional development banks. It will highlight their role in fostering economic growth, reducing poverty and achieving the MDGs, promoting macroeconomic stability and growth, preventing and resolving financial economic crises, and providing global public goods. It will also focus on a number of cutting edge issues in the area of international economic policy.

The course will have four parts. The first part will focus on issues in the area of money and exchange rates with particular attention to the evolving international financial architecture and the challenges to financial stability posed by financial globalization. The second part will focus on financial sector regulatory issues which have leapt to the forefront of the international economic agenda after the global economic crisis. The third part will deal with issues in the area of international trade in particular to the interaction between economic and political dimensions of trade policy and the recent shifts from multilateral approaches to trade liberalization toward more regional and bilateral approaches. The fourth part will deal with development finance and its role in fostering economic growth, poverty reduction, and in achieving the MDGs.

IP6022 Indonesian Economy

This course presents current state of Indonesian economy with its problems and challenges as well as its opportunities. Even though the focus is on the current state of the economy it is traced from its evolution from the past, which includes the different systems that had been implemented as well as the experiences of the ups and down due to external and internal developments. It examines the political economy of Indonesian path of development through its complex relationships with regional and global trade, investment and finance and Indonesia's involvement and association in bilateral, regional and multilateral institution.

IP6901 Selected Topics in International Political Economy - The Political Economy of Economic Development and Integration in Asia

This course will focus on identifying the factors which contributed to the "Asian Economic Miracle" and the host of issues confronting the new post-crisis Asia. It will draw upon existing academic literature and policy papers, among others, from the ADB, the World Bank and the IMF as there is no single text book which can be used for the purpose. The course will have a strong policy focus and enable students to develop an understanding of emerging issues facing a new post-crisis Asia such as evolution of production and supply chains and free trade agreements, efforts to develop local currency bond markets, promote policy dialogues, and establishing regional financing mechanisms.

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IR6001 The Study of International Relations

This course introduces students to the advanced study of international relations through an understanding of competing analytical and normative frameworks, including realist, liberal, constructivist and "critical" perspectives. These perspectives are used as templates for analyzing major developments and transformations in international relations. Students are exposed to the interplay between material and ideational forces: power, interest, ideas, identity, discourse, socialization, and resistance, in explaining continuity and change in international relations. Conceptual and policy debates surrounding several key sources and mechanisms of stability and change, including balance of power, interdependence and globalization, democratic transitions, and international institutions, are examined.

IR6003 Critical Security Studies

This course is an introductory survey of various theoretical-cum-analytical approaches to the study of international security. The disciplinary domains of international relations and security studies are evolving in response to a social world in transition. What many regard as the dominance of a traditional state-centric notion of security has given way to a rich contestation of ideas on what security is or ought to be - its referent objects, subjects/agents, issues, etc. - and how it should be measured and assessed. In this sense (though clearly not the only), the discipline can be said to evince "critical" dimensions. Indeed, most of the perspectives with which we will be engaging serve, in moderate and radical ways, as critiques - and, in not a few cases, also as endorsements - of the status quo conception of security. For our purposes, however, to be critical also means to treat all claims on security - including our own - with a persistent attitude of estrangement, especially if a claim is presented as natural, self-evident and beyond debate. We must, in Merleau-Ponty's words, "never consent to be completely at ease with what seems evident" - particularly, in our case, the world of world politics which security intellectuals and practitioners so confidently affirm and delimit, deliberately or otherwise. In this course we will examine prevailing assertions about the "nature", meanings and practices of security as understood by those in the business of defining, expounding, teaching, exercising and pontificating on international security in its various dimensions, including the self-professedly critical. Of interest to us, therefore, are the participants, processes and practices germane to the business of making, remaking and unmaking of global political life.

IR6004 International Relations of Northeast Asia

This course emphasizes a historical and systemic approach toward understanding the international relations of Northeast Asia (and international politics in general). The course is designed with two convictions. The first conviction is that a decent understanding of history is the foundation for any understanding of international politics, and focusing only on current affairs actually tends to obscure some causes and issues that were there decades or even centuries ago. The second conviction is that a systemic approach is absolutely necessary for understanding international politics, and the broader system called human society.

