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AIR350 - Australia and the Indo-Pacific: Identity, Interests, and Order

Year	2025 unit information
Enrolment modes:	Trimester 1: Burwood (Melbourne), Waurn Ponds (Geelong), Online
Credit point(s):	1
Previously coded as:	AIR202
EFTSL value:	0.125
Unit Chair:	Trimester 1: David Hundt
Prerequisite:	Nil
Corequisite:	Nil
Incompatible with:	AIR205, AIR243
Educator-facilitated (scheduled) learning activities - on-campus unit enrolment:	1 x 1-hour on-campus lecture per week 1 x 1-hour on-campus seminar per week
Educator-facilitated (scheduled) learning activities - online unit enrolment:	1 x 1-hour lecture per week (recordings provided) 1 x 1-hour online seminar per week
Typical study commitment:	Students will on average spend 150 hours over the trimester undertaking the teaching, learning and assessment activities for this unit. This will include educator guided online learning activities within the unit site.

Content

This unit introduces students to the evolution of Australia’s place in the mega-region known as the Indo–Pacific. In doing so the unit adopts a three-way focus on identity, interests, and order. First, it explores how and why the concept of identity matters for specific nation-states (including Australia) but also regions and regional groupings. This is particularly important in Australia’s region given that the Indo–Pacific construct recently superseded the ‘Asia–Pacific’ as the dominant (if not undisputed) paradigm. Second, the unit analyses the interests that bind – to varying degrees – the constituent members of the region. If Australia and the nation-states around are to be meaningful described as a region, what precisely do they have in common and are strong are those shared connections? Third, we focus on the norms and unwritten conventions – or order – that establish the ‘rules of the game’ for the region. What types of order have traditionally applied to Australia’s region and how well have regional orders – including the current one – facilitated stability and common prosperity? By focusing on the interaction of identity, interests, and order in the region, the unit will allow students to better understand not only Australia’s current place in the Indo–Pacific but also its future prospects.

Learning outcomes

ULO	These are the Unit Learning Outcomes (ULOs) for this unit. At the completion of this unit, successful students can:	Alignment to Deakin Graduate Learning Outcomes (GLOs)
ULO1	Identify and analyse a range of historical, cultural, and structural factors that influence Australia's relations with the Indo-Pacific region and the world more broadly	GLO1: Discipline-specific knowledge and capabilities
ULO2	Identify and critically evaluate arguments from a wide range of sources, including academic literature and also official publications such as Defence White Papers	GLO3: Digital literacy
ULO3	Identify and analyse major issues and challenges in Australia's foreign policy in the Indo-Pacific from a critical perspective and based on relevant evidence	GLO4: Critical thinking

Assessment

Assessment Description	Student output	Grading and weighting (% total mark for unit)	Indicative due week
Assessment 1: Essay	2000 words or equivalent	50%	Week 8
Assessment 2: Report (Media Analysis)	1200 words or equivalent	30%	Week 11
Assessment 3: Class Exercises/Online Exercises	800 words or equivalent	20%	Ongoing

The assessment due weeks provided may change. The Unit Chair will clarify the exact assessment requirements, including the due date, at the start of the teaching period.

Learning resource

The texts and reading list for AIR350 can be found on the University Library.

Note: Select the relevant study period reading list. Please note that a future teaching period's reading list may not be available until a month prior to the start of that teaching period so you may wish to use the relevant trimester's prior year reading list as a guide only.

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