The structure of the Master of Asian Studies
About the program
The Monash Master of Asian Studies is a three semester program with an impressive range of subjects to choose from. It is suited to recent graduates or those who want to change their career path or develop specialist knowledge about Asia in a particular area. There are six innovative specialisations giving students the opportunity to explore a particular area of interest in depth.
The Master of Asian Studies can prepare you for your chosen career path while opening up new and exciting directions. The program provides recent graduates with an excellent way to "top off" a BA earned in a wide range of other disciplines. It is also tailored to the needs of mid-career employees and entrepreneurs wanting to direct their career towards Asia.
The diversity and broad scope of the program means students can choose electives across a wide range of disciplines. In consultation with the course co-ordinator, you can explore connections across electives offered by other faculties within Monash and from the different Schools within the Arts Faculty.
The Master of Asian Studies program offers you a choice of six specialisations in order to focus your interests and develop your expertise on Asia’s dynamic societies. These innovative specialisations have been structured so that you can choose from an exciting range of electives across several disciplines as you maintain a focus on one of the following:
Master of Asian Studies Specialisations
1. Government and Politics
Focusing on the current nature and long-term evolution of government and political systems in Asia, this specialisation involves analysing the processes of democratisation and the threats to regional stability from acts of terror committed by both militant non-state actors and states. Asia is characterised by a changing balance of power between the US and its allies and new post-colonial states, many authoritarian regimes, elite-landlord dominance and the low status of women – understanding these factors is critical to any engagement with Asia.
2. Cultures and Societies
This specialisation encourages students to deepen their understanding of the complexity of the societies, cultures and religions of Asia and how these interact with political, economic and environmental issues in promoting more stable civil societies and addressing the many threats to such stability. Domestic, regional and international migration is, for example, one possible response to the need for greater stability and opportunities.
3. Business and Development
This specialisation promotes a better knowledge of how long term and sustainable social, political and economic development depends on business investment in the growth of entrepreneurship, human skills and new technologies. Both family businesses and large national and multinational corporations are needed in developing the necessary balance between private and state initiatives to promote economic development in both market economies (e.g. India and Indonesia) and mixed state-market economies (e.g. China and Vietnam).
4. Environment and Sustainability
Environmental policies need to be understood in the context of long term historical processes that speak of the adaptability and resilience of human societies. This specialisation allows students to understand the current environmental debates about long term sustainability and the role of the environment in promoting the development of prosperous and more equal Asian societies.
5. Australia and Asia Relations
Australia has been uniquely placed in developing a special relationship with Asia and this is reflected in current business, economic, political and social ties with the region. This specialisation allows students to understand the way in which Australia-Asia relations have evolved, the factors that have promoted these multifaceted exchanges and the factors that are regarded by some commentators as future threats to these relationships.
6. Media and Communications
The emergence of new media such as the internet has raised debates about the nature of modern communication systems in Asia and the role that these systems play in the emerging political, social and economic systems of the Asian region. This specialisation promotes a more critical understanding of these trends and also encourages students to study Asian languages given that much of the new media take the form of languages other than English (students in this Master program can study up to 2 language units of 6 points each).
You can choose your own specialization in consultation with the coordinators.
The structure of the Master of Asian Studies
This Master of Asian Studies is a 72-point course, taken over a year and a half full-time, or over 3 years part-time.
You may also exit the Program after one semester (24 credit points) and obtain a Graduate Certificate in Asian Studies (but must have completed one compulsory unit). Or you can exit the program after two semesters (48 credit points) and obtain a Graduate Diploma in Asian Studies (but must have completed both compulsory units). Students with a distinction average interested in research may transfer to a Master by research or a PhD program in consultation with the Director of the MAI and the coordinators of the Master of Asian Studies.
The Master of Asian Studies is made up of three modules: the compulsory core module (24 points), the specialisation module (36 points), and the elective module (12 points).
Core Module
* Students wishing to study Asian languages can do so. Most language units are worth 6 points so that 2 units need to be taken.
Contemporary Issues in Asia - APG4382 / APG5382 - Semester 1.
Offered each year in the first semester, this unit is designed to introduce students to the dramatic transformations that have shaped Asia since the end of colonialism in the post World War Two era. Topics covered include Asian values, mass poverty, terrorism, religious movements, and cyber-democracy.
Contemporary Issues in Asia explores the dramatic transformations that have defined the Asian region in the post-colonial period. The most fundamental change has been the shift of large agrarian societies from their rural base into industrial modes of production and the habit of living in cities. This massive migration of people has had important consequences for technological change, political stability, social inequalities, cultural heritage and the environment. We examine how the old balances of power amongst the political, business and religious elites of Asia are changing and how Asia itself is challenging the nature of world leadership. Our approach includes analysing the shifting realities at the level of mega-cities, towns and villages.
