Unit rationale, description and aim

With a population of 120 million people, the Philippines is the second-largest country in Southeast Asia. This course provides students with an introduction to the archipelagic nation’s history and culture, deepening the understanding of the Southeast Asian region that is home to approximately one in ten humans on our planet. The Philippines has been shaped by diverse influences, from rich Indigenous cultures to centuries of Spanish, U.S. American, and Japanese colonial rule. The Philippine Revolution (1896-1898) resulted in the country becoming the first republic in Asia.

Students will learn about the historical roots and present dimensions of the pressing social, economic, political, and environmental challenges that the Philippines faces today. The course aims to consider international history and politics, and how the Philippines’ proximity to powerful neighbouring countries and its location within the contested Pacific region has shaped its past and present opportunities and challenges.

2025 10

Campus offering

No unit offerings are currently available for this unit.

Prerequisites

Nil

Learning outcomes

To successfully complete this unit you will be able to demonstrate you have achieved the learning outcomes (LO) detailed in the below table.

Each outcome is informed by a number of graduate capabilities (GC) to ensure your work in this, and every unit, is part of a larger goal of graduating from ACU with the attributes of insight, empathy, imagination and impact.

Explore the graduate capabilities.

Identify and discuss key themes, issues and debate...

Learning Outcome 01

Identify and discuss key themes, issues and debates relating to Philippine History and culture.
Relevant Graduate Capabilities: GC1

Clearly communicate ideas, information and concept...

Learning Outcome 02

Clearly communicate ideas, information and concepts to a specified audience using audio, digital, oral, visual or written forms of presentation as appropriate or directed.
Relevant Graduate Capabilities: GC2, GC9, GC10, GC11, GC12

Analyse and evaluate key themes, issues and debate...

Learning Outcome 03

Analyse and evaluate key themes, issues and debates relating to the history of the Philippines making connections (where appropriate or required) to the wider national and/or international contexts.
Relevant Graduate Capabilities: GC1, GC7

Reflect on knowledge acquired and developed during...

Learning Outcome 04

Reflect on knowledge acquired and developed during the unit.
Relevant Graduate Capabilities: GC6, GC7, GC11

Develop empathy and perspective by examining histo...

Learning Outcome 05

Develop empathy and perspective by examining historical events from multiple viewpoints, including those of different social groups and cultures.
Relevant Graduate Capabilities: GC3, GC4, GC6

Content

Topics will include:

  • Using maps and primary sources as an introduction to the archipelagic nation’s history and culture;
  • Social, economic, political, and environmental challenges that the Philippines faces today;
  • The Philippines’ proximity to powerful neighbouring countries and its location within the contested Pacific region;
  • Historical events from multiple viewpoints and different social groups and cultures—including migrant and Indigenous communities.

Assessment strategy and rationale

A range of assessment procedures will be used to meet the unit learning outcomes and develop graduate attributes consistent with University assessment requirements. 

The Skills Development Task/s are designed to enable students to demonstrate achievement of Learning Outcomes 1 and 3. Students will have the opportunity to demonstrate their knowledge of the themes, issues and debates addressed in the unit by means of tasks based on maps and primary sources.

The Student-Led Learning Assessment assesses student achievement of Learning Outcomes 1 & 3. This task allows students to demonstrate their ability to communicate their ideas and engage their fellow students in active learning.

The Reflective Task gives students the opportunity to demonstrate achievement of Learning Outcomes 1- 5. For the task, students will maintain a critically reflective online learning log. The learning log is a progressive piece of work that reflects the student’s developing knowledge and understanding of the issues, themes and debates explored in the unit. The learning log will incorporate both personal and professional reflection, giving students the opportunity to (re)consider their own frames of reference, that is their opinions, values and assumptions. This will help develop to students’ intercultural competence.

Due to the nature of an intensive unit, assessments may be simultaneous.

Overview of assessments

Assessment Task 1: Skills Development Task/s To d...

Assessment Task 1: Skills Development Task/s

To develop skills in using maps and primary sources. 

