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2022/2023

Case Studies in East Asian Politics and International Relations

Code: 101530 ECTS Credits: 6
Degree Type Year Semester
2500244 East Asian Studies OT 4 2

Contact

Name:
Kei Matsushima
Email:
kei.matsushima@uab.cat

Use of Languages

Principal working language:
spanish (spa)
Some groups entirely in English:
No
Some groups entirely in Catalan:
No
Some groups entirely in Spanish:
No

Other comments on languages

This course will be taught in Spanish.

Prerequisites

To take this subject, students must have passed the following subjects: "Introduction to Political Science and International Relations"; "East Asian Politics", and "International Relations of East Asia". Specifically, this subject requires prior knowledge of the conceptual and methodological tools of the disciplines of Political Science and International Relations.

Objectives and Contextualisation

The aim of this subject is to interpret and understand the main debates that shape East Asia’s domestic and international political realities. Making use of the conceptual and methodological tools of the Political Science and International Relations disciplines, students will learn to think critically about the region’s political reality.

Competences

  • Comparing and critically assessing the different social environments in the field of East Asia.
  • Designing and managing projects.
  • Developing critical thinking and reasoning and communicating them effectively both in your own and other languages.
  • Developing self-learning strategies.
  • Ensuring the quality of one's own work.
  • Following the characteristic code of ethics of the professional practice.
  • Know and understand politics and international relations in East Asia.
  • Knowing and using the information and communication technology resources (ICT) in order to collect, produce, analyse and present information related to the East Asian Studies.
  • Knowing the history, values, beliefs and ideologies of East Asia in order to understand and critically assess social issues, phenomena, and processes related with that region.
  • Producing innovative and competitive proposals in research and professional activity.
  • Respecting the diversity and plurality of ideas, people and situations.
  • Solving problems of intercultural communication.
  • Students must be flexible and capable of adapting to new circumstances.
  • Working in interdisciplinary and intercultural groups.
  • Working in teams in an international, multilingual and multicultural context.

Learning Outcomes

  1. Assessing the obtained results in the search information process in order to update the knowledge about political sciences, economy and sociology.
  2. Comparing and critically assessing the different social environments in the field of East Asia.
  3. Designing and managing projects.
  4. Developing critical thinking and reasoning and communicating them effectively both in your own and other languages.
  5. Developing self-learning strategies.
  6. Ensuring the quality of one's own work.
  7. Following the characteristic code of ethics of the professional practice.
  8. Know and understand politics and international relations in East Asia.
  9. Knowing the history, values, beliefs and ideologies of East Asia in order to understand and critically assess social issues, phenomena, and processes related with that region.
  10. Producing innovative and competitive proposals in research and professional activity.
  11. Respecting the diversity and plurality of ideas, people and situations.
  12. Solving problems of intercultural communication.
  13. Students must be flexible and capable of adapting to new circumstances.
  14. Using different tools for specific purposes in the fields of political sciences, economy and sociology.
  15. Using the specific terminology of political sciences, economy and sociology.
  16. Working in interdisciplinary and intercultural groups.
  17. Working in teams in an international, multilingual and multicultural context.

Content

This subject will cover several case studies about East Asian politics and international relations. Topics will deal with the domestic and foreign policy of Japan, China and South Korea, paying special attention to the specific cases related to public diplomacy, hard power and soft power, nation branding, and the presence of these countries in the international community, among others.

Methodology

The various case studies will be addressed through suggested readings and active discussions. The teaching team will indicate the theoretical and methodological lines to be followed in each case study. Students will be expected to participate actively.

Annotation: Within the schedule set by the centre or degree programme, 15 minutes of one class will be reserved for students to evaluate their lecturers and their courses or modules through questionnaires.

Activities

Title Hours ECTS Learning Outcomes
Type: Directed      
Participation in discussions about the suggested topics 35 1.4 7, 1, 2, 8, 9, 5, 4, 13, 16, 14, 15, 6
Type: Supervised      
Presentations 15 0.6 1, 2, 8, 9, 4, 11, 17, 16, 14, 15
Type: Autonomous      
Critical comment on readings 20 0.8 7, 1, 2, 8, 9, 5, 4, 12, 11, 16, 14, 15, 6
Reading assignments 30 1.2 1, 2, 8, 9, 5, 4, 14, 15, 6

Assessment

Assessment is continuous. Students must provide evidence of their progress by completing tasks and tests. Task deadlines will be indicated in the course schedule on the first day of class. All activity deadlines are indicated in the subject's schedule and must be strictly adhered to.