IR6005 International Relations of South Asia

The course focuses on three dimensions of the international relations of South Asia. The first section explains the structural factors, including the Great Game and the Partition of the Subcontinent on the basis of religion, that have had an enduring effect on regional politics. The second part examines the interplay of inter-state conflict, great power alliances, religious extremism and nuclear proliferation on the Subcontinent. The third section explores the impact of globalisation on South Asian security politics. The emphasis will be on understanding the shifts in power distribution within the region, the challenges of constructing a regional order, and South Asia's growing impact on world politics.

IR6006 The Study of Institutions

The primary purpose of this course is to provide students with an understanding of the major theoretical perspectives on the study of international institutions and of the evolving role of international institutions in international relations. The latter involves examining the impact of international institutions on policy making and implementation as well as analyzing their limits and the problems they face in contemporary international politics. A secondary objective of this course is to explain how competing understandings of, and approaches to, institution building and regionalism apply to Southeast Asia and the wider Asia-Pacific region. Consequently, this course provides an understanding of the conceptual and theoretical debates on international institutions and regionalism, the historical evolution of multilateralism, the factors affecting its principles and practice in the post-Cold War era, and the strengths and weaknesses of contemporary international institutions. Apart from global institutions such as the United Nations and the World Trade Organization, regional institutions in Europe and Asia are examined.

IR6008 U.S. Foreign Policy

The United States occupies the primary position in today's' unipolar' world. The aim of this course is to examine critically American foreign policy from the historical and theoretical perspectives in order to understand the origins, nature, and consequences of the ascendancy of the United States. The course has three broad components: (1) an historical survey of U.S. foreign policy from its founding to the present, with an emphasis on the Cold War period; (2) an introduction to the field of foreign policy analysis, focusing on the multi-level processes by which decision-makers formulate and implement their policy goals in the U.S. system; and (3) case studies. The course will equip and require students to evaluate the prospects for the exercise of American power and the role of the U.S. in international society in the contemporary post-Cold War, "post-
9/11" era.

IR6011 Foreign Policy and Security Issues in Southeast Asia

The objective of this course is to analyze and understand the internal and external factors which shape strategic perceptions and the conduct of foreign and defence policies in the Southeast Asian region. The course will adopt both historical-structural as well as thematic approaches to help identify key sets of forces internal and external to the state that shape the foreign policies of Southeast Asian countries and the security environment of the region. At the end of the course, participants should develop a deeper understanding of the security challenges facing post- Cold War Southeast Asia as well as the on-going Asia-Pacific security discourse.

IR6014 Nationalism and Multiculturalism

National, cultural, religious and ethnic identities form an important and inescapable element of modern-day politics. This course addresses the issues of nationalism and multiculturalism in contemporary societies by examining the key concepts and theories as well as the specific problems relevant to the understanding and practice of nationalism and multiculturalism. The course deals with the following topics: (1) theoretical understandings of identity; (2) understanding nationalism; (3) benefits and problems of nationalism; (4) understanding difference and the multicultural; (5) multiculturalism and the management of difference; (6) the concept of national resilience and the future of nationalism and multiculturalism. In each case, the course offers a critical examination of the existing theoretical literature together with the judicious employment of empirical reference points.

IR6015 Japanese Foreign Policy

This course focuses on contemporary issues to do with Japanese diplomacy, and explores their implications for global international relations in general, and Asian regionalism in particular. Critical views and theoretical diversity are sought: the course addresses issues from several different perspectives, without supporting any policy or promoting a particular theory. Students are encouraged to develop their own views. The aim of the course is to enhance the students' knowledge of Japanese diplomacy and to build up their analytical skills - to provide them with tools useful for analyzing diplomacy and international relations. The issues explored include: What are the implications of Japan's" normal" defense policies vis-à-vis Asia? Can China and Japan cooperate to preserve regional peace? Can ASEAN benefit from its relations with Japan? How does Tokyo develop its foreign policies? How does history affect policymaking in Tokyo and the country's relations with Asia? What were the key determinants of Japan's economic successes after WWII? Who is the key player in the East Asian community - ASEAN, China, India or Japan?

