ECON 2502 - East Asian Economies II

North Terrace Campus - Semester 2 - 2016

The course is designed to introduce students to the economic and political nature and structure of the economies of East Asia. It will examine the mechanisms which shape their economic activity as well as various socio-economic factors in the development of their economic institutions. The contribution of these institutions to economic growth will also be closely examined. Students who do not have a background in economics may take the course.

  • General Course Information
    Course Details
    Course Code ECON 2502
    Course East Asian Economies II
    Coordinating Unit Economics
    Term Semester 2
    Level Undergraduate
    Location/s North Terrace Campus
    Units 3
    Contact Up to 7 hours per week. Intensive when taken in Winter Semester.
    Available for Study Abroad and Exchange Y
    Incompatible ECON 2003
    Assumed Knowledge ECON 1004 or ECON 1000
    Course Description The course is designed to introduce students to the economic and political nature and structure of the economies of East Asia. It will examine the mechanisms which shape their economic activity as well as various socio-economic factors in the development of their economic institutions. The contribution of these institutions to economic growth will also be closely examined. Students who do not have a background in economics may take the course.
    Course Staff

    Course Coordinator: Associate Professor Mandar Oak

    Winter School

    Dr. Shandre Thangavelu
    Location: Room 6.27, Level 6 Nexus 10 (10 Pulteney St)
    Telephone: 8313 6948
    Email: shandre.thangavelu@adelaide.edu.au
    Consultation hours: To be confirmed

    Semester 2 

    Associate-Professor Mandar Oak
    Location: Room 3.37, Level 3 Nexus 10 (10 Pulteney St)
    Telephone: 8313 1172
    Email: mandar.oak@adelaide.edu.au
    Consultation hours: To be confirmed
    Course Timetable

    The full timetable of all activities for this course can be accessed from Course Planner.

  • Learning Outcomes
    Course Learning Outcomes

    By the end of this course, you should be able to:

    1. Explain the nature and structure of the economies of East Asia.
    2. Understand the socio-economic and political forces shaping the economies in the region.
    3. Analyse current issues and future challenges in East Asian economies from a political economy perspective and within a global context.
    4. Compile relevant information from a wide range of sources from various disciplines pertaining to East Asia.
    5. Formulate and communicate the policy lessons (positive and negative) emanating from the East Asian growth experience.
    University Graduate Attributes

    This course will provide students with an opportunity to develop the Graduate Attribute(s) specified below:

    University Graduate Attribute Course Learning Outcome(s)
    Deep discipline knowledge
    • informed and infused by cutting edge research, scaffolded throughout their program of studies
    • acquired from personal interaction with research active educators, from year 1
    • accredited or validated against national or international standards (for relevant programs)
    1, 2, 3
    Critical thinking and problem solving
    • steeped in research methods and rigor
    • based on empirical evidence and the scientific approach to knowledge development
    • demonstrated through appropriate and relevant assessment
    3, 4
    Teamwork and communication skills
    • developed from, with, and via the SGDE
    • honed through assessment and practice throughout the program of studies
    • encouraged and valued in all aspects of learning
    3, 5
    Career and leadership readiness
    • technology savvy
    • professional and, where relevant, fully accredited
    • forward thinking and well informed
    • tested and validated by work based experiences
    5
    Intercultural and ethical competency
    • adept at operating in other cultures
    • comfortable with different nationalities and social contexts
    • able to determine and contribute to desirable social outcomes
    • demonstrated by study abroad or with an understanding of indigenous knowledges
    3, 4, 5
    Self-awareness and emotional intelligence
    • a capacity for self-reflection and a willingness to engage in self-appraisal
    • open to objective and constructive feedback from supervisors and peers
    • able to negotiate difficult social situations, defuse conflict and engage positively in purposeful debate
    5
  • Learning Resources
    Required Resources
    There is no textbook for this course. Readings for the course are made available via the Student Course Reader as well as in the form of pdf files on MyUni.

    Please note that the Course Readers can now only be purchased online from the new Online Shop. Login to Unified and simply click on the Online Shop icon in the left hand side of the Home page. As soon as the course reader is printed and available, it will be published on the Online Shop where students can order and pay and then collect their reader from the Image & Copy Centre.
    Recommended Resources
    Any additional recommended resources will be announced on MyUni.
    Online Learning
    The course makes extensive use of MyUni for purposes including the posting of lecture notes, and important announcements. It is expected that all students will regularly check the MyUni course website, and regularly check their university email accounts.

    https://myuni.adelaide.edu.au/webapps/login/
  • Learning & Teaching Activities
    Learning & Teaching Modes
    The course will be taught in the traditional lectures mode. There will be two one hour lectures each week followed by a one hour tutorial. The tutorial will require students to work in groups to read, present and discuss pre-assigned articles.

    LECTURES:

    The students are expected to attend the lectures. While we plan to record the lectures, depending upon the technological constraints, they may not be available for all topics. Moreover, it may not be always feasible to re-record the lectures in the event of a technical glitch.

     

    TUTORIALS:

    Each student is required to enrol in one tutorial session and attend tutorials regularly. Tutorial activities will count towards 20% of the final grade.

