International Relations of East Asia

Author

Kadir Jun Ayhan

Published

September 12, 2023

Syllabus (2023 Fall)

Course Title International Relations of East Asia Course No: IS649
Department/ Major GSIS Credit/ Hours: 3
Class time / Classroom Thursday 15:30-18:15 / IEB 1001
Instructor Name: Kadir Jun Ayhan Department : GSIS
: ayhan ewha.ac.kr : 02-3277-4628
Office Hours/ Location Make an appointment here / IEB 1201-1

1 Course Overview

1.1 Course Description

This course introduces students to international relations in the East Asian region. We will discuss how international relations theories either explain or fail to explain the order in the region, as well as the relations between the countries. The course commences with an introduction to foreign policy analysis and addresses the question of international relations beyond the West. Subsequently, we delve into a brief history of the order in the region and its transformation in the 19th and 20th centuries. Additionally, we provide an overview of the international relations of East Asia. Furthermore, we engage in a discussion on the issue of North Korean (and regional) nuclear proliferation through a United Nations Security Council simulation. During the second half of the semester, we explore regionalism, regionalization, and order in East Asia. We also examine the foreign policy and security issues centered around ASEAN, China, South Korea, and Japan.

1.2 Prerequisites

None.

1.3 Course Format

Lecture Discussion/ Presentation Experiment/ Practicum
20% 40% 40%

I am to facilitate student-centric learning in this course. The assignments for this course are not merely for grading but intend to help students practice and enhance their critical thinking, research, presentation, and academic writing skills. There are no in-class exams for this course because I believe that writing papers during exams, which one person reads, demands significant effort. Conversely, writing papers offers students an opportunity to conduct research and maintain their writings as working papers that they can improve in the future.

I strongly encourage active participation in discussions in this course. To motivate students to read all required articles and attend class prepared for discussion, response papers and discussion participation account for 35% of students’ grades in this course. At the beginning of every lecture, you will need to share what you have written in your response papers to stimulate discussion based on your prior preparation. We will discuss your response papers in the first part of the class. The second part of the class will commence with my summary and clarification of some of the arguments and concepts in the assigned readings. Following that, we will have one or two student presentations (depending on the number of students) based on a case study.

I expect students to attend classes, arrive on time, and come prepared to engage in class discussions by reading at least the required readings, taking note of the key arguments, and identifying strengths, weaknesses, and contradictions in these arguments.

1.4 Course Objectives

Learning objectives:

  • Recognize various international relations theories’ approaches to international relations in East Asia.

  • Compare and interpret the strengths and weaknesses of different approaches to international relations in East Asia.

  • Recall major events in the history of international relations in East Asia.

  • Critically analyze different aspects of multilateral security negotiations, particularly in the context of the North Korean nuclear issue.

  • Apply theoretical understanding of international relations to case studies (presentation), and to other new settings (simulation); and analyze and critique these cases.

1.5 Evaluation System

Mid-term Paper Final Paper Presentation Response Papers Simulation Participation Participation and Discussion
15% 35% 15% 10% 10% 15%

Explanation of the evaluation system:

Response Papers

Length: Less than half a page.

To prepare for class discussions, you must read all the required articles and submit weekly response papers starting from Week 5. Each student must submit a total of four response papers by the end of the semester, except in the week they present. For each week, students must find a recent news article (published within the last six months) from newspapers, magazines, or semi-academic journals and connect it to the required readings for that week. In your response papers, you should critically analyze whether the news article aligns with the arguments presented in the required readings. Please remember to copy and paste the news article as well as provide its link below your response paper.

Submit your weekly response papers to CyberCampus no later than 24 hours before the class time. You are encouraged to comment on your friends’ response papers, but it is optional.

