150055 VU International Relations in East Asia (2023W)

The first class is on October 5. You will be provided a syllabus, and we will review the course outline and expectations. I will introduce myself and ask you to do the same. All minimum requirements and assessment criteria will be discussed in the first lecture. Questions related to these criteria (defined and discussed below) should be raised then. Continuing this course after the first lecture indicates that students understand class requirements and expectations. Attending the first class is thus essential.

The primary aim of this course is to give students a firm grounding in basic theories and concepts in International Relations (IR) and how best to use them to assess and understand contemporary East Asia. By closely reading course material and participating in class activities, students can expect to grow their scholarly and practical perspectives on global and East Asian politics. We will host guest lecturers who specialize in East Asian IR and hold special classes on how to apply IR professionally.

The course is divided into three parts. It starts with a macro-level overview of the genealogies and debates within and across the major IR theories (e.g., realism, liberalism, constructivism) and a discussion of key concepts. Second, the course focuses on the institutional order (or lack thereof) that defined East Asia historically and how that system has recently changed. You will learn the significance of the so-called San Francisco System and how it has (and has not) changed.

Lastly, the course takes things to the country level, scrutinizing specific security, (geo-)political, and historical “problems” among East Asian countries. These include North Korean nuclearization, regional historical and ideational challenges, and China-Taiwanese relations. We will closely examine these topics by using core IR theories and concepts and our understanding of the region's historical and contemporary institutional order.