INTERNATIONAL POLITICS AND DEVELOPMENT OF EAST AND SOUTHEAST ASIA

Elective/Integrative course for the Japan, China, and Southeast Asia curricula of the Master’s Degree Programs in Languages of Asia and North Africa for business and international cooperation (LAAMICI) and Language and Management to China (LAMAC).
It contributes to the students' training in the field of social sciences, providing the knowledge and critical tools needed to analyze development policies in East and Southeast Asia from a contemporary historical perspective.

Learning Objectives
Subject Knowledge (Knowledge and Understanding):
- Structural changes in international development policies and their local impact.
- Key elements of contemporary history in East and Southeast Asia.
- Major development theories (e.g., modernization theory, dependency theory).
- The global political context behind the socio-cultural phenomena studied in other courses.

Practical Skills (Applying knowledge and understanding):
- Analyzing long-term processes and their connection to contemporary international affairs.
- Identifying and evaluating authoritative sources.
- Conducting public policy analysis.

Critical Thinking:
- Critically analyzing public policies while taking local conditions and specific contexts into account.

Communication:
- Building well-structured arguments and communicating with clarity.

Learning Independence:
- Independent study through source analysis and engaging in classroom debates.

A good foundational knowledge of contemporary international history, specifically regarding East and Southeast Asia.
Willingness to engage in classroom interaction and discussion.

Through selected readings, the course will cover the following themes:
- Definitions: What is development?
- Development Theories: From Rostow’s modernization theory to de-growth and post-growth perspectives.
- Development and Identity: The "West" vs. "the Rest."
- The International System and the architecture of global governance.
- International Politics and Development: How states and multilateral organizations create and promote development models, and their impact on local contexts in Asia.
- The Environment and the Resources: Asymmetries, competition, and the geoeconomics of the Asia-Pacific.
- Political Regimes and Asian Development Models: Japan, China, and Taiwan.
- The Role of the State and Technocratic Development: Singapore and Vietnam.
- Cultures of Power and the Power of Culture: Thailand and Myanmar.

Exerpts and essays from:
Baker, C. and Pasuk, P., A History of Thailand, fourth ed. (Cambridge, 2022)
Chang, HJ. Economics: The User’s Guide. A Pelican Introduction (Penguin, 2014)
Dauvergne, P. Shadows in the Forest (MIT, 1997)
Ferguson, J. The Anti-Politics Machine: 'Development', Depoliticisation and Bureaucratic Power in Lesotho (Cambridge, 1990)
Hirsch et al. (eds.) Turning Land into Capital (University of Washington, 2022)
Kothari, A. et al. (eds) Pluriverse: A Post-Development Dictionary (Columbia, 2019)
Scott, J.C., Weapons of the Weak (Yale, 1985)
Fei Y. and Shapiro, J. China Goes Green (Polity, 2020)
Rigger, S. Why Taiwan Matters (Rowman & Littlefield, 2011)
Samuels, R. Rich Nation, Strong Army: National Security and the Technological Transformation of Japan (Cornell, 1996)
Tsing, A. Friction: An Ethnography of Global Connection (Princeton, 2004)
Verhoeven, H. and A. Lieven (eds) Beyond Liberal Order (Hurst, 2021)
Weiss, ML The Roots of Resilience: Party Machines and Grassroots Politics in Southeast Asia (Cornell, 2020)

The exam takes the form of an oral discussion regarding the course content. Students are required to develop an essay proposal and submit a written outline including a bibliography (max. 3 pages) at least three days before the exam date. During the exam, students will discuss their proposal with the instructor, presenting it as an "oral essay." Each presentation will be 15 minutes.b) Evaluation Criteria
The assessment will be based on the following aspects:
a. Argumentative skills
b. Use of academic sources
c. Clarity and accuracy of expression.

oral

The lecturer has a duty to ensure that the rules regarding the authenticity and originality of exam tests and papers are respected. Therefore, if there is suspicion of irregular conduct, an additional assessment may be conducted, which could differ from the original exam description.

18-21: Sufficient understanding of development theories, the history of international development, and the relevant Asian case studies.
22-24: Satisfactory knowledge of the core concepts, demonstrating a solid grasp of the course materials and regional histories.
25-27: Good command of the subject matter, with the ability to clearly articulate development theories and their application in Asia.
28-30: Strong knowledge and analytical capacity regarding both theoretical frameworks and historical developments in the region.

On-campus lectures supported by PowerPoint presentations.
Group discussion.

Language of instruction: English

This subject deals with topics related to the macro-area "International cooperation" and contributes to the achievement of one or more goals of U. N. Agenda for Sustainable Development