BFS-30008 - Module Specification
School of Social Sciences
Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences

Programme/Approved Electives for 2024/25

Available as a Free Standing Elective

Co-requisites

None

Prerequisites

None

Barred Combinations

None

Description for 2024/25

Given its geopolitical importance, East Asia has always enjoyed unparalleled attention from the media. However, this course is not about current events; instead, it will introduce you to the tools that are essential for understanding the current events that splash across your various electronic screens every minute of your day. We will learn international relations theories and analytical frameworks that can be used to explain countries¿ behavior throughout the course. Thus, we ask, what are the leading IR paradigms? How well do they explain various aspects of East Asian countries¿ foreign policies? By the end of the course, I hope you will learn to become a scholar and reject the ideological and polemical arguments we often hear on podcasts and talk shows.
You may also learn how policy and theory are related and how history shapes our ideas. What we know about international relations depends on developing sound international relations theory. Without theories and time-tested analytical models and frameworks, our explanations, descriptions, predictions, and policy prescriptions are limited in scope and are usually excessively normative. Above all, I hope that all students in this class will learn to review and analyze issues from the perspectives of all relevant actors.
Not surprisingly, most IR theories were developed primarily based on European diplomatic history, where the modern state system first took shape. However, do these Euro-centric theories of international relations travel well to East Asia? Do they capture the relations among Asian nations in the period before colonialism, after the arrival of European powers in the region, during the Cold War, or today? To capitalize on the regional perspectives, this course encourages ¿ and places heavy importance on ¿ students¿ critical assessment of the applicability of the Euro-centric IR theories to East Asia and the associated assumptions. After all, this question is particularly essential for understanding how international relations will evolve in this new century. At the end of the course, I hope that you can integrate, improve or even surpass existing international relations theories, and construct international relations theories with Chinese characteristics.

This course is guided by Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era. By taking this course, students will acquire knowledge and skills while cultivating integrity and wisdom. Besides, students will understand and practice the core values of Chinese socialism, and learn to combine personal fulfilment with social and national development.

Intended Learning Outcomes

Understand the theoretical concept of East Asia as an international-political region; Analyze the principal issues and controversies in both historical and contemporary East Asia: 1
Examine the strategies and choices of the leading actors in East Asia ¿ China, Japan, South, and North Korea, and the U.S. ¿ in pursuing economic, political, and social development; Assess competing explanations for key events in East Asia¿s international relations: 1
Develop an appreciation of China¿s pivotal role in today's world; Enhance the sense of national belonging and pride: 1
Understand the relationship between theory and policy-making in the international system; Identify opportunities for civic engagement and participation in the policy processes at local and global levels: 1

Study hours

N/A

School Rules

None

Description of Module Assessment