POL 337: ASIA IN WORLD AFFAIRS

The University of Mississippi
Spring 2020, Tuesdays and Thursdays, 14:30 - 15:45, 101 Bishop Hall and on Zoom after midterm
Instructor: Dr. Gang Guo * Office: 128 Deupree Hall * Telephone: (662) 915-5419 * e-mail: gg at olemiss dot edu
Office hours: by appointment

[ Class Schedule ] | [ Student Presentations ] | [ On-line Resources ] | [ BlackBoard ] | [ Maps ]

COURSE OVERVIEW

This undergraduate course is a general survey of the politics and other aspects of Asia, with an emphasis on the contemporary Pacific Asia. Starting with the general environment of Asia, this course covers the history, politics, and international relations of major Asian powers and discusses the main economic and security issues that concern Asian countries today. By the end of the semester, students are expected

1. to be familiar with the international and domestic politics of Pacific Asia;
2. to gain a better understanding of the historical and current developments of Asian countries;
3. and to apply appropriately the concepts and theories to the study of Asia.

All the required readings and lecture notes of this course are linked from this web page. Links to the readings and notes will be updated on this web page throughout the semester, and so you should visit it regularly before each class session.

It is essential for students to read the required materials before class and attend all class sessions. Active and informed participation in class accounts for 10% of the course grade.

Each student is also required to make a brief in-class presentations of about 5-10 minutes in length on a recent news on Asia. A sign-up sheet is distributed during the first class and each student will choose a date to present. The presentation schedule will be posted on this webpage for your reference. In reporting the news, the presenter should synthesize news stories from at least two major mass media outlets. For the preparation of the presentation, there are many English-language websites that cover news on East Asia, some of which are linked from the online resources section on this web page. The PowerPoint (or PDF) file for your presentation should include at least one page on the main news story, at least one page on some background information to help the audience understand the news story better, and at least one page of sources and/or references. The PowerPoint (or PDF) file for your presentation should be uploaded on Blackboard before the class in which you present. After each presentation there will be a short period of time in which the presenter responds to questions or comments from the audience.

The presentation accounts for 15% of the course grade and will be evaluated using the following rubric:

1. Content
   • The news story is timely, important, and interesting;
   • is coherent and well-focused;
   • is presented in a logical sequence that audience can follow;
   • provides some background information to help audience understand;
   • uses a variety of sources from different perspectives;
   • demonstrates good knowledge, research, and preparation;
2. Format
   • All fonts are large enough to be read at a distance;
   • Good contrast between fonts and background on all slides;
   • Images are relevant and help audience understand the content;
   • Slide layout is visually clear and balanced;
   • Slides contains no typographical or grammatical errors;
   • Information on the sources and/or references is accurate and complete;
   • The sources and/or references are properly formatted;
3. Delivery
   • All audience can hear the presentation clearly;
   • The presenter maintains eye contact with audience;
   • uses proper body language to help the presentation;
   • answers questions skillfully;

There will be two writing assignments in this course, each accounting for 10% of the overall grade.

The midterm exam in class on Thursday, March 5th, accounts for 25% of the course grade.

The final exam will start at 16:00 on Tuesday, May 5th, as stipulated by the Registrar's Office. It accounts for 30% of the grade.

Grades lower than C in political science courses are not counted toward the political science major.

Disability Access and Inclusion: The University of Mississippi is committed to the creation of inclusive learning environments for all students. If there are aspects of the instruction or design of this course that result in barriers to your full inclusion and participation, or to accurate assessment of your achievement, please contact the course instructor as soon as possible. Barriers may include, but are not necessarily limited to, timed exams and in-class assignments, difficulty with the acquisition of lecture content, inaccessible web content, and the use of non-captioned or non-transcribed video and audio files. If you are approved through SDS, you must log in to your Rebel Access portal at https://sds.olemiss.edu to request approved accommodations. If you are NOT approved through SDS, you must contact Student Disability Services at 662-915-7128 so the office can: 1. determine your eligibility for accommodations, 2. disseminate to your instructors a Faculty Notification Letter, 3. facilitate the removal of barriers, and 4. ensure you have equal access to the same opportunities for success that are available to all students.

CLASS SCHEDULE

Student Presentations

On-line Resources

• Google News
• Reuters World News
• The Wall Street Journal - Asia
• The Economist
• CNN Asia
• BBC News - Asia
• Asia Society
• South China Morning Post, a Hong Kong newspaper.
• New York Times - Asia Pacific
• Asahi News: Asia & Japan Watch
• Japan Times
• Korea.net
• Embassy of the People's Republic of China, in Washington D.C.
• Embassy of Japan, in Washington D.C.
• Embassy of India, in Washington D.C.
• U.S. Department of State
• Embassy of the United States of America, in Beijing.
• Embassy of the United States of America, in Tokyo.
• Embassy of the United States of America, in Seoul.
• Embassy of the United States of America, in New Delhi.