Fall/Winter Timetable

POL2206Y1Y L5101

Undergraduate Course Code: POL487Y1Y L5101

Topics in International Politics II

Japanese Politics and Diplomacy: Regional and Global Dynamics in a Turbulent Era

Themes

The aim of this course is to encourage upper-level undergraduate and graduate students to understand environmental complexities surrounding the post-World War II Japan, and consequent security policies and strategies derived from them. The course is particularly ideal for students interested in the origin and the current state of Japan's international and domestic politics, national security principles, and national identity/historical narratives embraced by mainstream public, in the midst of current international system under uncertainty. By the end of the course, the students will have sufficient background knowledge and analytic skills to independently evaluate Japanese logic/rationale behind current security strategies and foreign policy, and whether Japan's future will bring fundamental shifts in the years to come.

Texts

TBA

Format and Requirements

Weekly classes will consist of lecture in the first half, followed by intensive in-class discussions afterwards. Weekly readings will consist of two to five articles, book chapters, or policy papers, generally equivalent of 40-70 pages per week. There will be an in-class midterm quiz, two essay assignments, and an in-class role-playing game.