IR6019 The Politics of Risk

This course introduces students to contemporary debates about risk. A critical understanding of risk suggests its meaning and application to be dependent upon historical context. Accordingly, considerable time will be devoted to being clear as to what the key social and political drivers are today. Specific case-studies will explore the tension between risk analysis, management and communication, and perceptions of threat shaped by broader global and cultural forces.

IR6020 European Union and Contemporary European Security

Key purpose of this course is to understand the important developments in the European security environment since 1989, and to analyze the role of the European Union in shaping the new security order in Europe. Traditionally, the Union institutions fostered security among EU member states by facilitating transactions in areas such as trade and communications. Its success is seen in the creation of a zone of peace and stability in Europe based on mutual trust. With the end of the Cold War, the new dynamics in global security have had a significant impact on the meaning and nature of security. The course will examine these important trends in Europe such as the widening of the concept of security and the shift from balance of power politics to cooperative security and the theoretical discourse that underpin these developments. It will also explore the political, institutional and legal developments that shape post-Cold War Europe, and focus in depth on the role of the European Union (EU). The Common Foreign and Security Policy and the "birth" of the European Security and Defence Policy will be examined in greater detail, and how the role of the EU as a security actor relates to other organizations such as the OSCE and NATO in the security architecture of Europe will also be discussed.

IR6021 Islam and the West

This course examines the relations between the 'west' and the Muslim world. To provide a backdrop to contemporary interactions between the 'domains of Islam' and the 'west', the course will begin with a historical review of the relations between Islam and Christianity and Judaism as well as the myriad types of interactions between the Muslim world and the west. The course will then move on to critically analyze specific case studies and issues which epitomize the relations between the Muslim world and the west in the contemporary period. The course adopts a critical approach towards analyzing these relations and not only problematizes the categories 'Islam' and 'west' but also calls into question popular perceptions of a clash between the two. With regards to this, the course will emphasize the non-monolithic nature of Islam and demonstrate how the meanings attached to Islamic concepts such as jihad and dar-ul-Islam, which are seen by many as key determinants in defining the political relations between Muslims and non-Muslims, have themselves been shaped - and continue to be shaped - by intellectual and political engagements with the non-Muslim world. Developing from this, the course will be attentive to the socio-political factors that have given rise to clashes between the west and the Muslim world. The course will, however, also examine the role of ideology in shaping the relations between the Muslim world and the west. Specifically, it will examine the emergence of Islamic fundamentalism, extremism and terrorism as players in the international political landscape. It should be noted that when speaking of the impact of the west on the Muslim world, the course will primarily - though not solely - engage with the impact of the emergence of the United States as the global superpower. The course will also analyze the symbolic importance of Palestine and the war in Iraq in shaping perceptions about Islam and the west as well as providing sources of collective grievance in the Muslim world. Finally, the course attempts to provide an assessment of the impact of the west in the contemporary Muslim world primarily with regard to the development of, or lack of, democratic governance in the Muslim world.

IR6023 An Introduction to International Law

This is a foundation course in public international law, or what has been classically known as the law of nations. The course introduces the student to the nature, processes and institutions of the international legal system, as well as the major legal principles governing relations between states, states and international organizations and also between individuals and the international community. In the course of our studies, we will consider the relationship between international and domestic law and the role of law in promoting world public order. The student will learn to appreciate the interaction between law and international politics, how norms are created, why they are obeyed, and how these rules govern behaviour among international actors.

IR6024 International Human Rights Law

This human rights course deals with competing ideas about the appropriate relationship between individual and the state and the role of law in regulating that relationship. In particular, we will explore the extent to which human rights are an indispensable and universally-desirable aspect of legal regulation. Starting with an historical overview of the development of international human rights law, the course will consider key international human rights documents and conventions and asks if there are reasons to believe that either the idea of human rights or the content attributed to some human rights cannot be justified as appropriate for all societies in all contexts? Selected cases and scenarios from international human rights law – such as group rights (women, children, indigenous persons) and particular rights (education, language, health) – provide the concrete focus for exploring the broader theme.

