POLS 387: East Asia and International Politics
(2005 Fall Semester)
Prof. Edward Kwon
Northern Illinois University
Office: Zulauf 402 Department of Political Science
Phone: 753-7055
Class: TUE and TH 12:30-1:45
E-mail: edteaching@yahoo.com Class Room: DU
459
Office Hours: Wed 9:00-10:00 am
or by
appointment
This course will examine international politics in East Asia. Currently
the East Asian region is one of the most important arenas in world politics and
economy. China has shown rapid economic development and is occupied with the
largest portion of global trade. Japan, the world’s second largest economy, is
trying to gain a possible new seat on the UN’s security council. South Korea, a
member of the OECD countries, demonstrates high performance in both economic
development and democratization. On the other hand, North Korea and Taiwan have
been a potential threat for the regional security. North Korea’s ongoing
ambition for nuclear weapon and Taiwan’s possible declaration of independence
from China may bring a serious strain to the security in East Asia.
Furthermore, U.S. strategic concerns in the region arouse our academic interest
continuously. To understand this region, this course will focus on four broad
themes.
First, we will trace the historical background of international politics
in East Asia from two broad time frameworks - Cold War and post-Cold War. We
will overview the change and continuity of main actors’ strategic concerns and national
interests toward the region. Second, we will focus on major powers (the United
States, China, Russia, Japan, and two Koreas) interactions from international
relations and international political economic perspectives. Third, we will
investigate the dynamics of rapid economic growth (East Asian economic
development model) and regional trade cooperation of the region. We will
critically evaluate the myths of the “East Asian Miracle” from the typical
developmental state cases of three countries (Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan)
in the context of the 1997 Asian financial crisis. Many benefits and costs of
the model will be compared with neoliberalism. Lastly, we will examine East Asian
Security and current hot issues in
East Asia, such as North Korea’s nuclear weapons program, Japanese history
textbook distortion, and the devaluation of Chinese currency.
Requirements:
1) Attendance and Class Discussion (20%)
Students are expected to attend all classes, so absences without
pre-notification to the instructor will affect the course grade adversely.
Students should read the assigned readings before class meetings and prepare for class
discussion. Contributions to the class discussion including prepared comments
and energetic participation will be considered in your grade.
2) Mid-term and Final Examination (50%)
Two in-class examinations will be administered during the semester to
test students’ understanding of key concepts and contents covered in assigned
materials. The questions in these exams will be a combination of short answers,
essay questions, and correct answer selection.
3) Research Paper (20%)
A research paper of medium length (approximately 10 pages, typewritten
and double-spaced) will be required. Students should use more than seven
academic sources (academic journal articles and books). The topic should be taken from one of the issues and on empirical case studies that
we have studied and discussed in the class. An outline
for the paper should be submitted before the midterm exam and approved by the
instructor.
4) Group Research Project (10%)
The purpose of the group research project is to familiarize students with
the political and economic systems, and cultural, historical, and contemporary
issues on six East Asian countries: China, Taiwan, Russia/ former Soviet Union,
South Korea, North Korea, and Japan. Students will work in groups to prepare a
report on each of these countries. From time to time, the leader and other
group members should report their work in progress to the instructor and other
students, as a way of sharing details on important current issues.
* Resource:
- The CIA, World Fact Book
<http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/>
- Newspaper: The New York Times, The Washington Post, CNN, ….
Required:
* Michael B. Yahuda, The Intentional Politics of the Asia Pacific: Since 1945, 2nd ed. (New York: Taylor & Francis Inc., 2004).
Optional:
Samuel S. Kim, ed., The International Relations of Northeast Asia (New York: Rowman & Littlefield, 2004).
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“Under section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, NIU is committed to making reasonable accommodations for persons with documented disabilities. Those students with disabilities that may have some impact on their coursework and for which they may require accommodations should notify the Center for Access-Ability Resources (CAAR) on the fourth floor of the Health Services Building. CAAR will assist students in making appropriate accommodations with course instructor. It is important that CAAR and instructor be informed of any disability-related needs during the first two weeks of the semester.” |
|
“The Department of
Political Science will recognize, on an annual basis, outstanding
undergraduate papers written in conjunction with 300-400 level political
science courses or directed studies. Authors do not have to be political
science major or have a particular class standing. Winners are expected to
attend the Department’s spring graduation ceremony where they will receive a
certificate and $50.00. Papers which can be submitted by students or faculty,
must be supplied in triplicate to a department secretary by February 28. All
copies should have two cover pages – one with the student’s name and one
without the student’s name. Only papers written in the previous calendar year
can be considered for the award. However, papers completed in the spring
semester are eligible for the following year’s competition even if the
student has graduated.” |
Course
Schedule and Reading Assignments
Week 1 (Aug 23):
Course Introduction
- Aug 25: Northeast
Asia in the Global and Regional Stage
*
Samuel S. Kim, “Rationalization and Regionalism in East Asia,” Journal of East
Asian Studies 4 (2004).
*
Kim, “Northeast Asia in the Local-Regional-Global Nexus: Multiple Challenges
and Contending Explanations,” The IR of NEA, chap 1.
