Designing and teaching an effective undergraduate seminar on Asia-Pacific international relations

Abstract

This article describes the process of pedagogical thinking and design behind an advanced undergraduate seminar at a liberal arts college on “the international relations of the Asia-Pacific.” From the perspective of the instructor, a former research analyst from Singapore who switched to academia in the United States in mid-career, key lessons were learned about effective pedagogy while designing and teaching two iterations of the course to students generally unfamiliar with Asian politics and history. This article details the use of an iterative process in course design and pragmatism in teaching students how to acquire skills in political analysis and understanding, when faced with the fact that some students would take the course without any background knowledge of either the region or international relations theory. It shows how using student feedback and being flexible with assessment methods can improve course design and enhance student satisfaction and active learning. Having students take turns leading discussions, using a small crisis simulation exercise to consolidate knowledge and to hone students’ debating skills, and granting the option for a final via a viva rather than a written examination, were beneficial mechanisms for instructor and students. The instructor’s desire to create a classroom that was open to multicultural perspectives also influenced the teaching methods and tenor of the course.

Keywords:

• Pedagogy
• active learning
• international relations of the Asia-Pacific
• simulations

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Julia M. Lau

Julia M. Lau is an independent scholar in Singapore, whose current research interests include gender and remembrance in World War Two in Southeast Asia, pandemic politics in Southeast Asia, and outside of political science, gerontology. She has taught a wide range of undergraduate courses in research methods, international relations, and comparative politics at Georgetown University and The Catholic University of America in Washington, DC, and at McDaniel College in Westminster, MD. A nonresident scholar with George Washington University’s Sigur Center for Asian Studies (2018-2022), she has graduate degrees in law (National University of Singapore), and in government and security studies (Georgetown University). Prior to academia, she worked in Singapore’s defense ministry as a research analyst and manager, specializing in Southeast Asian politics and security, and designed and implemented active aging policies for the Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports.