I took this course under the impression that it would cover the topics in POLS2204 and I was impressed to find that it covered a broader range of topics within the Asia-Pacific region. However, with that, the course was heavily based on the history behind the current issues of the Asia-Pacific rather than the issues themselves.
The content is quite interesting but the information in the lecture slides seemed like they were copied and pasted. On top of that, the lecturer reads of the powerpoint which has so much text with little elaboration on the content. He tends to go off on a tangent at times which is hard to get through but luckily the lectures are recorded. Blackboard was well-organised but there was way too much content. The staff replied efficiently however, the help provided during the assessment (mainly the essay) was minimal and quite vague in my opinion.
Assessment wise, I believe it was okay for the course but it only composed of attendance/participation mark (which included weekly summaries based on readings), the essay and the exam. The latter two are heavily weighted and vary in difficulty.
The essay questions were reasonable however, the marking criteria is vague and harshly marked. To truly be successful in the essay, consulting tutors is a must and send in an outline to make sure you're on the right path. However, even then, the tutors will only look at it once in depth. After that, it's general comments.
The exam, on the other hand, is similar to past exams and a clear guideline to what is required is provided in the final lecture. It's quite easy to prepare for but requires a good amount of effort to pull it off. Out of the two main assessment items, the exam was easier by a long shot.
Overall, I found the course had interesting content but failed to engage me properly. The assessment was a mixed bag: easy for the participation and the exam but a struggle for the essay. A good course but requires a LOT of improvement.