    Workload

    The information below is provided as a guide to assist students in engaging appropriately with the course requirements.



    The University expects full-time students (ie those taking 12 units per semester) to devote a total of 48 hours per week to their studies. This course is the equivalent of a 3 unit load so this means that, for this course, you are expected to commit approximately 12 hours per week to this course, including contact hours.
    Learning Activities Summary
    (This is a tentative list of topics and a sketch of the time-table. Please note that the actual material may vary.)

    Week 1: Understanding the East Asian miracle

    Week 2: Sources of long run economic growth (and the implications for the East Asian economies)

    Week 3: Growth, development and structural change in East Asia

    Week 4: Financial development and financial crisis in East Asia

    Week 5: Lessons for other developing economies: the case of India

    Week 6: Catch-up, additional topics and review 

    Week 7: Mid-term Exam

    Week 8: Japan and China 

    Week 9: Evolution of Trade in East Asia, Introduction

    Week 10: Regional Value Chains and Factory Asia

    Week 11: Regional Integration in East Asia

    Week 12: Formerly Centrally Planned Economies



  • Assessment

    The University's policy on Assessment for Coursework Programs is based on the following four principles:

    1. Assessment must encourage and reinforce learning.
    2. Assessment must enable robust and fair judgements about student performance.
    3. Assessment practices must be fair and equitable to students and give them the opportunity to demonstrate what they have learned.
    4. Assessment must maintain academic standards.

    Assessment Summary
    Mid semester exam (Week 7)
    Weight: 30%
    Date and time: TBA

    This exam will assess the topics of Weeks 1 to 5.

    Final Exam
    Weight: 50%
    Date and time: TBA
    This exam will put an approximate weight of 80% on the topics covered in weeks 6 through 12 and 20% weight on the topics covered in weeks 1 through 5.

    Tutorial Participation 20%
    Each tutorial section will be divided into 4 groups. In any session, one group will be the “presenter”, i.e., in charge of presenting the assigned article and for leading the discussion. Other groups, the “participants”, are supposed to comment and participate in the discussion. The details of the exact weight assigned for the presenters and the participants will be discussed during the first lecture.  

    See the MyUni page for further details of the assessment rubric.
    Assessment Related Requirements
    There is no replacement exam available for missing the mid-term. In the event a student cannot sit the mid-term exam, their final exam will count towards 80% of the final grade (with the tutorials counting for the remaining 20%).
    Assessment Detail
    See assessment summary.
    Submission
    None.
    Course Grading

    Grades for your performance in this course will be awarded in accordance with the following scheme:

    M10 (Coursework Mark Scheme)
    Grade Mark Description
    FNS   Fail No Submission
    F 1-49 Fail
    P 50-64 Pass
    C 65-74 Credit
    D 75-84 Distinction
    HD 85-100 High Distinction
    CN   Continuing
    NFE   No Formal Examination
    RP   Result Pending

    Further details of the grades/results can be obtained from Examinations.

    Grade Descriptors are available which provide a general guide to the standard of work that is expected at each grade level. More information at Assessment for Coursework Programs.

    Final results for this course will be made available through Access Adelaide.

    Additional Assessment

    If a student receives 45-49 for their final mark for the course they will automatically be granted an additional assessment. This will most likely be in the form of a new exam (Additional Assessment) and will have the same weight as the original exam unless an alternative requirement (for example a hurdle requirement) is stated in this semester’s Course Outline. If, after replacing the original exam mark with the new exam mark, it is calculated that the student has passed the course, they will receive 50 Pass as their final result for the course (no higher) but if the calculation totals less than 50, their grade will be Fail and the higher of the original mark or the mark following the Additional Assessment will be recorded as the final result.
  • Student Feedback

    The University places a high priority on approaches to learning and teaching that enhance the student experience. Feedback is sought from students in a variety of ways including on-going engagement with staff, the use of online discussion boards and the use of Student Experience of Learning and Teaching (SELT) surveys as well as GOS surveys and Program reviews.

    SELTs are an important source of information to inform individual teaching practice, decisions about teaching duties, and course and program curriculum design. They enable the University to assess how effectively its learning environments and teaching practices facilitate student engagement and learning outcomes. Under the current SELT Policy (http://www.adelaide.edu.au/policies/101/) course SELTs are mandated and must be conducted at the conclusion of each term/semester/trimester for every course offering. Feedback on issues raised through course SELT surveys is made available to enrolled students through various resources (e.g. MyUni). In addition aggregated course SELT data is available.

  • Student Support
  • Policies & Guidelines
  • Fraud Awareness

    Students are reminded that in order to maintain the academic integrity of all programs and courses, the university has a zero-tolerance approach to students offering money or significant value goods or services to any staff member who is involved in their teaching or assessment. Students offering lecturers or tutors or professional staff anything more than a small token of appreciation is totally unacceptable, in any circumstances. Staff members are obliged to report all such incidents to their supervisor/manager, who will refer them for action under the university's student’s disciplinary procedures.

The University of Adelaide is committed to regular reviews of the courses and programs it offers to students. The University of Adelaide therefore reserves the right to discontinue or vary programs and courses without notice. Please read the important information contained in the disclaimer.