Presentations

Length: Around 15 minutes

All students must prepare and deliver one presentation on a case study. The presenter should carefully read the assigned readings to adequately prepare for their presentation. You are required to select a case study that relates to the required and/or recommended readings. It is essential to utilize the theories and frameworks from the assigned readings to analyze your chosen case study. The objective of the presentation is to apply the knowledge acquired from the readings to the case study and provide your analysis and unique insights. The presenter should lead the discussion following the presentation, using prepared discussion questions. I expect active participation from all students in this discussion. Student presentations will begin from Week 9.

Mid-term Paper

Due date: 26 Oct 23:59

Word count: 900-1100 words

Students will role-play UNSC member countries in a simulation. You will write a short paper based on what occurred in the simulation. I will upload the guidelines for the paper during the semester.

Final Paper

Proposal date: 23 Nov, class-time

Due date: 14 Dec 23:59

Word count: 4000-6000 words

You can choose any topic relevant to the international relations of East Asia. By Week 8, you must select your topic and begin your research. It is necessary to consult with me regarding your chosen topic. There are two approaches you can take for your final paper.

Firstly, you can conduct independent research and present preliminary findings on your chosen topic. While we do not expect a full-fledged journal article, your research should include a well-formulated research question, literature review, and research design. This foundation can serve as a basis for future development into a publishable piece. You can also submit a final paper that is being submitted for another course, provided it is related to International Relations of East Asia and approved by the professor of that course.

Alternatively, you can conduct a critical literature review on a specific topic. In the critical literature review, you will summarize and evaluate existing literature on the chosen case study. You should identify common themes and contrasting views among various papers. Finally, you will critically analyze the completeness of the literature and identify gaps for future research in the field. This critical literature review is expected to be more comprehensive than the one for the presentation.

In Week 12, students will propose their final papers to receive feedback from me and their peers. By the proposal deadline, you should have a clear research question, research design, and literature review. Each proposal will have a seven-minute time limit, followed by a question and answer session and feedback.

When writing your final paper, you can refer to the following guidelines:

  • Ackerman, E. (2018). "Analyze This": Writing in the Social Sciences. In G. Graff, C. Birkenstein, & R. Durst (Eds.), "They Say, I Say": The Moves that Matter in Academic Writing: With Readings (pp. 187–205). W. W. Norton & Company.

  • Gustafsson, K., & Hagström, L. (2018). What is the Point? Teaching Graduate Students How to Construct Political Science Research Puzzles. European Political Science, 17(4), 634–648.

These short guidelines on writing may also be helpful: Crafting Good Research Questions; Summary & Description vs. Analysis & Argument; Critical Thinking and Reflection; A short guide to critical writing.

If you intend to write a publishable article by refining your final paper, I highly recommend the following book:

  • Belcher, W. L. (2019). Writing your journal article in twelve weeks: A guide to academic publishing success (2nd ed.). University of Chicago Press.

Please ensure that you adhere to a consistent citation style throughout your paper regardless of which style you choose.

2 Course Materials and Additional Readings

2.1 Required Materials

  • Holcombe, C. (2017). A History of East Asia: From the Origins of Civilization to the Twenty-First Century (2nd ed.). Cambridge University Press.

2.2 Supplementary Materials

Refer to the detailed course schedule below.

2.3 Optional Additional Readings

  • Goh, E. (2013). The Struggle for Order: Hegemony, Hierarchy, and Transition in Post-Cold War East Asia. Oxford University Press.

  • Pekkanen, S., Ravenhill, J., & Foot, R. (2014). The International Relations Theory of Asia. In S. Pekkanen, J. Ravenhill, & R. Foot (Eds.), Oxford Handbook of the International Relations of Asia (pp. 3–21). Oxford University Press.

Refer to the detailed course schedule below.

3 Course Policies

3.1 Citation and Plagiarism

Students must use proper citation and avoid plagiarism. Any citation style is fine as long as it is consistent throughout the paper. Plagiarism will not be tolerated and severely punished. The papers will be uploaded to Turnitin (via Cyber Campus).

