Stream Directors
Julian Dierkes and Abidin Kusno
Overview
Recent economic changes in Asia have been dramatic. Equally important are the accompanying social changes, some of which complement economic changes while others inhibit and contradict economic change. An understanding of the interplay between economic and social change is essential to developing policy responses that further sustainable development. This stream is intended to provide students with knowledge and analytical skills on the interplay of economic and social conditions. Among the major issues to be addressed are (i) social implications of economic growth and contraction; and (ii) social factors in economic change. The examination of these issues will be focused on the recent past, i.e., the period of the most rapid economic development of Asia since about the 1950s.
Preparation and Expectations
As the coverage of the stream on economic and social change is broad, topics discussed within this stream have varied tremendously over successive MAAPPS cohorts and among stream concentrators. Despite the great variety of topics addressed, prospective students considering enrolment in the Economic and Social Change stream are encouraged to familiarize themselves with the analytical perspective of the social sciences broadly, especially if they enter the MAAPPS programme without formal social science training. In addition, students will be expected to be familiar with some of the classical and prominent theoretical perspectives that have framed examinations of economic and social change in the social sciences. Because the examination of the interplay between social and economic factors typically necessitates some methodological sophistication, students should be able to read, interpret and critique statistical analyses of social relations. Below are some readings that students might find useful in preparing for the stream, but many others could also be suggested instead.
- Classics: Emile Durkheim (esp. The Division of Labor in Society), Karl Marx (esp. The Communist Manifesto), Max Weber (esp. The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism, Economy and Society: Bureaucracy)
- Social scientific perspectives: Gary King, Robert Keohane and Sidney Verba (Designing Social Inquiry: Scientific Inference in Qualitative Research), Charles Ragin, (The Comparative Method)
- Textbook introductions to topics covered in the stream: Alvin So (Social Change and Development), Jonathan Rigg (Southeast Asia: the Human Landscape of Modernization and Development)
Courses
IAR 500 (MAAPPS Core Course):
MAAPPS students concentrating on the Economic & Social Change stream as well as students concentrating on one of the other streams will be introduced to the examination of the interplay between economic and social factors through the IAR 500 Module on Economic & Social Change. Although the syllabus for the module changes from year to year, it has focused on some of the following topics:
- Demographic changes and their impact on social and economic conditions in contemporary Asia
- Theories of economic development as they have been based on and applied to the Asian experience
- Education and its interaction with economic growth
- The role of the state in economic and social relations
- Asian values
Assignments for the module have been a mix of group activities and presentations as well as a final paper that examines a specific aspect of economic and social change in the Asia Pacific. Given the wealth (but disparate quality) of information on economic and social change available on-line, students will be encouraged to utilize such data and evaluate in terms of its validity and some of the theoretical approaches discussed in the module.
Other Courses:
Apart from the numerous courses offered around the university, students in the Economic and Social Change stream should note that courses offered by the stream directors might be of particular interest:
Other courses students have found useful in the recent past:
- ADHE 535 Comparative and International Adult and Higher Education
- ADHE 515 Adult Literacy, Gender and Development in the Asia-Pacific
- BAIM 503 Issues in International Trade Policy
- EDST 515 Survey Methods
- EDST 578 Multiculturalism, Racism, and Education
- Hist 422 Modern Japanese History Since 1800
- Hist 423 Economic and Business History of Modern Japan
- Hist 562D Topics in Chinese History
- Hist 480 Social History of Modern China
- Law 334 Intro to Asian Legal Systems
- Law 337 Trade and Investment in the People's Republic of China
- LING 425 Community-Based Language Research
- Plan 572 Theory and Practice of Project Planning
- Plan 573 Planning for an Urban World
- Poli 321 Chinese Politics
- Poli 512 Theories of Political Change
- Poli 515 Comparative Non-Western Governments
- Poli 516 Issues in Comparative Politics
- Poli 562 Topics in International Relations
- Poli 572 Quantitative Techniques of Political Analysis
- Soci 361A Social Inequality
Note that this list is by no means exhaustive.