This course provides students with an overview of major events/dynamics in the politics and economics of modern Southeast Asia, with a focus on the period from 1900 to the present. The first set of topics covers colonial rule, the rise of national consciousness, rebellion, and pathways to independence. The second section covers democratic breakdown in island Southeast Asia and war and the rise of communist states in Indochina. The third section examines the long economic boom and 1997 financial crisis. The final section covers democratization, environmental issues, populism, and markets. Each week one or two countries will be featured.