Area Studies: East and South-East Asia

2024/2025

Academic Year

ENG

Instruction in English

4

ECTS credits

Delivered at:

Faculty of World Economy and International Affairs

Course type:

Elective course

When:

3 year, 1, 2 module

Course Syllabus

Abstract

This course aims to provide students with an understanding of the region and the political challenges it is facing, its historical and economic peculiarities. Special attention is being dedicated to the modern challenges to regional political and economic cooperation and integration and responses to some of these challenges. Much emphasis is being made not only on the relations among the countries within the region, but also the role of the external actors. The course is designed to explore historical roots, ethno-religious foundations and contemporary evolutions.

Learning Objectives

• Understand and demonstrate knowledge on the history of East Asia
• Develop a critical evaluation of ongoing and/or past regional processes in East Asia
• Apply relevant context and concepts to regional processes in East Asia

Expected Learning Outcomes

• demonstrate a thorough understanding of the region, its institutional composition, economic policies and political processes
• assess the past and present processes in the region and how they affect countries inside the region
• demonstrate a critical understanding of the key policies and their impact on the outside world

Course Contents

• Southeast Asia, ASEAN and Indo-Pacific region
• Russia and China in Regional Integration
• The US interests in the region
• Northeast Asian countries and problems of regionalism
• China Belt and Road Initiative and Economic Diplomacy with Chinese Characteristics
• Contemporary China
• Contemporary Japan
• Contemporary Republic of Korea
• The Democratic People's Republic of Korea.
• Introduction to the history of the region
• • Ancient states in Northeast Asia. • China’s impact on Northeast Asia. • Modern Northeast Asia, Northeast Asia Confronts the Global Capitalist World • Prewar states of Northeast Asia, Pacific Ocean theater of World War II • The aftermath of World War II. Civil War in China and Communist Victory.Japan during the Allied Occupation.
• 2. Contemporary China

Assessment Elements

• Exam
• Midterm Test
• Seminars
  All students are expected to attend every class and participate by contributing to the in-class discussions, participating in group projects and making notes. The statements and answers to the questions must contain well formulated arguments that clearly show your position. To do this, students must demonstrate a quality preparation for the seminar: read all the assigned literature and be ready to perform your critical evaluation of it.
• Essay
  Students choose one of the topics from the list and write a research essay. The list of topics will be distributed to students by their instructors. Students may also suggest the topic of their own interest, but please be sure to approve it with the instructor. The essay should contain a historical overview of the problem, but with a clear research component (research question which will be answered in the essay using empirical evidence).

Interim Assessment

• 2024/2025 2nd module
  0.25 * Essay + 0.3 * Exam + 0.1 * Midterm Test + 0.35 * Seminars

Bibliography

Recommended Core Bibliography

• A history of East Asia : from the origins of civilization to the twenty-first century, Holcombe, C., 2022
• A modern history of Japan : from Tokugawa Times to the present, Gordon, A., 2014
• Feng, Y. V. (DE-588)1184922179, (DE-627)1663808082, aut. (2019). The Belt and Road Initiative views from Washington, Moscow, and Beijing Feng Yujun, Alexander Gabuev, Paul Haenle, Ma Bin, Dmitri Trenin ; Carnegie-Tsinghua Center for Global Policy.

Recommended Additional Bibliography

• Constructing a security community in Southeast Asia : ASEAN and the problem of regional order, Acharya, A., 2009

Authors

• KOROLEV ALEKSANDR SERGEEVICH
• Zakharova Elizaveta Sergeevna
• Korneev Oleg Vladimirovich
• PERMINOVA ALEKSANDRA ALEKSANDROVNA