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Department of Pacific Affairs · ANU College of Asia and the Pacific
This course focuses on some of the contemporary debates in the Pacific region in three key areas - climate change, gender, conflict and security - in order to shed light on decision-making processes in the region and the complex dynamics within which these issues and these processes are embedded. The course then turns to three four key actors in the region – China, Australia, Papua New Guinea and churches to examine the crowded geo-politics and partners in the Pacific and the policy-making structures of these key actors as they seek to shape and influence the region. Topics covered under the course: - Climate change in the Pacific - Gender in the Pacific - Conflict/security in the Pacific - China, an emerging new partner in the Pacific - Papua New Guinea, why it matters - What role do churches play as key actors in the Pacific?
Thematic briefing paper (2,500 words)
Learning outcomes 1, 2, 3
Presentation on a thematic issue (10 minute)
Learning outcomes 1
This course comprises some 65 hours of activity over 12 weeks, both interactive/seminar based and independent research. The course comprises a maximum of 3k words of assessment or the equivalent. Please note this is a general guide, averaged over the semester and the final hours ultimately depend on the individual's ability in reading and writing.
None required Preliminary Reading 1. James Batley, Getting realistic about the South Pacific 2. George Carter, Establishing a Pacific Voice in Climate Change Negotiations? 3. Sinclair Dinnen, Doug Porter and Caroline Sage, Conflict in Melanesia: Themes and Lessons 4. Graeme Dobell, The hierarchy of threats, risks and challenges in the South Pacific. 5. Aletia Dundas, Faith and health in the time of COVID-19 6. Manfred Ernst, Changing Christianity in Oceania: a Regional Overview 7. Euan Graham , Mind the gap: views of security in the Pacific 8. Little Red Podcast, Step Up or Be Overrun: China’s Challenge for the Pacific 9. Nic MacLennan, Dodging the hard questions in the Pacific 10. Pacific Women, Thematic Brief |Gender and COVID-19 in the Pacific: Emerging gendered impacts and recommendations for response 11. Patrick Nunn, Responding to the challenges of climate change in the Pacific islands: management and technological imperatives 12. Michelle Nayahamui Rooney, How should peace be measured in Papua New Guinea? 13. Michael Shoebridge, Australia’s engagement in the South Pacific: thinking beyond the incremental 14. Ceridwen Spark, “We only Get the Daylight Hours”: Gender, Fear and ‘Freedom’ in Urban Papua New Guinea 15. Denghua Zhang, IB 2020/10 China’s Coronavirus ‘COVID-19 Diplomacy’ in the Pacific 16. Denghua Zhang, IB 2020/03 Assessing China’s Climate Change Aid to the Pacific