“Plagiarism: presenting others’ work without adequate acknowledgement of its source, as though it were one’s own. Plagiarism is a form of fraud. We all stand on the shoulders of others, and we must give credit to the creators of the works that we incorporate into products that we call our own. Some examples of plagiarism:

  • a sequence of words incorporated without quotation marks;

  • an unacknowledged passage paraphrased from another’s word;

  • the use of ideas, sound recordings, computer data or images created by others as though it were one’s own.” Source.

See also this link.

3.2 Late Submissions

For late submissions, you will get 80% of your grading unless you have a valid excuse. You can always contact me if you have a valid excuse to ask for extension. I do not require students to submit official documents (doctor report etc.). Your word is enough for me.

4 Course Schedule

Week Date Topics & Class Materials, Assignments
1 07 Sep Course Introduction
2 14 Sep The Question of Global International Relations
3 21 Sep Tributary System and Order in the History of East Asia
4 26 Sep* Changing Order in East Asia in the 19th and the 20th Centuries
5 05 Oct Order in Contemporary East Asia and the Question of ASEAN Centrality
6 12 Oct Simulation: North Korean Nuclear Threat
7 19 Oct Simulation: North Korean Nuclear Threat; and Simulation Debriefing
8 26 Oct Mid-term Paper
9 31 Oct* ASEAN in East Asia
10 09 Nov China in East Asia
11 16 Nov US in East Asia
12 23 Nov Final Paper Proposals
13 30 Nov Japan in East Asia
14 07 Dec South Korea in East Asia
15 14 Dec Wrap-up and Final Paper
  • The dates marked with asterisks (*) indicate make-up classes. We will hold these classes at IEB 903 from 12:30 to 15:15.

5 Detailed Course Schedule with Readings

Week 1: Course Introduction

Introduction of the course including course contents, assignments, and expectations.

Week 2: The Question of Global International Relations

Required Readings:

Recommended Readings:

  • Acharya, A. (2022). Before the “west”: Recovering the forgotten foundations of global order. Perspectives on Politics, 20(1), 265–270. https://doi.org/10.1017/s1537592721003601

  • Acharya, A. (2014). International relations theory and the "rise of Asia". In S. Pekkanen, J. Ravenhill, & R. Foot (Eds.), Oxford Handbook of the International Relations of Asia (pp. 120–137). Oxford University Press.

  • Acharya, A., & Buzan, B. (2017). Why is there no non-Western international relations theory? Ten years on. International Relations of the Asia-Pacific, 17(3), 341–370.

Week 3: Tributary System and Order in the History of East Asia

Required Readings:

  • Kang, D. C. (2020). International Order in Historical East Asia: Tribute and Hierarchy Beyond Sinocentrism and Eurocentrism. International Organization, 74(1), 65–93.

  • Krishna, S. (2017). China Is China, Not the Non-West: David Kang, Eurocentrism, and Global Politics. Harvard Journal of Asiatic Studies, 77(1), 93–109.

  • Zhang, Y., & Buzan, B. (2012). The Tributary System as International Society in Theory and Practice. The Chinese Journal of International Politics, 5(1), 3–36.

Recommended Readings:

  • Chen, S. (2020). The Chinese Tributary System and Traditional International Order in East Asia during the Ming and Qing Dynasties from the Sixteenth to Nineteenth Century. Journal of Chinese Humanities, 5(2), 171–199. https://doi.org/10.1163/23521341-12340079

  • Zhang, F. (2014). International Societies in Pre-modern East Asia: A Preliminary Framework. In B. Buzan & Y. Zhang (Eds.), Contesting International Society in East Asia (pp. 29–50).

Week 4: Changing Order in East Asia in the 19th and the 20th Centuries

Required Readings:

  • Holcombe, C. (2017). A History of East Asia: From the Origins of Civilization to the Twenty-First Century (2nd ed.). Cambridge University Press., Chapters 8-10.

Recommended Readings:

  • Parker, E. H., & Wei, Y. (1888). Chinese Account of the Opium War. Kelly & Walsh, Limited.

