02.124HT The Modern East Asian Nexus – A History

When President Obama called for a “pivot to East Asia” to much fanfare, Chairman Xi Jinping immediately revealed a “One Belt, one Road” a year later. We also witnessed intense Chinese ire towards PM Takaichi’s announcement of “survival-threatening situation” vis-a-vis Taiwan. While students are familiar with such buzzwords, our airwaves are being saturated by numerous talking heads expounding on such issues, what do they really mean? How has this come about? What is the historical back ground for such broad policy doctrines? Indeed, what shapes the Asia Pacific historically is not well understood. I stands to reason that an elective on the history of International relations in the Asia Pacific- East Asia is critical for the uninitiated.

To appreciate these complexities in East Asia IR, students will be introduced to key events, personages, and documents. Students will also be provided with an “inside perspective,” cultivating a detailed understanding, based on current secondary sources, of the evolution of contemporary East Asia. In addition, students will be further guided along theories and concepts that will help them analyze East Asian International Relations and history. Finally, students will be familiarized with past and current scholarships on East Asia IR, with due consideration for the debates about the nature of East Asia’s IR historical developments.

Course requirements

Weekly schedule

Week 1 – The Dragon and the Rising Sun
Week 2 – The Gospel of Gentility
Week 3 – Sentimental Imperialists?
Week 4 – Becoming “Japanese”?
Week 5 – Pearl Harbour, Japan and Beyond
Week 6 – Emerging from the ashes of defeat
Week 7 – Museum Visit: Former Ford Factory – War Museum.
Week 8 – The Lost Chance in China
Week 9 – The Coldest Winter – Korean war
Week 10 – China’s Foreign Policy- 50s
Week 11 – Brothers in Arms – Sino-Soviet Relations
Week 12 – China & the Bomb
Week 13 – The Vietnam Quagmire
Week 14 – Final Review

Instructor