Southeast Asia is one of the world's most culturally diverse regions, home to Buddhist, Muslim, Confucian, and Christian civilizations. It boasts ancient monuments of surpassing beauty, grandeur, and symbolic complexity. It was the scene of the bloodiest conflict since 1945, the Vietnam War. Today it boasts one of the world's fastest growing regional economies. Moreover, Southeast Asian political history reflects patterns characteristic of much of Asia, Africa, and the Mideast, and thus offers insights into Third World development in general. This course offers an introduction to Southeast Asian history from the earliest civilizations, through the colonial conquest, to the contemporary political and economic scene.

Course Requirements:

two weekly lectures, weekly discussion section, midterm, final, optional term paper

Intended Audience:

Undergraduates

Class Format:

weekly lectures, weekly discussion section