Department of Southeast Asian Studies

Department Overview

The Department of Southeast Asian Studies (DSEAS), Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, Universiti Malaya was established in 1975 in accordance with one of the objectives of the 1967 ASEAN Declaration, namely to promote Southeast Asian studies. DSEAS is the only department in Malaysia offering undergraduate and postgraduate programmes in Southeast Asian studies.

The Bachelor of Arts in Southeast Asian Studies programme is a platform for the development of teaching and learning, emphasizing on an intensive study of the region comprising its politics, economy, culture, maritime, environment and security. Based on an inter-disciplinary approach, students take core subjects including a Southeast Asian language. Students in the final year of study produce a research paper on any of the following themes: politics, economy, socio-culture, performing arts, ASEAN, urbanization, maritime economy and contemporary issues in Southeast Asia.

The new curriculum of the Bachelor of Arts in Southeast Asian Studies programme focuses on regional knowledge in the context of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG). This will produce graduates who are able to apply and adapt knowledge in the context of contemporary regional and global developments.

Graduates of Southeast Asian Studies are employable in the public and private sectors. Most of the graduates of the department are employed as ambassadorial officers, economic advisors, lecturers, journalists, writers, activists, policy analysts, market researchers, bankers, officers in the customs and immigration sectors, civil servants and researchers in government as well as nongovernmental organizations. Notable alumni of the Department of Southeast Asian Studies include Dato’ Jojie Samuel, Ambassador of Malaysia to Thailand, and the late Professor Dato’ Dr. Shaharil Talib, eminent historian of Malaysia.