  • Spence, J. D. (2013). The Search for Modern China (3rd ed.). W. W. Norton & Company Ltd.

  • Suzuki, S. (2014). Imagining ’Asia’: Japan and ’Asian’ International Society in Modern History. In B. Buzan & Y. Zhang (Eds.), Contesting International Society in East Asia (pp. 51–72).

Week 5: Order in Contemporary East Asia and the Question of ASEAN Centrality

Required Readings:

  • Bajpai, K., & Laksmana, E. A. (2023). Asian conceptions of international order: What Asia wants. International Affairs, 99(4), 1371–1381. https://doi.org/10.1093/ia/iiad165

  • Foot, R., & Goh, E. (2019). The International Relations of East Asia: A new research prospectus. International Studies Review, 21(3), 398–423.

  • Goh, E. (2013). The Struggle for Order: Hegemony, Hierarchy, and Transition in Post-Cold War East Asia. Oxford University Press., Chapter 1.

Recommended Readings:

  • Goh, E. (2011). Institutions and the Great Power Bargain in East Asia: ASEAN’s limited “brokerage” role. International Relations of the Asia-Pacific, 11(3), 373–401.

  • Goh, E. (2013). The Struggle for Order: Hegemony, Hierarchy, and Transition in Post-Cold War East Asia. Oxford University Press., Chapters 2-6.

  • Friedberg, A. L. (1993). Ripe for rivalry: Prospects for peace in a multipolar asia. International Security, 18(3), 5. https://doi.org/10.2307/2539204

  • Gries, P. H., Zhang, Q., Masui, Y., & Lee, Y. W. (2009). Historical Beliefs and the Perception of Threat in Northeast Asia: Colonialism, the Tributary System, and China–Japan–Korea Relations in the Twenty-First Century. International Relations of the Asia-Pacific, 9(2), 245–265.

  • Johnston, A. I. (2012). What (if Anything) Does East Asia Tell Us About International Relations Theory? Annual Review of Political Science, 15, 53–78.

  • Kang, D. C. (2014). An East Asian International Society Today? The Cultural Dimension. In B. Buzan & Y. Zhang (Eds.), Contesting International Society in East Asia (pp. 73–92).

  • Khong, Y. F. (2014). Foreign Policy Analysis and the International Relations of Asia. In S. Pekkanen, J. Ravenhill, & R. Foot (Eds.), Oxford Handbook of the International Relations of Asia (pp. 81–99). Oxford University Press.

  • Mishra, A. (2023). The world Delhi wants: Official Indian conceptions of international order, c. 1998–2023. International Affairs, 99(4), 1401–1419. https://doi.org/10.1093/ia/iiad126

  • Pekkanen, S., Ravenhill, J., & Foot, R. (2014). The International Relations Theory of Asia. In S. Pekkanen, J. Ravenhill, & R. Foot (Eds.), Oxford Handbook of the International Relations of Asia (pp. 3–21). Oxford University Press.

Week 6: Simulation: North Korean Nuclear Threat

I will give more information about the simulation during the semester.

Recommended Readings:

  • All UNSC resolutions regarding North Korea

  • Chubb, D., & Yeo, A. (2019). Human Rights, Nuclear Security and the Question of Engagement with North Korea. Australian Journal of International Affairs, 73(3), 227–233.

  • Howell, E. (2020). The Juche H-Bomb? North Korea, Nuclear Weapons and Regime-State Survival. International Affairs, 96(4), 1051–1068.

  • Monteleone, C. (2014). Coalition Building in the UN Security Council. International Relations, 29(1), 45–68.

  • Park, S., & Peh, K. (2020). Leveraging towards Restraint: Nuclear Hedging and North Korea’s Shifting Reference Points During the Agreed Framework and the Six-Party Talks. European Journal of International Security, 5(1), 94–114.

