Weekly Course Schedule

Week 1   Feb 21     Introduction

Week 2   Feb 28     Holiday (no class)

Week 3   Mar 07    Election and Democracy (1): Electoral and Party System of 6 countries

1. B1, Ch.1


2. B1, Chs. 4, 6~10: (from “Historical Background” to “State administration” of each chapter)

Week 4   Mar 14    Election and Democracy (2): Patronage; Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines

1. B2, Chs. 1, 2, 7

Week 5   Mar 21    Military and Democracy (1): Theory; Singapore

1. B1, Chs. 4, 6~10 (“Civil-Military Relations” of each chapter)


2. B3, Ch. 1, pp.1-21 (Northeast Asia and South Asia sections can be skimmed)


3. B3, Ch. 5

Week 6   Mar 28    Military and Democracy (2): Myanmar, Indonesia, Thailand, Philippines

1. B4, Ch.10


2. B3, Chs. 2, 3, 4, 8

Week 7   Apr 04    Holiday  (no class)

Week 8   Apr 11    Civil Society and Populism (1): Theory; Singapore, Thailand

1. B1, Chs. 4, 6~10 (“Civil Society” and “Media System” of each chapter)


2. B5, Chs. 1, 2, 5

Week 9   Apr 18    Civil Society and Populism (2): Recession; Philippines

1. B4, Chs. 1, 2


2. B5, Ch. 4


3. B6, Ch. 8

Week 10 Apr 25    Civil Society and Populism (3): Ethnicity; Malaysia, Indonesia

1. B4, Chs. 3~5


2. B5, Ch. 3

Week 11  May 02 Media, Fake News, and Democracy (1): Singapore v.s. Myanmar

1. B6, Chs. 1~2, 6~7, 9 (5 chapters)

Week 12 May 09   Media, Fake News, and Democracy (2): Indonesia, Thailand, Philippines

1. B4, Chs. 6, 9


2. B6, Ch. 4, 10


3. Temby, Quinton. 2019. “Disinformation, violence, and anti-Chinese sentiment in Indonesia’s 2019 elections. ISEAS Perspective 2019(67) (2 Sept). (5 pages)

Week 13 May 16   Democracy in Southeast Asia: A Review and Prospects

1. B1, Chs. 4, 6~10 (The last section of each chapter)


2. B1, Chs. 13~14


3. B6, Ch. 12


4. Gaens, Bart & Ruohomäki, Olli. 2022. “Southeast Asian Democracy: Democratic Regression or Autocratic Hardening?” FIIA Briefing Paper #342.

Week 14 May 23    Paper outline presentation

Week 15 May 30    Holiday (no class)

Week 16 Jun 06     Final essay submission deadline

n.a.

Class participation  and presentation             30%

Every week’s short “response paper”             30%

Final essay                                                      40%

Class participation and presentation: This is a reading and discussion seminar. Our class sessions will focus on discussions of course readings. All seminar members should complete the assigned readings before the seminar meeting and come prepared to discuss the readings. Every student shall choose 1 week to lead the discussion. The first-year Master’s students can find a partner to do teamwork. NOTE: please lead the discussion, not summarize every article or make an hour-long presentation.

Short response papers: Every student has to write a one-page response paper on the readings each week. These are due 11:00 P.M. on Thursdays before each class via email. NO LATE SUBMISSION. In every response paper, you should make some substantive comments on the readings and address 2-3 questions that you want to discuss in class. The paper should not be a mere summary of the readings.

Final essay: Write a 20-page (12-page for master students) (double-spaced) final essay on a specific topic according to the syllabus. There is no specific minimum or maximum number of books and/or articles to be covered in this assignment, but students should try to identify multiple perspectives and review some of the best works on the topic. The essay needs not cover all the assigned and recommended readings, though broad coverage is desirable. Students should consult the instructor about the topics early in the semester. The complete papers are due Jun. 6 at 11:59 PM (according to the time on your E-mails). NO LATE SUBMISSION.

Please go to Moodle to download the following items

1. Croissant, Aurel. c2022. Comparative Politics of Southeast Asia: An Introduction to Governments and Political Regimes. Springer.


2. Aspinall, Edward et al. (eds.). 2022. Mobilizing for Elections: Patronage and Political Machines in Southeast Asia. Cambridge University Press.


3. Chong, Alan & Nicole Jenne (eds.). 2023. Asian Military Evolutions: Civil-Military Relations in Asia. Bristol University Press.


4. Ockey, James & Talib, Naimah S. (eds.). 2023. Democratic Recession, Autocratization, and Democratic Backlash in Southeast Asia. Springer.


5. Rodan, Garry. 2022. Civil Society in Southeast Asia: Power Struggles and Political Regimes. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.


6. Gomez, James & Ramcharan, Robin (eds.) 2022. Fake News and Elections in Southeast Asia: Impact on Democracy and Human Rights. Routledge.


7. Journal articles.