Politics 227: East Asian Politics

Fall 2006

Office: Huntley 315, extension 8612

Office Hours: M,W 9 - 10; TTh, 2 - 4

Available at other times by appointment.

This course has three main objectives. First, it is an introduction to the political systems in the East Asian region. Giving special emphasis to Japan, South Korea, and China, we will examine the institutions and processes through which public policy is made. We will examine how the history of nation-building since the end of the 19^th century has shaped contemporary political conflict and investigate the challenges the political systems in the region currently face. Second, this course uses the East Asian region as a living laboratory for the comparative study of political systems. Despite centuries of shared tradition in political thought, Japan, Korea, and China have made radically different political choices since the latter half of the 19^th century, and through decades since World War II, they have exhibited a surprisingly broad range of the sorts of ideological, institutional and policy alternatives practiced around the globe. Therefore, along with seeking a general understanding of how politics works in the particular countries we will be studying, we will also devote some of our energy to examining what the study of East Asia has to teach us more generally about the varying capacities of different political institutions. As we move from nation to nation, we will pause to ask how similar institutions operate in different countries or how similar policy concerns are addressed in other regions. We will also use our confrontation with this part of the globe that is often considered truly alien by the people of North Atlantic countries as a means to think about our capacities and expand our limits as evaluators of the variety of human experience. Finally, because of the rich nature of the cases we examine, this course is also an opportunity to expand your capacity for independent thinking, careful reading, and effective articulation of your position on complicated issues. At the end of this course, I hope we will all be more deliberate evaluators of both popular and social science claims about how best to use politics to manage human affairs, and I hope we will make our own claims with more precision, accuracy, and foresight.

Required Books:

(In order of use.)

McCargo, Duncan. Contemporary Japan. Second edition. Palgrave Macmillan, 2004.

Oh, John Kie-Chiang. Korean Politics: The Quest for Democratization and Economic Development. Cornell University Press, 1999.

Moon Seungsook. Militarized Modernity and Gendered Citizenship in South Korea. Duke University Press, 2005.

Lieberthal, Kenneth. Governing China: From Revolution Through Reform. 2^nd ed. W.W. Norton & Co., 2004.

Johnson, Ian. Wild Grass: Three Stories of Change in Modern China. Pantheon, 2004.

Course Policies:

This course is an examination of a variety of political systems in a region of the globe that is, perhaps, largely unknown to most of the class members. That means that one important task of the course will be familiarizing ourselves with the details of political processes in each of the nations we study. However, this course is more than a summary of political institutions and events. It is an opportunity for us to pursue intellectual agility and to practice independent and rigorous thinking with improved skills for the critical analysis of a variety of political phenomena as our goal. Therefore, this will not be a lecture course. I may lecture on occasion, if I deem it the most effective way to cover some important material. But you will not succeed in this course merely by taking notes. Of course, you will be expected to pay attention to and learn the “facts” of each new case we read about, but you will also be expected to put your careful reading and preparation to work in vigorous class discussions, in exams, and in writing assignments that range beyond mere regurgitation of those facts. This is a tough class, but if you are willing to pay your dues by putting up with the work required to get the basics down, I think you’ll find that politics in East Asia are never boring. And if you are open-minded in your approach to the varied worldviews we will study along the way, I think you may find this class provides a powerful opportunity for reflecting upon your own experiences with and opinions about politics.

Just remember this: As your teacher, I will do all that I can to be a thoughtful guide through difficult material and a provocative leader of class discussion. I will be here as a resource for you when you are engaged in independent research, and I will do my best to help answer the questions you have about the material we cover. But it will be through the efforts of you and your fellow students that this course will be transformed from a lot of work into a truly enjoyable cooperative endeavor.

Everything you do in this course should be undertaken in conformity with the spirit of the Washington and Lee University Honor Code. Please pledge all of your written work. Should you ever have any question regarding whether your work meets my standards for work that may be fairly pledged, please feel free to consult me. I will do my best to answer any questions frankly and fully.

Course attendance is required, and I expect that when you attend you will be fully prepared to conduct discussion on any part of the assigned work. I realize that, on rare occasion, an absence from class may be unavoidable, but I do reserve the right to penalize you for more than two absences by making a deduction in your final course grade at my discretion. This penalty may include failure of the course. Do not ply me with excuses about your absences. Save your two acceptable absences for times that you really need them, such as when you are ill. Make-up exams will only be given in extraordinary circumstances. Late work will be accepted only if I choose to accept it and may be penalized up to a whole letter grade per day late. Pop quizzes are part of your participation grade and, as such, may never be made up.

If some extraordinary difficulty befalls you, and you believe you are deserving of an exception from any of the above policies, please let me know about your situation as soon as possible. I will try to be as accommodating as fairness allows.

Course Assignments

Assignment	Percentage of Final Grade
Good Citizenship: Preparedness, Participation, Quizzes	10 per cent
Policy Problem Analyses Due Fri., Oct. 6, Fri., Nov. 3, and Wed., Dec. 6	15 per cent each, for a total 45 per cent
Midterm Examination Wed., Oct. 25	20 per cent
Final Examination	25 per cent

Reading Guide:

Date

Assignment

Friday, September 8

First day of class.

Monday, September 11

McCargo, Chapters 1 & 2

Wednesday, September 13

McCargo, Chapter 3

Friday, September 15

McCargo, Chapter 4

Monday, September 18

Research discussion.

Wednesday, September 20

McCargo, Chapter 5

Friday, September 22

McCargo, Chapter 6

Monday, September 25

McCargo, Chapter 7

Wednesday, September 27

Mc, Cargo, Chapters 8 & 9

Friday, September 29

Schoppa, “Productive and Protective Elements of Convoy Capitalism” on Leyburn Library Reserve

Monday, October 2

Schoppa, “The Race for the Exits Begins” on Leyburn Library Reserve

Wednesday, October 4

Oh, Chapter 1

Friday, October 6

Policy Paper 1 due. Class visit by Leonard Schoppa.

Monday, October 9

Oh, Chapter 2

Wednesday, October 11

Oh, Chapters 3 & 4

Friday, October 13

Reading day. No class.

Monday, October 16

Oh, Chapter 5

Wednesday, October 18

Oh, Chapters 6 & 7

Friday, October 20

Oh, Chapters 8 & 9

Monday, October 23

Oh, Chapter 10 & conclusion

Wednesday, October 25

Midterm Examination

Friday, October 27

Moon, Introduction and Chapter 1

Monday, October 30

Moon, Chapters 2 & 3

Wednesday, November 1

Moon, Chapters 4 & 5

Friday, November 3

Policy Paper 2 due.

Monday, November 6

Moon, Chapter 6

Wednesday, November 8

Lieberthal, Chapters 1 & 2

Friday, November 10

Lieberthal, Chapters 3 & 4

Monday, November 13

Lieberthal, Chapter 5

Wednesday, November 15

Lieberthal, Chapters 6 & 7

Friday, November 17

Lieberthal, Chapter 9

November 20 – November 24

Thanksgiving Holiday. No class.

Monday, November 27

Reading on Chinese foreign policy, to be announced.

Wednesday, November 29

Johnson, Part 1

Friday, December 1

Johnson, Part 2

Monday, December 4

Johnson, Part 3

Wednesday, December 6

Policy Paper 3 due.

Friday, December 8

Last day of classes. Review for final.