  • Yuan, J. (2014). Nuclear Politics in Asia. In S. Pekkanen, J. Ravenhill, & R. Foot (Eds.), Oxford Handbook of the International Relations of Asia (pp. 505–523). Oxford University Press.

Week 7: Simulation: North Korean Nuclear Threat; and Simulation Debriefing

Recommended Readings:

  • Kim, I. (2020). Trump Power: Maximum Pressure and China’s Sanctions Enforcement against North Korea. The Pacific Review, 33(1), 96–124.

  • Lee, D. S., Alexandrova, I., & Zhao, Y. (2020). The Chinese Failure to Disarm North Korea: Geographical Proximity, U.S. Unipolarity, and Alliance Restraint. Contemporary Security Policy, 41(4), 587–609.

  • Li, W., & Kim, J. Y. (2020). Not a Blood Alliance Anymore: China’s Evolving Policy toward UN Sanctions on North Korea. Contemporary Security Policy, 41(4), 610–631.

  • Noland, M. (2019). North Korea: Sanctions, Engagement and Strategic Reorientation. Asian Economic Policy Review, 14(2), 189–209.

  • Smith, H. (2020). The Ethics of United Nations Sanctions on North Korea: Effectiveness, Necessity and Proportionality. Critical Asian Studies, 52(2), 182–203.

Week 8: Mid-term Paper

The guidelines for the mid-term paper will be given during the semester.

No required readings

Week 9: ASEAN in East Asia

Required Readings:

  • Foot, R. (2012). Asia’s Cooperation and Governance: The role of East Asian regional organizations in regional governance: Constraints and contributions. Japanese Journal of Political Science, 13(1), 133.

  • Misalucha-Willoughby, C. (2023). The Philippines and the liberal rules-based international order. International Affairs, 99(4), 1537–1555. https://doi.org/10.1093/ia/iiad163

  • Umar, A. R. M. (2023). The rise of the Asian middle powers: Indonesia’s conceptions of international order. International Affairs, 99(4), 1459–1476. https://doi.org/10.1093/ia/iiad167

Recommended Readings:

  • Acharya, A. (2014). Constructing a Security Community in Southeast Asia: ASEAN and the Problem of Regional Order. Routledge.

  • Anwar, D. F. (2020). Indonesia and the ASEAN outlook on the Indo-Pacific. International Affairs, 96(1), 111–129. https://doi.org/10.1093/ia/iiz223

  • Ba, A. D. (2010). Regional Security in East Asia: ASEAN’s value added and limitations. Journal of Current SouthEast Asian Affairs, 29(3), 115–130.

  • Ba, A. D. (2014). Asia’s Regional Security Institutions. In S. Pekkanen, J. Ravenhill, & R. Foot (Eds.), Oxford Handbook of the International Relations of Asia (pp. 667–689). Oxford University Press.

  • Bajpai, K., & Laksmana, E. A. (2023). Asian conceptions of international order: What Asia wants. International Affairs, 99(4), 1371–1381. https://doi.org/10.1093/ia/iiad165

  • Do, T. T. (2023). Vietnam’s prudent pivot to the rules-based international order. International Affairs, 99(4), 1557–1573. https://doi.org/10.1093/ia/iiad144

  • Goh, E. (2007). Great Powers and Hierarchical Order in Southeast Asia: Analyzing Regional Security Strategies. International Security, 32(3), 113–157.

  • Han, D. G. X. (2017). China’s Normative Power in Managing South China Sea Disputes. The Chinese Journal of International Politics, 10(3), 269–297.

  • Kuik, C.-C. (2023). Malaysian conceptions of international order: Paradoxes of small-state pragmatism. International Affairs, 99(4), 1477–1497. https://doi.org/10.1093/ia/iiad162

  • Thu, H. Le. (2019). China’s Dual Strategy of Coercion and Inducement towards ASEAN. The Pacific Review, 32(1), 20–36.