Weighting

35%

Learning Outcomes LO1, LO3
Graduate Capabilities GC1, GC7

Assessment Task 2: Student-Led Learning Students ...

Assessment Task 2: Student-Led Learning

Students are required to demonstrate their knowledge of the themes, issues and debates addressed in the unit by means of a presentation or other means of engaging with the themes and student cohort as specified by the lecturer.

Weighting

20%

Learning Outcomes LO1, LO2, LO3
Graduate Capabilities GC1, GC2, GC7, GC9, GC10, GC11, GC12

Assessment Task 3: Reflective Task This task requ...

Assessment Task 3: Reflective Task

This task requires students to reflect on knowledge acquired and developed during the unit.

Weighting

45%

Learning Outcomes LO1, LO2, LO3, LO4, LO5
Graduate Capabilities GC1, GC2, GC3, GC4, GC6, GC7, GC9, GC10, GC11, GC12

Learning and teaching strategy and rationale

This unit is delivered in intensive study mode as an overseas study tour comprising of a pre-departure workshop(s), an intensive field trip, and a post-field trip school debrief session. Studies of field-based learning demonstrate that leaving the classroom and learning through first-hand experience makes learning more interesting, enjoyable and relevant to students. This has been found to lead to greater student engagement, deeper learning and increased effectiveness in achieving Learning Outcomes. Field-based learning has also been shown to create a collective mentality among participants which enhances students’ understanding of the importance of cooperation and teamwork. End-of-day debriefs and a final debrief session on completion of the study tour allow students to reflect on their learning experiences both during and after the completion of the tour. Students are also expected to post short answer reflections on their learning while on the study tour (see assessment task 1 below). Research shows that critical reflection facilitates deeper learning.

Due to the intensive mode of teaching, attendance at pre-departure and study tour classes is compulsory. Students who are unable to attend any learning and teaching activities due to illness and/or personal circumstances beyond their control must inform the LIC immediately. This unit has been designed to ensure that the time needed to complete the required volume of learning to the requisite standard is approximately 150 hours in total across the semester. To achieve a passing standard in this unit, students should engage in the full range of learning activities and assessments utilised in this unit, as described in the learning and teaching strategy and the assessment strategy. 

Representative texts and references

Representative texts and references

Aguilar-Cariño, Maria Luisa. "The Igorot as Other: Four Discourses from the Colonial Period." Philippines Studies  (1994): 194-209.

Brüggemann, M., & Rödder, S. (Eds.). (2020). Global Warming In Local Discourses : how communities around the world make sense of climate change. Open Book Publishers.Charbonneau, Oliver. Civilizational Imperatives: Americans, Moros, and the Colonial World. Ithaca: Cornell University Press, 2021.

Doyle, C. (2020). The Philippines Indigenous Peoples Rights Act and ILO Convention 169 on tribal and indigenous peoples: exploring synergies for rights realisation. The International Journal of Human Rights24(2–3), 170–190. https://doi.org/10.1080/13642987.2019.167912

Hau, C. S., Abinales, P. N., Aguilar, F. V., Claudio, L. E., Cullinane, M., Pante, M. D., & Mojares, R. B. (2019). Resil B. Mojares: Adventures and Itineraries in Philippine Cultural History. Philippine Studies: Historical and Ethnographic Viewpoints, 67(3/4), 635–648. https://doi.org/10.1353/phs.2019.0028

Lau, P. Y. Y., Lee, C. K. C., & Ho, C. K. (2019). University Student Engagement In Learning: Insights From Academic Fieldtrips In The Malaysian Tropical Rainforests. Education & Training (London)61(3), 342–358. https://doi.org/10.1108/ET-02-2018-0045

Petcharamesree, Sriprapha., & Capaldi, M. P. (Eds.). (2023). Migration in Southeast Asia: IMISCOE regional reader (First edition, 2023.). Springer International Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-25748-3

Rommel A Curaming. (2017). Hegemonic Tool?: Nationalism in Philippine History Textbooks, 1900-2000. Philippine Studies, Historical & Ethnographic Viewpoints65(4), 417–450.

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