INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS (JAPAN)

The course will introduce the main IR theories and illustrate relevant aspects of international politics in the Asia-Pacific region. Its focus will be on Japan as a relevant actor at a regional and global level. The course is designed to provide the students within the East Asian economy/law-oriented curriculum with a comprehensive training enabling them to apply specific theoretical and methodological tools and expertise in international working environments.

At the end of the course, students will be familiar with the main theories of IR (such as realism, liberalism, constructivism, Marxist theories, etc.) and will be able to apply a critical lens to the analysis of the events shaping today's Asia-Pacific. In particular, the students are expected to acquire and deploy specific theoretical and methodological tools in order to avoid simplistic interpretations of the relations between nation-states in Asia and across the continents.

Participants should have passed History of Japan 2.

The courses will be divided into three main parts.
Part I - Introduction to the main theories of IR and to research tools. Discussion of specific real-world cases.
Part II - Global order and regional orders: China and the US in the 21st century.
Part III - Tokyo's foreign policy in the post-war era: Japan and the international and regional arrangements.

Textbooks
- Baylis, John; Smith, Steve & Owens, Patricia (a cura di) (2019). The Globalization of World Politics, Eigth Edition, Oxford University Press.
- Dian, Matteo (2021). La Cina, gli Stati Uniti e il futuro dell'ordine internazionale. il Mulino.
- Zappa, Marco (2020). Il Giappone nel sistema internazionale: Asia orientale e sudorientale nella politica estera giapponese dal 1945 all'era Abe. Cafoscarina.

Or, alternatively to Dian (2021) and Zappa (2020), if Italian is not your first language:
- Goh, Evelyn (2015). The Struggle for Order: Hegemony, Hierarchy and Transition in Post-Cold War East Asia. Oxford University Press.
- Oros, Andrew (2017). Japan's Security Reinassance. Columbia University Press.

Further readings will be presented during the lectures and made available on Moodle.

The final exam is made of 2 parts:
1) multiple choice-quiz. 12 questions x 1 pt, tot. 12 pts.
2) open-ended questions. 3 x 6 pt.: 18 pts.

In situ lectures supported by powerpoint presentations.
Presentations are available on the moodle platform.
Teaching will be held in Italian. In case of attendance by non-Italian speaking students, the course will be held in English.

Italian

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