IR6901 Selected Topics in International Relations - Introduction to Discourse Analysis, with a special emphasis on Religio-Political Discourse

This is an introductory course aimed at students with little or no background knowledge in linguistics or philosophy of language. It is divided into two parts: Part I introduces the students to the fundamental theories of discourse analysis, including a brief introduction to linguistics and philosophy of language. It aims to identify what is a 'discourse' and how discourses function. Main authors to be studied include Saussure, Locke, Ayer, Russell and Wittgenstein (Texts provided). The second part invloves the application of linguistic theory to the analysis of religio-political discourses in general, offering close readings of key texts, speeches and propaganda from a host of different religio-political actors. The aim is to teach students how to understand the working of such discursive systems, and how to understand the discursive effects of such language in a public context and the political domain. No prior knowledge of discourse analysis is required.

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S6003 Management of Defence Technology

This course provides an appreciation of the important strategic relationships between management, technology and defence. The study of these relationships within a strategic studies programme can be justified on the basis that effective management of military-related industrial and technological resources represents an integral component of contemporary global power structures. Seminar topics include: historical
antecedents of defence and technological innovation; the economics of defence; defence industrialisation processes; the Revolution in Military Affairs; parallel revolutions in defence management; defence science and technology strategy; technology transfer and sharing; defence globalization; China's military-industrial complex; Japan's defence-industrial 'model'; and Singaporean defence-development policy and progress.

S6007 Research Methods in International Studies

A graduate-level introduction to research methods in international and Asian studies. What is a good question in the social/political sciences and what constitutes a valid answer or claim? How different or similar are the social from the natural sciences? What are some of the main methods or strategies of inquiry used by students of international studies? These are the main questions addressed by this team-taught module. Each week, a faculty member will introduce a method or methodological issue relevant to the analysis of international studies. The aim is to introduce students to some of the key methods of the field, encouraging them to think critically and apply these methodologies in their work. Where appropriate, research methods will be discussed in relation to some of the key concepts and debates in international affairs.

S6010 The Revolution in Military Affairs: State Power and the Future of Force

In 1955, the British historian Michael Roberts introduced the idea of a Military Revolution, an event or process in the conduct of war so profound as to alter the entire shape and character of the societies in which it occurred. Since that time, the term has been used to describe the current alteration in military technology caused by the development of sophisticated information and communication devices. This course will examine the role that force has played in the relations of states at the international level and then examine the shifts being caused by the technological, conceptual, and organisational developments in modern military operations to consider if such a revolution is currently underway and what its implications for international society may be.

S6014 The Evolution of Strategic Thought

This module is designed to provide students with the opportunity to analyse the ideas of key strategic thinkers on the nature and conduct of non-nuclear warfare across the continuum of human civilisation. The course examines important ways of theorising war as a phenomenon and addresses the various methods of studying it and applying the insights. The major portion of the module analyses major theories of warfare, drawing attention to the historical, political, ideological, moral, social, cultural, economic and technological factors that shaped their formulation and application. In the process, the course also provides students extensive opportunities for evaluating the continuing validity of these theories. The module finally examines the ways in which strategic theory helps both students and practitioners of policy determine the optimal use of military power in an increasingly complex post-Cold War, "postmodern" environment.

S6016 The Study of War

This course examines the phenomenon of war, from the processes of making strategy to the actual conduct of the military operations that comprise war. It looks at the preconditions to strategy - in particular the facets of geography, strategic culture and armaments - as well as the concepts that underpin particular state strategies. Finally, through a series of case studies, the course will propose a typology of wars in the 20th Century, and examine how wars have been transformed since.

S6019 Terrorism, Intelligence and Homeland Security

The course seeks to provide students of counter terrorism a clear conceptual framework for understanding the national response to the threat of terrorism to the internal security of a state. It intends to examine the state response to both the "old" and "new" terrorism. The course will examine the changing nature of the state and the threats faced by the state in the post-cold war and post-9/11 world. The key questions of the course: How do different states view the concept of homeland security? Does terrorism pose a threat to state sovereignty? The course will also offer a practical look at protecting critical functions of the state and private sector.

