POL 337: ASIA IN WORLD AFFAIRS

The University of Mississippi
Spring 2013, Tuesdays and Thursdays, 14:30 - 15:45, 243 Turner Center
Instructor: Dr. Gang Guo * Office: 128 Deupree Hall * Telephone: (662) 915-5419 * e-mail: gg at olemiss dot edu
Office hours: by appointment

COURSE OVERVIEW

This 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 familiarized with the international and domestic politics of Asia;
2. to gain a better understanding of the historical and current developments of Asian countries;
3. and to apply the concepts and theories to the study of Asia.

All the required readings and lecture notes of this course are available on the Internet through links on this web page. Links to the readings and notes will be updated on this web page throughout the semester, and so students are required to visit the course web site regularly.

It is essential for students to read the required materials before class and attend all class sessions. Class participation accounts for 15% of the course grade. Each student is also required to make a brief (about 10 minutes) in-class presentation of a most recent news on Asian politics. The presentation accounts for 10% of the course grade. The presenter should not only tell the class what happened, but also provide some background information to help understand the news story better. After each presentation there will be a short period in which the presenter responds to questions or comments from the audience. For the preparation of the presentation, there are many English-language websites that cover news on Asia. Some of those are linked from the online resources section on this web page.

There will be one writing assignment and two exams for this course. The writing assignment, due on BlackBoard by 2:30pm on Tuesday, February 12th, will account for 10% of the course grade. The midterm exam in class on Thursday, March 7th, will account for 30% of the course grade. The final exam will start at 16:00 on Tuesday, May 7th, as stipulated by the Registrar's Office. It accounts for 35% of the grade.

Notes:

1. If you can not open the PDF files you may need to download and install the free Adobe Acrobat Reader.
2. If you can not open the PowerPoint files you may need to download and install the free PowerPoint Viewer.

COURSE SCHEDULE

News Presentations

On-line Resources

• Reuters
• CNN Asia
• BBC Asia-Pacific
• The Economist
• Fox News
• Financial Times
• New York Times-Asia Pacific news
• Asia Wall Street Journal
• South China Morning Post
• Asia Society
• People's Daily
• China Internet Information Center
• China Radio International
• The Japan Times online
• Asahi Shinbun
• Korean Government Homepage
• Embassy of the People's Republic of China, in Washington D.C.
• Embassy of Japan, in Washington D.C.
• Embassy of the Republic of Korea, in Washington D.C.
• Embassy of India, in Washington D.C.
• Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs, 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.