Bachelor 2026/2027

Economic & Political Geography of East and Southeast Asia

Type: Compulsory course (HSE University and Kyung Hee University Double Degree Programme in Economics and Politics in Asia)

Delivered by: Faculty of World Economy and International Affairs

Where: Faculty of World Economy and International Affairs

When: 1 year, 3 module

Open to: students of one campus

Language: English

ECTS credits: 3

Contact hours: 40

Course Syllabus

Abstract

The main goal of the course is to form a system of knowledge among students about the current state, trends, and features of spatial development in the countries of East and Southeast Asia, based on the conceptual and methodological framework of the science of Geography. The study of the discipline is driven by the need for specialists to understand the modern spatial conditions of political, social, and economic development in the countries of East and Southeast Asia. During the course, students will be required to master the modern geographical characteristics of the East and Southeast Asian region, as well as specific countries. The discipline is aimed at developing basic skills necessary for the successful mastery of subsequent disciplines related to the study of the economy, politics, and history of the region.

Learning Objectives

• Identify major historical events shaping contemporary Asia/Southeast Asia
• Apply geographical approaches and concepts to examine the uneven development in Asia/Southeast Asia
• Analyze how globalization influences Asia/Southeast Asia and interacts with its local social, cultural and political contexts
• Identify positive and negative effects of global economy on Asia, including national economies and individual livelihoods
• Compare different visions and perspectives on Asia proposed by academics, governments, and non-profit organizations
• Critically discuss problems pertaining contemporary Asia, and analytically assess the merits of proposed solutions

Expected Learning Outcomes

• Students will be familiar with theoretical issues and empirical questions related to the subject.
• students will have good methodological and technical skills in the field of analysis and work with statistics and text, necessary for studying economic and political geography
• Students will come out of this course with an expertise on one of the countries of Southeast Asia region with a special focus on economic-geographical position of the country chosen by the student
• At the end of the course, students will acquire an ability to do an independent research for academic purposes.

Course Contents

• Part 1. 1.1 Introduction: Asia and Southeast Asian region
• 1.2 Geography of Southeast Asian countries
• 1.3 Macroeconomic indicators and international comparisons of the levels of economic development of Asian and Southeast Asian countries
• 1.4 Integration economic and political processes and regional organizations of Southeast Asian countries
• 1.5 Interaction of Asian/Southeast Asian countries with Russia

Assessment Elements

• Midterm test
  At the end of the each part of the course there will a 80-minute written test in the classroom. The questions are going to be very broad and mostly theoretical, and students are going to be given options to choose questions to answer. Open questions could be also included. The midterm test is held in the middle of the course and takes place in the form of a written test.
• Class Attendance
• Student abstract
  Preparation of an abstract in printed form on one of the selected topic proposed by the teacher. The quality of the design and the content part are evaluated. The volume is 15-20 pages. The originality of the text should be at least 70 percent.
• Student presentation
  Students are required to make presentations on a certain aspect of development experience of a country chosen by themselves. The topic can be anything that is related with economic development. Students are encouraged not to take a very broad issue encompassing almost all the aspects of development for a successful presentation and a good paper. Design requirements: It is necessary to prepare at least 15 slides, in the format of an oral presentation with a demonstration of the material at the blackboard. Both the quality of the oral presentation and the quality of the presentation material and the extent of coverage of the entire topic are evaluated. Students will learn more in the classroom.
• Final Exam
  The final exam takes place at the end of the course orally in the form of students' answers to questions from exam tickets. The student chooses a random ticket with 2 questions, to which he prepares an oral answer. The preparation lasts 20 minutes and takes place in the office in full view of the teacher. If the answers to the questions from the extended ticket are unsatisfactory, then the teacher asks any third question at his discretion. The exam is conducted by oral answers to tickets consisting of two pre-prepared questions.
• Class Participation
  In order to get full marks for the participation students need to actively participate in the class discussions, to demonstrate familiarity with assigned readings and lecture material, including being prepared to answer the questions that the class teacher may pose.

Interim Assessment

• 2026/2027 3rd module
  0 * Class Attendance + 0.2 * Final Exam + 0.2 * Student presentation + 0.2 * Student abstract + 0.2 * Midterm test + 0.2 * Class Participation

Bibliography

Recommended Core Bibliography

• Handbook of Asian states. Pt. 1: ., , 2021
• Handbook of Asian states. Pt. 2: ., , 2021
• Филатов С.В. - Политическая география стран Восточной Азии - 978-5-7972-2623-9 - РГЭУ (РИНХ) - 2019 - https://znanium.ru/catalog/document?id=465093 - 465093 - ZNANIUM

Recommended Additional Bibliography

• An introduction to political geography : space, place and politics, Jones, M., 2004

Authors

• Воронов Валентин Дмитриевич