* Yahuda, Chap.1: The
impact of Cold War
* Kenneth B. Pyle, “Regionalism in
Asia: Past and Future,” Cambridge Review of International Affairs 16, no.1
(April 2003).
|
** Group Research Project: Country
Report |
The United States: From the
End of the Cold War to the War on Terrorism
* Haruhiro Fukui et al., “The role
of the United states in Post-Cold War East Asian security affairs,” Journal
of Asian & African Studies 33, no.1 (Feb 98).
* Yahuda, Chap.4: The
United States and Asia-Pacific
* Kent E. Calder,
“U.S. Foreign Policy in Northeast Asia,” Kim, Chap. 7.
Research Paper Proposal Due: Sep. 15 (1~2 page)
1.
Your paper
topic 2.
Research
questions 3.
Brief summary
of your argument 4.
References |
* Yahuda, Chap. 6:
China and Asia-Pacific
* Alastair Lain
Johnston, “China’s International relations: The Political and Security
Dimensions,” Kim, chap. 2.
* Paul Midford, “Japan’s
leadership role in East Asian security multilateralism: the Nakayama proposal
and the logic of reassurance,” Pacific Review 13, no. 3 (Aug 2000).
* William W. Grimes, “Japan’s
International relations: The Economic dimension,” Kim, chap. 5.
Week 7 (Oct 4, 6): Russia/
Former Soviet Union
* Gilbert Rozman,
“Russian Foreign Policy in Northeast Asia,” Kim, chap. 6.
|
** Mid
Examination – Oct. 11 |
Week 8 and 9 (Oct 13, 18,
20): Divided Countries (South and North
Korea, and Taiwan)
*
Chung-in Moon and Taehwan Kim, “South Korea’s International Relations:
Challenges to developmental Realism?,” Kim, Chap. 8.
* C.S.
Eliot Kang, “North Korea’s International Relations: The Successful Failure?,”
Kim, chap. 9.
* Lynn
T. White III, “Taiwan’s External relations: Identity versus Security,” Kim,
chap. 10.
III. Political
Economy of East Asian Countries
Week 10 (Oct 25,
27): East Asian Developmental Model
-
Developmental State: Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan
-
The Essence of the East Asian Miracle: Rapid Growth and Equity
**
Robert Wade, Governing the Market: Economic Theory and the Role of
Government in East Asian Industrialization (Princeton, NJ.: Princeton
University Press, 1990).
**
Peter Evans, Embedded Autonomy: State and Industrial Transformation
(Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1995).
**
The World Bank, The East Asian Miracle: Economic Growth and Public Policy
(New York: Oxford University Press, 1993).
Week 11 (Nov. 1, 3):
Road to Crisis and Recovery
-
The Myth of Asia’s Miracle
-
Dragons in Distress
-
Asian Financial Crisis
-
Recovery, Lesson, and Governance
**
Paul Krugman, “The Myth of Asia’s Miracle,” Foreign Affairs (Nov/Dec
1994).
**
Stephen Haggard, The Political Economy of the Asian Financial Crisis
(Washington, D.C.: Institute for International Economics, 2000).
**
T.J. Pempel, ed., The Politics of the Asian Economic Crisis (Ithaca, New
York: Cornell University Press, 1999).
**
Jomo K.S., ed., Tigers in Trouble: Financial Governance, Liberalisation and
Crises in East Asia (Hong Kong: Hong Kong University Press, 1998).
Week 12 (Nov. 8,
10): Regional Cooperation and Globalization
-
Economic Cooperation and Integration
-
Emerging East Asian Regionalism?
-
APEC
**Edward
Lincoln, East Asian Economic Regionalism (Washington, D.C.: Brookings
Institution Press, 2004).
**
Bruce Henry Lambert, “Northeast Asian Dynamism: Ten Top Impediments and
Countermeasures,” The European Institute of Japan Studies Working Paper
145 (May 2002).
**
Mark Berger, “APEC and Its Enemies: The Failure of Regionalism in the
Asia-Pacific,” Third World Quarterly 20, no. 5 (1999).
IV. East Asian Security and Current Issues
Week 13 (Nov. 15,
17): Security in East Asia
-
Rising China: Treat or Opportunity?
-
The Taiwan Strait and Sino-Japanese Relation
-
Japan: Dependent Nationalism
-
The Two Koreas: Uneasy Coexistence
-
The United Sates and East Asia
**
Mel Gurtov and Melvin Gurtov, Pacific Asia?: Prospects for Security and
Cooperation in East Asia (New York: Rowman & Littleman Publishers Inc.,
2002).
**
Thomas J. Christensen, “Posing Problems without Catching Up: China’s Rise and
Challenges for U.S. Security Policy,” International Security 25, no. 4
(2001).
**
Eric Heginbotham and Richard J. Samuels, “Mercantile Realism and Japanese
Foreign Policy,” International Security 22, no. 4 (1998).
Week 14 (Nov 29,
Dec. 1): North Korea’s Nuclear Weapon Programs
- The Debate over
North Korea
- North Korea’s
Security Policy
- Assessing the North
Korean Treat
- Six Nation Talks and
Hawkish Engagement
** Victor D. Cha and
Dvaid C. Kang, Nuclear North Korea: A Debate on Engagement Strategies
(New York: Columbia Univ. Press, 2003).
** Victor D. Cha, “Can
North Korea be Engaged?,” Survival 46 (2004): 89-107.
Week 15 (Dec 6) : Final
Exam
Thank
You.