S6020 Chinese Security and Foreign Policy

This course is intended to be a comprehensive and in-depth survey of China's foreign and security policy in the post-Cold War era, with a particular emphasis on the rise of China and its implications for the East Asia region and the future world order. We will first look at the historical legacies of the PRC's foreign relations and theoretical approaches to the study of China's foreign and security policy. The next part will focus on China's major bilateral relations. We will examine the state of China's relations with major international powers and the forces that are shaping the interactions between China and other major international actors. The third part explores some of the most important issues of concern to scholars and the international community, including the foreign and security policy making in China, China's use of force, the Taiwan problem and other potential conflicts concerning territory, and non-traditional security issues such as China's energy policy. The last session sums up the course in a bid to help students develop deeper and more balanced views on China's rise and future development of China's foreign and security.

S6024 Problems in Combating Insurgency and Terrorism

This course examines the nexus of terrorism and counterterrorism. It is intended to acquaint students with the dynamics, policy options, and challenges involved in countering terrorism by doing so to establish a solid foundation upon which further expertise can be built. The course considers a wide range of questions in order to provide students with a deeper understanding of the how terrorism can best be fought. Among the questions it examines are: What is terrorism? How has terrorism changed and evolved over time and what are the contemporary implications of these changes? What accounts for the success or failure of government counterterrorist efforts? What are the essential components of an effective counterterrorist strategy? Specifically, the course will assess and analyze the application of various government terrorism countermeasures and the challenges governments face in crafting a response to this threat. An added feature of the class is the viewing of videos to enhance student understanding of terrorism and how to counter it by hearing directly from the terrorists themselves and those charged with fighting them. To that end, the class will view and discuss such landmark films as" The Battle of Algiers" as well as such award-winning documentaries as "Death on The Rock"; "One Day in September"; and, "Operation Thunderbolt: Raid on Entebbe," among others.
This course also examines the nexus of Insurgency because countering it involves a solid knowledge of its nature, its organization and of its various techniques. It will deal with the genealogy of "small wars" from the origins to our days and especially on how guerilla warfare has become revolutionary warfare and the evolution of irregular conflicts until the present insurrection in Iraq. What accounts for the success or failure of this type of warfare? The course will assess and analyze the application of various States countermeasures to deal with this type of threats, which combines guerilla, sabotage, the use of terrorism and of psychological warfare.

S6025 India's Foreign and Security Policy

The course introduces the ideological and geopolitical drivers of India's foreign and security policy. The first part delves into the sources of India's conduct by focusing on the ancient origins of its strategic culture and the enduring legacy of the British security structures. The second part analyses the evolution of India's policies in the three concentric circles that surround it— the immediate neighbourhood, the extended neighbourhood and the Indian Ocean, and the global system. The final section focuses on the new policy challenges to India as a rising power. The emphasis will be on understanding the India's difficult transition from a weak third world state to a potential great power that can shape the regional and international system.

S6028 Countering Religiously-Motivated Terrorism in Southeast Asia: Issues and Challenges

This course examines the diverse explanations that purportedly shed light on the global phenomenon of religious radicalization, often resulting in terrorist violence, with particular reference to Southeast Asia. Employing insights from a range of perspectives including traditional terrorism studies; Islamic philosophy; Southeast Asian area studies; social and cross-cultural psychology, the course seeks to illuminate the roots, as well as various modalities of countering, the religiously-motivated terrorism phenomenon in general, but especially with special reference to the Southeast Asian region.

S6029 Nuclear Politics in Asia

Asia is the location of several existing and potential nuclear powers. This course is designed to develop an advanced understanding of the politics of nuclear weapons in East, South and West Asia within a comparative framework. Drawing on the experiences of the Cold War era and more recent nuclear relationships in Northeast and South Asia, it develops the student's capabilities to anticipate the future of nuclear politics across Asia. Strategic politics is usually studied from the standpoint of the apparently distinct disciplines of strategic studies and international relations theory. Here, the relationship between the two is treated as integral in order to encourage a more holistic and critical understanding of nuclear politics. The course examines central issues about why states want nuclear weapons (motivations); how nuclear-armed states think (concepts and doctrines); how they interact (crises and cooperation; the termination of rivalries); efforts to manage nuclear weapons (arms control, nonproliferation); and the impact of non-state actors (nuclear/radiological terrorism).

