Write a 2500 word essay (excluding references) on one of the following topics, drawing on one or more of the disciplinary perspectives you have been exposed to in the course of this Unit of Study.
1.
Rapid economic growth in countries like Indonesia and Thailand has resulted in the growth of megacities like Jakarta and Bangkok. Assess the impact of rapid urbanisation on the quality of life of low and middle income groups in a Southeast Asian megacity.
2.
Pressures on Southeast Asian nations to remove barriers to free trade can have consequences for domestic production of staple foods. Discuss the relationship between food sovereignty and food security in one Southeast Asian country.
3.
Malaysia and Singapore depend heavily on contract workers from elsewhere in Southeast Asia, including large numbers of women employed as live-in domestic help. Discuss the benefits and risks of this reliance on foreign labour in economic and social terms with reference to one or both of these countries.
4.
Although governments in developing Southeast Asia have increasingly adopted policies that reflect international rights-based norms on disability, people living with a disability in those continue to face many challenges in their everyday lives. With reference to one Southeast Asian country, assess the barriers to fuller participation and government responses to overcome them.
5.
Debates around protection of Indonesia’s forests often focus on the competing demands of environmental sustainability, economic growth and indigenous livelihoods. Discuss the impact of these competing demands with reference to Kalimantan.