  • Loh, D. M. H. (2023). Singapore’s conception of the liberal international order as a small state. International Affairs, 99(4), 1499–1518. https://doi.org/10.1093/ia/iiad161

  • Lukner, K. (2014). Health Risks and Responses in Asia. In S. Pekkanen, J. Ravenhill, & R. Foot (Eds.), Oxford Handbook of the International Relations of Asia (pp. 606–621). Oxford University Press.

  • Thalang, C. na. (2023). Unpacking Thailand’s conceptions of and position within the liberal international order. International Affairs, 99(4), 1519–1536. https://doi.org/10.1093/ia/iiad168

  • Pempel, T. J. (2006). The Race to Connect East Asia: An Unending Steeplechase. Asian Economic Policy Review, 1(2), 239–254.

  • Reimann, K. D. (2014). Environment, Human Security, and Cooperation in Asia. In S. Pekkanen, J. Ravenhill, & R. Foot (Eds.), Oxford Handbook of the International Relations of Asia (pp. 641–663). Oxford University Press.

  • Stubbs, R. (2019). ASEAN sceptics versus ASEAN proponents: Evaluating regional institutions. The Pacific Review, 32(6), 923–950. https://doi.org/10.1080/09512748.2019.1611627

  • Vieira, M. A. (2016). Understanding Resilience in International Relations: The Non-Aligned Movement and Ontological Security. International Studies Review, 18(2), 290–311.

  • Yukawa, T. (2018). The ASEAN Way as a Symbol: An analysis of discourses on the ASEAN norms. The Pacific Review, 31(3), 298–314. https://doi.org/10.1080/09512748.2017.1371211

Week 10: China in East Asia

  • Foot, R. (2020). China’s rise and US hegemony: Renegotiating hegemonic order in East Asia? International Politics, 57(2), 150–165.

  • Liu, R., & Yang, S. (2023). China and the liberal international order: A pragmatic and dynamic approach. International Affairs, 99(4), 1383–1400. https://doi.org/10.1093/ia/iiad169

  • Yan, X. (2014). From Keeping a Low Profile to Striving for Achievement. The Chinese Journal of International Politics, 7(2), 153–184.

Recommended Readings:

  • Boon, H. T., & Sworn, H. E. (2020). Strategic ambiguity and the Trumpian approach to China–Taiwan relations. International Affairs, 96(6), 1487–1508.

  • Han, Z., & Paul, T. V. (2020). China’s Rise and Balance of Power Politics. The Chinese Journal of International Politics, 13(1), 1–26.

  • He, K. (2016). China’s Bargaining Strategies for a Peaceful Accommodation after the Cold War. In T. V. Paul (Ed.), Accommodating Rising Powers: Past, Present, and Future (pp. 201–221). Cambridge University Press.

  • Kang, D. (2020). Thought Games About China. Journal of East Asian Studies, 20(2), 135–150.

  • Lai, C. (2022). More than carrots and sticks: Economic statecraft and coercion in China–Taiwan relations from 2000 to 2019. Politics, 42(3), 410–425.

  • Li, M. (2020). The Belt and Road Initiative: Geo-economics and Indo-Pacific Security Competition. International Affairs, 96(1), 169–187.

  • Stuenkel, O. (2016). Post-Western World: How Emerging Powers Are Remaking Global Order. Polity Press.

  • Tuosheng, Z. (2022). Risks of war and paths to peace across the Taiwan Strait. Global Asia, 17(3), 14–19.

  • Wang, Y. (2016). Offensive for Defensive: The Belt and Road Initiative and China’s New Grand Strategy. The Pacific Review, 29(3), 455–463.

  • Yan, X. (2019). The Age of Uneasy Peace: Chinese Power in a Divided World. Foreign Affairs, 98, 40–46.

  • Yeo, A. (2020). China’s Rising Assertiveness and the Decline in the East Asian Regionalism Narrative. International Relations of the Asia-Pacific, 20(3), 445–475.

Week 11: US in East Asia

Required Readings:

  • Cha, V. D. (2000). Abandonment, Entrapment, and Neoclassical Realism in Asia: The United States, Japan, and Korea. International Studies Quarterly, 44(2), 261–291.