Assessment is based on three activities:

- During the course there will be a written exercise (short-answer test) consisting of several concrete questions about the discussed cases. This written exercise accounts for 30% the final grade of the subject.

- Students will have to complete a written assignment. This assignment will serve to familiarize students with academic research and writing. The written assignment accounts for 40% of the final grade of the subject.

- Each student will take part in a group presentation. Each group will present an introduction about the most relevant aspects of the case being addressed in the seminars. The presentation will count 30% of the final mark of the subject.

The information on the evaluation, the type of evaluation activity and its weight on the subject is for information purposes. The professor responsible for the subject will complete it before beginning teaching. 

Related matters

The above information on assessment, assessment activities and their weighting in the subject is merely for guidance. The subject's lecturer will provide full information when teaching begins. 

Review

When publishing final marks prior to recording them on students' transcripts, the lecturer will provide written notification of a date and time for reviewing assessment activities. Students must arrange reviews in agreement with the lecturer. 

Missed/failed assessment activities

Students may retake assessment activities they have failed or compensate for any they have missed, provided that those they have actuallyperformed account for a minimum of 66.6% (two thirds) of the subject's final mark and that they have scored a weighted average mark of at least 3.5. Under no circumstances may an assessment activity worth 100% of the final mark be retaken or compensated for. 

The lecturer will inform students of the procedure involved, in writing, when publishing final marks prior to recording them on transcripts. The lecturer may set one assignment per failed or missed assessment activity or a single assignment to cover a number of such activities. 

Classification as "not assessable"

In the event of the assessment activities a student has performed accounting for just 25% or less of the subject's final mark, their work will be classified as "not assessable" on their transcript. 

Misconduct in assessment activities

Students who engage in misconduct (plagiarism, copying, personation or identity theft, etc.) in an assessment activity will receive a mark of “0” for the activity in question. In the case of misconduct in more than one assessment activity, the students involved will be given a final mark of “0” for the subject.

Students may not retake assessment activities in which they are found to have engaged in misconduct (plagiarism, copying, personation or identity theft, etc.). Plagiarism is considered to mean presenting all or part of an author's work, whether published in print or in digital format, as one's own, i.e. without citing it. Copying is considered to mean reproducing all or a substantial part of another student's work. In cases of copying in which it is impossible to determine which of two students has copied the work of the other, both will be penalised.

More information: http://www.uab.cat/web/study-abroad/undergraduate/academic-information/evaluation/what-is-it-about-1345670077352.html

Assessment Activities

Title Weighting Hours ECTS Learning Outcomes
Group presentation 30% 15 0.6 1, 2, 8, 9, 5, 4, 3, 10, 11, 13, 17, 16, 14, 15, 6
Written assignment 40% 25 1 1, 2, 8, 9, 5, 4, 3, 10, 12, 11, 13, 17, 16, 14, 15, 6
Written exercise (short-answer test) 30% 10 0.4 7, 1, 2, 8, 9, 5, 4, 3, 10, 12, 11, 13, 17, 16, 14, 15, 6

Bibliography

Basic bibliography

-Acharya, Amitav & Buzan, Barry (Eds.). Non-Western International Relations Theory. Perspectives on and Beyond Asia. New York, London: Routledge, 2010.

-Breslin, S. (2010). Handbook of China's international relations. London: Routledge.

-Connors, M. K., Davison, R., & Dosch, J. (2018). The New Global Politics of the Asia-Pacific. London: Routledge.

-Cull, N. J. (2019). Public Diplomacy: Foundations for Global Engagement in the Digital Age. Cambridge: Polity Press.

-Kotler, P. (1998). El marketing de las naciones. Barcelona: Paidos.

-Melgar, L. (2010). Diplomacia pública: la gestión de la imagen-país. El modelo español, Madrid: MAEC.

-Noya, J (2004). La imagen de España en Japón. Madrid: Instituto Cervantes, ICEX, SEEI, Real Instituto Elcano.

-Noya, J (2013). Visiones del exterior: la imagen de España en el mundo. Madrid: Tecnos.

-Nye, J. S. (2012). The Future of Power. New York: Public Affairs.

-Nye, J. S. (2005). Soft Power: The Means To Success In World Politics. New York: Public Affairs.

Software

No specific software will be used.