Investigating other Societies: Area Studies in Global Perspective - APG4385 / APG5385 - Semester 2.
This unit equips students with the skills needed to undertake research and fieldwork. Students are exposed to a wide range of methods, data collection procedures, interpretive debates and ethical questions about research.
Investigating other Societies: Area Studies in Global Perspective addresses the challenges of research work in the Asian region and seeks to equip students with some of the skills needed for it. In a series of modules, students will be introduced to a range of potential source materials for the study of Asia, such as documents, census reports, fictional texts, and films, and to a range of research methodologies applicable to the study of Asia including fieldwork in villages, archival work, data collection and interviews. Students will be encouraged to think about issues of ethical obligations in relation to fieldwork, such as those raised by non-Asian scholars making judgments about Asia, cultural bias, and the ownership of knowledge.
Core Module
Specialisation Module
The next 36 points are chosen from a range of units that characterise the specialisation you have chosen. They can either be up to three intensive research projects (12 points each), or up to three units selected from the of specialisations below:
- Government and Politics
- Culture and Societies
- Business and Development
- Environment and Sustainability
- Australia and Asia Relations
- Media and Communications
These are carefully selected discipline-specific units geared towards developing your expertise in one of the six streams of specialization offered under the Master of Asian Studies program:
Government and Politics
- APG4326 China: The quest for modernisation
- APG4327 Wars of recognition: Terrorism and political violence
- APG4329 Political Islam
- APG4334 Southeast Asian politics
- APG4337 Conflict resolution and Islam in the Middle East
- APG4655 Theories and principles of international crisis management
- APG4656 International crisis management in action
- APG4665 Counter-terrorism policy, legislation, community engagement and support
- APG4808 Governance and Community
- APG4556 Urbanisation and regional development in the Indo-Pacific rims
Cultures & Societies
- APG4304 Colonial encounters: Ideas of race and 'otherness'
- APG4313 Hidden transcripts: Cultural approaches to the past
- APG4331 Islam in Turkey and Indonesia
- APG4338 Islam in South Asia
- APG4621 Genocide and colonialism
- APG4887 Designing Urban Futures: Urban Climate, Water and Adaptation
- ATS3375 Society and culture of Indonesia
- ATS3053 Understanding modern China
- ATS3054 Understanding contemporary China
- ATS3651 Japanese culture: Identity and tradition
Business & Development
- APG4330 Global soul: Consumers, citizens and rebels
- APG4628 Doctrines of development
- APG4654 Islamic Business and Economics
- APG4669 Foreign aid and world development
- BTX5020 Intellectual property laws (BUS)
- BTX5050 Comparative business law in Asia (BUS)
- BTX5160 The globalization of law and development in Asia (BUS)
- BTX5170 Chinese Business Law (BUS)
- MGX5730 International trade policy (BUS)
- MGX5760 International institutions and organisations (BUS)
Environment & Sustainability
- APG4425 Perspectives on environment and sustainability
- APG4428 Environmental governance and citizenship
- APG4429 Prosperity, poverty and sustainability in a globalised world
- APG4430 Ecological systems and management
- APG4655 Theories and principles of international crisis management
- APG4656 International crisis management in action
- APG4772 Community development in a globalising World
- APG4902 Geopolitics of climate change
- APG4825 Water, sustainability and development
- APG4826 Water governance and policy
Australia-Asia relations
- APG4383 Japan and Asia since 1945: war legacies and memory wars
- APG4391 Exploring Australia: Diverse people, diverse lives
- APG4631 Asian languages in contact
- APG4733 English in international professional contexts
- ATS3381 Global change and changing identities in Asia
- ATS3382 War and memories in the Asia-Pacific: Legacies of WWII
- ATS3383 Story-telling in Asia: Ancient and modern
- ATS3384 Women in Asia: Gender, tradition and modernity
- ATS3395 Australia in a globalizing world
- ATS3654 Australia-Japan relations
Media & Communications
- APG4398 New communications media
- APG4399 Media, ethics and practice
- APG4400 Issues in international communications
- APG4411 Media, politics and everyday life
- APG4640 Journalism and Society
- APG4641 Reporting the Environment
- ATS3533 Independent cinema in Southeast Asia
- ATS3539 Asian cinema
- ATS3635 Transnational culture in theatre, literature and film
- ATS3636 Sacred and profane: Religion, the secular and the state
Elective Module
The remaining 12 points can be a mix of electives or research papers. Given our extensive links with some of Asia’s premier research institutions, there are also a limited number of opportunities for our students to study overseas as part of their course in one of the following countries - China, India, Indonesia, Bangladesh, Malaysia or Thailand. We also encourage students to further their knowledge of Asian society by learning an Asian language.
Any of the subjects listed above or any of the hundreds of Asia-themed subjects taught across Monash University can be taken as electives.
See also: language study; coursework electives; research projects.