  • Dian, M., & Meijer, H. (2020). Networking Hegemony: Alliance Dynamics in East Asia. International Politics, 57(2), 131–149. https://doi.org/10.1057/s41311-020-00241-2

  • Goh, E. (2020). In Response: Alliance Dynamics, Variables, and the English School for East Asia. International Politics, 57(2), 278–284.

  • Jash, A. (2021). The Quad Factor in the Indo-Pacific and the Role of India. Journal of Indo-Pacific Affairs, 4(02), 78–85.

Recommended Readings:

  • Ba, A. D. (2020). Multilateralism and East Asian Transitions: The English School, Diplomacy, and a Networking Regional Order. International Politics, 57(2), 259–277.

  • Cha, V. D. (2014). American Alliances and Asia’s Regional Architecture. In S. Pekkanen, J. Ravenhill, & R. Foot (Eds.), Oxford Handbook of the International Relations of Asia (pp. 737–757). Oxford University Press.

  • Cha, V. D. (2010). Powerplay: Origins of the US alliance system in asia. International Security, 34(3), 158–196.

  • Foot, R. (2017). Power Transitions and Great Power Management: Three Decades of China–Japan–US Relations. The Pacific Review, 30(6), 829–842.

  • Goh, E. (2008). Hierarchy and the Role of the United States in the East Asian Security Order. International Relations of the Asia-Pacific, 8(3), 353–377.

  • Goh, E. (2019). Contesting Hegemonic Order: China in East Asia. Security Studies, 28(3), 614–644.

  • Jung, S. C., Lee, J., & Ji-Yong. (2021). The Indo-Pacific Strategy and US Alliance Network Expandability: Asian Middle Powers’ Positions on Sino-US Geostrategic Competition in Indo-Pacific Region. Journal of Contemporary China, 30(127), 53–68.

  • Liff, A. P. (2018). China and the US Alliance System. The China Quarterly, 233, 137–165.

  • Loke, B. (2021). The United States, China, and the Politics of Hegemonic Ordering in East Asia. International Studies Review.

  • Moon, K. H. (1997). Sex among Allies: Military Prostitution in US-Korea Relations. Columbia University Press.

  • Misalucha-Willoughby, C. G. (2018). The Role of the United States’ Quasi-Alliances in Asia: Shadow Puppetry or Hard Alliances? In A. Chong (Ed.), International Security in the Asia-Pacific: Transcending ASEAN Towards Transitional Polycentrism (pp. 175–193). Springer International Publishing.

Week 12: Final Paper Proposals

Refer to the information above about the final paper proposals.

Week 13: Japan in East Asia

Required Readings:

  • Goh, E. (2011). How Japan Matters in the Evolving East Asian Security Order. International Affairs, 87(4), 887–902.

  • Koga, K. (2018). The Concept of "Hedging" Revisited: The Case of Japan’s Foreign Policy Strategy in East Asia’s Power Shift. International Studies Review, 20(4), 633–660.

  • Nakano, R. (2023). Japan and the liberal international order: Rules-based, multilateral, inclusive and localized. International Affairs, 99(4), 1421–1438. https://doi.org/10.1093/ia/iiad166

Recommended Readings:

  • Gustafsson, K. (2016). Routinised Recognition and Anxiety: Understanding the Deterioration in Sino-Japanese Relations. Review of International Studies, 42(4), 613–633.

  • Hughes, C. W. (2014). Japan’s Foreign Security Relations and Policies. In S. Pekkanen, J. Ravenhill, & R. Foot (Eds.), Oxford Handbook of the International Relations of Asia. Oxford University Press.

  • Samuels, R. J. (2006). Japan’s goldilocks strategy. Washington Quarterly, 29(4), 111–127.

  • Satake, T., & Sahashi, R. (2021). The rise of China and Japan’s ’vision’ for free and open indo-Pacific. Journal of Contemporary China, 30(127), 18–35.

