PSC 422 Seminar on Asian Political Economy

 

Dr. Forrest Qingshan Tan                                                                     Office Hours:

Fall 2008 (RT 1701)                                                                            Tue., Thur.: 3:00-4:00 pm

Office: RT 1705                                                                                   Or by appointment

Phone: x9282                                                                                      

 

The Political Economy of Asian Development

 

This is a cap-stone course for senior students. This course will place an emphasis on the application of international relations theories to studying current issues in international political economy and globalization. Students are required to do more independent work and individual thinking that include seminar discussions and research for the paper.

 

This course will place the application of theories in the context of Asian political economy. In recent years, Asian economic development has experienced quite dramatic ups and downs. This course aims at providing students with a survey of political economy of developments in Asia. Emphasis will be placed on competing explanations on political and economic development and on applying analytical frameworks to the cases of development involving Asian countries. The course will be roughly divided into two parts. The first part will study different competing theories explaining development in East Asia. Bearing those models in mind, we will in the second part look into China, Taiwan, Japan, and South Korea, and  other  Southeast Asian countries to see how development in individual cases was achieved.  Finally, the class will conclude with a critical review of the so-called model of state-led development. The class will attempt to evaluate the merits of the model and examine the alternative models to political and economic development.

 

Course Requirement

Since this course is offered at the seminar level, I expect full course participation defined as fulfillment of all reading assignments before each class and presence of all class discussions. I also expect you to actively participate in class discussions relevant to current issues concerning political economy of Asia countries. For example, domestic factors in causing U.S. trade dispute with Asian counties, especially Japan and China, or the impact of government regulations on Asian economies.

 

Research Paper Requirement

This is the main course research paper. You can choose any paper topics on the political economy of Asian development (the topic does not have to be on East Asia, although the seminar will focus on East Asia). The paper can focus on one country or compare the developments of several Asian countries. You are required to evaluate theoretical perspectives discussed in class with empirical research. I would encourage you to dig into such sources as Far East Economic Review, The Asian Wall Street Journal, The World Bank and IMF publications on Asia, economic yearly books. A lot of sources can be found on the internet. The paper should be at least 20 pages in length, double-spaced, and typed.

 

Other requirements

 

During the course, there will be two exams on topics discussed in classes. The mid-term exam will basically cover theoretical concepts and terms and the Japan portion of the seminar. The final exam is non-accumulative; it only covers the classes after the mid-term. The format of the exams will be two parts: term defining and short-essay writing. 

The final grade will be calculated as follows:

 

                        Mid-term          20 percent

                        Final                 20 percent

Term paper      40 percent

Participation Presentation          10 percent

 

 

The following text books are available at the university bookstore:

 

Mark Beeson: Regionalism and Globalization in East Asia (Palgrave, 2007).

Ming Wan, The Political Economy of East Asia: Striving for Wealth and Power (Congressional Quarterly Press, 2008).

Goug Guthrie, China and Globalization: The Social, Economic, and Political Transformation of Chinese Society (Routledge, 2006).

Book for the Course on Reserve:

Roe Goddard, Passe-Smith, and Conklin, (eds.), International Political Economy: State-Market Relations in the Changing Global Order, Lynner Reinner Publishers, 1996.

Other supplemented readings will be supplied during the course.

 

Seminar Outlines and Class Schedule:

Week One : Introduction and Conceptualization of East Asia    

Readings: Beeson, Regionalism and Globalization in East Asia, Chapter 1; Wan, the Political Economy of East Asia, Chapter 2.

Week Two: and IPE Theories: Mercantilism and  Nationalism, and Hegemonic Stability

            ; Goddard, Passe-Smith, and Conklin, (eds.), International Political Economy: State-Market Relations in the Changing Global Order, the nature of international political economy, chapters. 1, 2., 6.

 

            Readings: Goddard, Passe-Smith, and Conklin, (eds.), International Political Economy: State-Market Relations in the Changing Global Order, chapters. 7,8,9.

Week Three:  Political Economy Theories: Classical Liberalism and  Interdependence

            Readings: Goddard, Passe-Smith, and Conklin, (eds.), International Political Economy: State-Market Relations in the Changing Global Order, chapters. 3,4, and 5.

 

Week Four:  Statism, Rational Choice, and World System Theory

           Statist Theories and Rational Choice Theory

            Marxism and The World System Theory

            Readings: Wan, The Political Economy of East Asia, Chapter 1.

Goddard, Passe-Smith, and Conklin, (eds.), International Political Economy: State-Market Relations in the Changing Global Order,  chapters. 25,26.     

Week Five: History and Geopolitics of East Asia

            Readings: Wan, The Political Economy of East Asia, Chapter 3

                        Beeson, Regionalism and Globalization in East Asia, chapter 2, 3

 

Week Six: The East Asian nationalism and Developmental States

 

            Readings: Wan, The Political Economy of East Asia, Chapter 4

                        Beeson, Regionalism and Globalization in East Asia, chapter 4, 5.

 

Week Seven: The Rise and Fall of East Asia

           

            Wan, The Political Economy of East Asia, Chapter 5, 6.

 

 

Mid-term exam

 

Week Eight: Political Economy of East Asian Production and Trade

            Readings: Wan, The Political Economy of East Asia, Chapter 7,8.

 

Week Nine: East Asian Finance and Monetary Relations

 

            Readings: Wan, The Political Economy of East Asia, Chapter 9, 10.

 

Week Ten: East Asian regionalism and Globalization

 

            Readings: Beeson, Regionalism and Globalization in East Asia, chapter 6,7

 

Week Eleven: Political Economy of Chinese Globalization: A Case Study

 

            Readings: Guthrie: China and Globalization, Chapter 1, 2.

 

Week Twelve: Changing Social Institutions and Going Global

 

            Readings: Guthrie: China and Globalization, Chapter 3, 4.

 

Week Thirteen: Reform and Global Impact on People and Soceity

 

            Readings: Guthrie: China and Globalization, Chapter 5, 6.

 

Week Fourteen: China’s Integration and Prospect of Political Development

 

            Readings: Guthrie: China and Globalization, Chapter 7, 8.

 

 

Week Fifteen: Conclusion: Political Economy of East Asian Regionalism

 

            Readings: Wan, The Political Economy of East Asia, Chapter 11.

Beeson, Regionalism and Globalization in East Asia, chapter 8

 

Class Presentation.

 

Final exam.