Political
Science 399 The
International Politics of East Asia crn 26391 Winter 2012
Goals
of Course: Why has
Asia's economic resurgence heightened political discord within the region,
rather than co-operation comparable to the European Union? We will pay special
attention to such persistent issues as Sino-Japanese rivalry, the Korean
peninsula's enduring crisis, Taiwan autonomy, Sino-Indian conflict over control
of the Himalayas, competing island claims in Southeast Asia, environmental
damage, and the Asian interests of the United States.
Instructor:
Richard Kraus, Office hours: Thursdays 1:00-2:00 pm and Fridays
10:00-11:30 am in PLC 915. I’ll also be available after class. email: rkraus@uoregon.edu.
Phone: 971-570-1328.
Class
meetings: Thursdays 2:00-4:50 in PLC 905.
Texts: 1. Derek McDougall, Asia
Pacific in World Politics. Lynne Rienner.
2. Bill Emmott, Rivals. Harcourt.
3. Approximately 40 additional articles
are posted on Blackboard.
Course
Requirements:
1. Three Quizzes. We
will have quizzes at the end of class in Weeks 4, 7, and 10 (February 2, February
23, and March 15). Each will last no more than 45 minutes; Quizzes 1 and 2 will
each constitute 30% of your grade, and Quiz 3 will contribute 15% of your
grade. There will be no final examination.
2. Class Discussion.
25% of your course grade will be based upon participation in class. This
includes being able to discuss assigned readings in a knowledgeable and
thoughtful manner. It also includes timely submission each week of “Questions
for the Author.” Each student will submit questions that s/he would pose to each
of authors of the assigned readings for the week. These can be very simple
(they are questions, not essays). Writing them will encourage you to finish the
readings and reading them will give your professor some clues about how well
you understand them. The questions will not be graded, but marked as done (or
not). Email these before 8 pm on Wednesdays to rkraus@uoregon.edu. Late submissions
are not accepted. This means you must complete the readings ahead of class, so
plan accordingly.
3. Optional Papers.
In order to be eligible for the grade
of A, you must also write a 15-20 pp. research paper on a mutually agreed topic.
If you write the paper, it will count as 1/3 of your course grade (with #1 and
#2 above combined together counting as 2/3). If you choose not to write a
paper, you can earn no higher grade than B+. If you have the slightest interest
in writing, I encourage you to pursue it, and will work with you to find a
topic. You must meet with me to discuss
paper topics no later than the end of week 7 (Friday, February 24). Optional
Papers Due March 20. Submit your papers electronically, as Word attachments, to
rkraus@uoregon.edu.
Basis for Grading: Command of course
materials, originality of thought, style of presentation. Care in preparation of
written work is important. If you have not mastered the distinction between its and it’s, or their and they’re, this is an excellent term in
which to remedy any shortcoming.
SCHEDULE
Week 1. January 12. Is there such a thing as Asia?
Emmott, Chapters 1-2; McDougall, Chapters
1-2.
Hans Rosling: “Asia’s Rise: How and
When?”
Week 2. January 19. China
Emmott, Chapter 3; McDougall, Chapter 3,
6.
Lieberthal, “The American Pivot to
Asia.”
Freeman, “Beijing, Washington, and the
Shifting Balance of Prestige.”
Week 3. January 26. Japan
Emmott, Chapter 4, 7; McDougall, Chapter
4, 5, 7.
Fingleton, “The Myth of Japan’s
Failure.”
Week 4. February 2. Six Decades of Korean Division
Emmott, Chapter 8; McDougall, Chapter 9.
Haggard & Noland, “Sanctioning
North Korea: The Political Economy of Denuclearization and Proliferation”
Manyin, “U.S.-South Korea Relations.”
Adrian Hong, “How to Free North Korea.”
Choe, “South Korean Law Casts Wide Net,
Snaring Satirists in a Hunt for Spies.”
Quiz 1
Week 5. February 9. The Chronic Taiwan Crisis
McDougall, Chapter 8.
Kan & Morrison, “U.S.-Taiwan
Relationship: Overview of Policy Issues.”
Shu and Schubert, “Agents of
Taiwan-China Unification?”
Cross-Straits at the Crossroads: Taiwan’s 2012 Elections: articles by Cook, Ji, & Maddock.
Week 6. February 16. Dividing The Himalayas
Emmott, Chapter 5.
Pomeranz, “The Great Himalayan
Watershed.”
Dumbaugh, “Tibet: Problems, Prospects,
and U.S. Policy.”
Gardner, “The Secret Army.”
Ladwig, “India and Military Power
Projection: Will the Land of Gandhi Become a Conventional Great Power?”
Hangen, “Nepal and Bhutan in 2010.”
Week 7. February 23. Economy and Environment
Emmott, Chapter 6.
Kennedy,
“China’s Petroleum Predicament.”
Fergusson
& Vaughn, “The Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement.”
Huang, Dang,
& Wang, “Reform of the International Economic System: What does China want?”
Hung, “America’s Head Servant? The
PRC’s Dilemma in the Global Crisis”
Elliott, “Transnational Environmental Crime in the Asia Pacific”.
Quiz 2
Week 8. March 1. Influence in Southeast Asia
McDougall, Chapters 10, 11.
Thayer, “China’s New Aggressive
Assertiveness in the South China Sea.”
Turnell, “Myanmar in 2010.”
Storey, “Burma and China.”
Rowen, “The U .S.-Japan Security Alliance, ASEAN, And The South China Sea
Dispute”
Rangsimaporn, “Russia’s Search for
Influence in Southeast Asia.”
Sukma, “Indonesia-China Relations: The
Politics of Re-engagement.”
Week 9. March 8. Human Rights & Soft Power
French,
“Looking for Hope in Burma.”
Bae, “Is the Death Penalty an Asian
Value?”
Madsen, “After Liberalism: What if
Confucianism Becomes the Hegemonic Ethic of the Twenty-first Century?”
Lam, “Japan’s
Quest for ‘Soft Power’.”
Paradise,
“China and International Harmony.”
Chung,
“China’s ‘Soft’ Clash with South Korea: The History War and Beyond.”
Sautman and
Yan, “The “Right Dissident”: Liu Xiaobo and the 2010 Nobel Peace Prize.”
Week 10. March 15. Dreams of Asian Co-operation
Emmett, Chapter 9, McDougall Chapters
13, 14.
Hartfiel & Job, “Raising the Risks of War.”
Nair , “ASEAN's Core Norms in the
Context of the Global Financial Crisis.”
Arase, “Non-Traditional Security in
China-ASEAN Co-operation.”
Iwabuchi, “Nostalgia
for a (Different) Asian Modernity.”
Penney, “Foundations of Cooperation:
Imagining the Future of Sino-Japanese Relations.”
Quiz
3