Week 14: South Korea in East Asia

Required Readings:

Recommended Readings:

  • Ayhan, K. J. (2019). Rethinking Korea’s Middle Power Diplomacy as a Nation Branding Project. Korea Observer, 50(1), 1–24.

  • Ayhan, K. J., & Kim, Y. (2021). Ideas matter in inter-Korean relations: Shifts in South Korea’s foreign policy interests and behavior vis-à-vis North Korea. In M. Richey, J. P. Panda, & D. A. Tizzard (Eds.), The future of the Korean Peninsula: Korea 2032 and beyond (pp. 32–58). Routledge.

  • Ayhan, K. J., & Howe, B. M. (Eds.). (2023). Comprehensive peacebuilding on the Korean Peninsula: Internal dynamics in North Korea and South Korean approaches. Palgrave Macmillan. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-19-9036-6

  • Bae, J. (2020). Limits of engagement? The sunshine policy, nuclear tests, and South Korean views of North Korea 1995–2013. International Relations of the Asia-Pacific, 20(3), 411–443.

  • Choi, Y. S. (2020). Keeping the Americans in: The THAD deployment on the Korean Peninsula in the context of Sino-American rivalry. Contemporary Security Policy, 41(4), 632–652.

  • Hwang, W. (2017). South Korea’s Changing Foreign Policy: The Impact of Democratization and Globalization. Lexington Books.

  • Jung, C., Cho, W., & Hwang, W. (2018). Does Official Development Assistance Promote Foreign Policy Cooperation from its Recipients? The Case of South Korea. Pacific Focus, 33(1), 83–110.

  • Kim, J., Ohn, D., Park, J. J., & Richey, M. (2020). To Double Down or Decouple? North Korea and China as Challenges to the U.S.-South Korea Alliance. Asian Politics & Policy, 12(1), 40–56.

  • Lee, S. J. (Ed.). (2016). Transforming Global Governance with Middle Power Diplomacy: South Korea’s Role in the 21st Century. Palgrave Macmillan.

  • Park, S.-H. (2017). Sovereignty and Status in East Asian International Relations. Cambridge University Press., Chapter 1

  • Snyder, S. A., & Easley, L.-E. (2014). South Korea’s Foreign Relations and Security Policies. In S. Pekkanen, J. Ravenhill, & R. Foot (Eds.), Oxford Handbook of the International Relations of Asia. Oxford University Press.

  • Snyder, S. (2018). South Korea at the Crossroads: Autonomy and Alliance in an Era of Rival Powers. Columbia University Press.

  • Yeo, A. (2022). South Korean Foreign Policy in the Indo-Pacific Era. Brookings Institution. https://www.brookings.edu/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/FP_20230117_rok_indo_pacific_yeo.pdf

Week 15: Wrap-up and Final Paper

Refer to the information above about the final paper.

I will give more information during the semester.

6 Special Accommodations

  • According to the University regulation section #57-3, students with disabilities can request for special accommodations related to attendance, lectures, assignments, or tests by contacting the course professor at the beginning of semester. Based on the nature of the students’ request, students can receive support for such accommodations from the course professor or from the Support Center for Students with Disabilities (SCSD). Please refer to the below examples of the types of support available in the lectures, assignments, and evaluations.
Lecture Assignments Evaluation
Visual impairment: braille, enlarged reading materials. Hearing impairment: note-taking assistant. Physical impairment: access to classroom, note-taking assistant. Extra days for submission, alternative assignments. Visual impairment: braille examination paper, examination with voice support, longer examination hours, note-taking assistant. Hearing impairment: written examination instead of oral. Physical impairment: longer examination hours, note-taking assistant.

  • Actual support may vary depending on the course.

  • If you have other special needs, please let me know. I will do my best to flexibly accommodate your needs.

Notes

The contents of this syllabus are not final. I may update them later.

Read the Syllabus!