Geography & Culture in Southeast Asia (0447)
Through the topic of travel and tourism, this class will study how geography and culture have influenced the characteristics of Southeast Asia. The 14 weeks of regular classes will study the climatic, environmental, cultural, political, and economic characteristics of the region. We begin with the basics: an overview of the region and an understanding of geography. Each successive week will then examine the following topics: region, environment, history, colonialism, demographics, religion, politics, economics, and the future. The final three weeks will “zoom in” on three case studies: Singapore, Papua New Guinea and SE Asians living in South Korea. The overall course theme is how modern tourism practices interact with SE Asia’s geography, culture, and history. Class readings will consist of one textbook and various readings/videos assigned by the professor.