S6031 Globalisation, Maritime Security and Naval Development in the Asia Pacific

The course begins with a review and discussion of the central concepts of classic maritime strategic theory and explores the way in which recent legal, political and technological developments have altered and developed those concepts. With this as a background, students will then analyse the maritime dimension of globalisation, and its effects on the role and nature of contemporary navies. Two competing models of naval development will be developed. The first will be a system based collaborative model in which navies cooperate in defence of the trading system. The second will be a potentially more conflictual model in which navies serve narrower and perhaps more traditional state purposes. These models will then be applied to the Asia-Pacific area by means of a close comparative examination of interactive naval development in the United States, the PRC, India and Japan. Students will be encouraged to come to their own conclusions about the impact of this developments for the future of globalisation and of international relations in the Asia-Pacific area. The course will be taught by a series of informal lectures, student discussions and workshops. Wherever possible, we will include contributions from experts from outside the University.

S6033 Strategic Industries and Technology Planning

Energy security has prompted nations to seek alternative fuel sources in order to sustain their economic growths. In Southeast Asia, the demand for energy is expected to triple by 2030. Coupled with the heightened agenda of climate change, the energy sector is transforming from a hydrocarbon economy to one that focuses on clean and sustainable energy resources. This course will take a look at how countries in this region make their strategic choices in cutting their reliance on fossil fuels.

S6034 Jihadist Strategic Thought and Practice

This course is designed to familiarize the student with the evolution of Islamist Jihadist Strategic Thought and Practice from its origins through to contemporary times. Radical Islamist movements have developed an extensive body of strategic thought over the past several decades based on their own idiosyncratic reading of Islamic history and religion. Their ideas and practices have had a profound impact on the conduct of international politics since the end of the Cold War. The course starts with an analysis of mainstream Islamic theory and practice of warfare from the time of the formation of the Islamic state under the Prophet Mohammad through the rise and decline of the Ottoman Empire in the nineteenth-century.
Jihadist strategic and political thought can be identified with the evolution of a tradition that emerged at the margins of the Islamic intellectual mainstream in the thought of Ahmad ibn Hanbal in the tenth century, through Ahmad ibn Taymiyyah in the fourteenth century, to Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab in the eighteenth century. It is a self-styled “traditionalism,” retrospectively referred to al nahj al salafi or al-salafiyyah (Salafism). In the nineteenth century, Islamist thinkers beginning with Muhammad Abduh, of al-Azhar University embraced a doctrine centered on the pristine purity of Islam, helped lay to rest the conventional Islamic view of history as decline and promoted the idea that individual activism and collective militancy can be means of achieving political change. This call was taken up in the twentieth-century by radical Islamist thinkers such as Abu ala al-Mawdudi, Hasan al-Banna, and Sayyid Qutb who are the three key thinkers of Islamist militancy in the twentieth century. Their ideas constitute the ideological and philosophical foundations for the second and third generation of Jihadist thinkers, strategists, and practitioners whose lethal militancy has contributed to the onset of the Global War on Terror.

S6901 Selected Topics in Strategic Studies - Theoretical and Practical Approaches to the Future

This course will engage students in a trans-disciplinary dialogue and inquiry about the future. In particular, it aims to imbue and impart students with knowledge of: (i) the roots and historical trajectory of Futures Studies; (ii) the diverse array of Futures methodologies, frameworks and techniques; (iii) the possible convergence, integration and synergies of these tools; and (iv) the practical application of these tools. The last objective ties in excellently with the Risk Assessment and Horizon Scanning (RAHS) initiative of the Singapore Government whereby students will have a rare and unique opportunity to gain exposure to invaluable industrial experience: collaborate with the National Security Coordination Centre (under the Prime Minister’s Office) in using the newly developed RAHS system to test and operationalize ideas and theories relating to the future.