CONTEMPORARY EAST ASIAN SOCIETIES

This is one of the complementary courses within the "Japan" curriculum of the master degree programme in "Lingue, economie e istituzioni dell'Asia e dell'Africa Mediterranea". The course offers lectures on contemporary East Asian societies, including Japan. The course aims to provide knowledge of East Asia in terms of cultural, economic, political, religious, and social perspectives.

Knowledge and understanding:
- to know and understand the cultural, economic, political, religious, and social aspects of contemporary Asia, including Japan

Applying knowledge and understanding:
- to use the knowledge of the contemporary Asian cultural, economic, political, religious, and social aspects in the research and job.

Making judgments:
- to exercise judgment within a global and multi-dimensional perspective.

Communication:
- to write a research essay using the knowledge of contemporary Asia and global perspectives.

I recommend that students possess an intermediate level of Japanese (Level N3 JLPT) to integrate and deepen the issues presented during the course. Moreover, students should already have a basic knowledge of contemporary Japanese society.

The first half of this course will provide a chronological account of the history of East Asia in the 20th century. In doing so, it focuses on issues common to all humankind (e.g. human mobility, war, environment, social movements, etc.), as well as on transnational connections and mobilities, thus covering a wide range of history not limited to East Asia. The second half of the course will consider contemporary issues in East Asia, drawing on the knowledge of East Asian history from the first half of the course. In doing so, attention will be paid to diverse aspects of politics, economics, culture and society.

Goto Kenta, Endo Tamaki, Ito Asei, 2021, The Asian Economy: Contemporary Issues and Challenges, Routledge.
Iwasaki Ikuo, 2019, Ajia Kingendaishi："Sekaishi no Tanjo" Igo no 800nen, CHUOKORON-SHINSHA.
Kitamura Atsushi, 2021, 20 seiki no Gurobalu Hisutori: Otona no tame no Gendai Shi Nyumon [Global history of the 20th century : an introduction to contemporary history for adults. ], Minerva shobo (ISBN: 9784623091300).
Neuman, W. Lawrence, 2021,  East Asian Societies,  Assn for Asian Studies Inc.
Merviö, Mika, 2019, Recent Social, Environmental, and Cultural Issues in East Asian Societies, IGI Global.
Mervio, Mika, 2021, Contemporary Social Issues In East Asian Societies: Examining the Spectrum of Public and Private Spheres, IGI Global.
Pieke, Frank N. and Koichi Iwabuchi (ed.), 2021, Global East Asia: Into the Twenty-First Century, University of California Press.
Sato Shiro, Ishizaka Shin'ya, 2022, Gendai Ajia wo tsukamu: shakai, Keizai, seiji, bunka 35 no ishu [Contemporary Asia : issues and debates], Akashi shoten.
Wada Haruki, Goto Ken'ichi, Kibata Yoichi, Yamamuro Shinichi, Kyeungdal Cho, Nakano Satoshi, Kawashima Shin, 2014, Higashiajia Kingendai Tsushi, Jo, Iwanami Shoten.
Wada Haruki, Goto Ken'ichi, Kibata Yoichi, Yamamuro Shinichi, Kyeungdal Cho, Nakano Satoshi, Kawashima Shin, 2014, Higashiajia Kingendai Tsushi, Ge, Iwanami Shoten.

Students write a research paper on a topic related to contemporary Asian societies in Japanese or English (max 3000 characters in Japanese, max 1500 words in English). The exam assesses the knowledge and perspectives acquired by the student during the course, the ability to apply them, communication skills and independent judgement.

Non-attending students: The examination programme will be the same for attending students.

Frontal lessons in Japanese.

All materials of the lessons and further readings will be available on the moodle platform dedicated to the course.

All course materials will be available on the moodle platform dedicated to the course.

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