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  4. Asian Studies - 2nd semester

Asian Studies - 2nd semester

Objectives

a) To provide students with the necessary skills to be able to understand the Asian continent;
b) To understand the enormous heterogeneity of this continent as well as to be able to recognize and contextualize the particular characteristics of the Asian regions: East, Southeast, South, Central and Western;
c) To study the main Asian countries at their regional levels taking into account the political, economic and social dimensions;
d) To critically discuss the impact of the rise of India and China in the regional contexts and their relationship with Europe and the USA;
e) To critically discuss the several approaches that portrait the 21st century as the century of Asia or of the Pacific.

General characterization

Code

722071087

Credits

10

Responsible teacher

Ana Raquel Vaz-Pinto

Hours

Weekly - 3 letivas + 1 tutorial

Total - Available soon

Teaching language

Portuguese

Prerequisites

Not applicable.

Bibliography

SHAMBAUGH, David, YAHUDA, Michael (2014), International Relations of Asia, New York: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc (Rev. Ed.).
YAHUDA, Michael (2011), The International Politics of the Asia Pacific: Since 1945, New York: Routledge.
KAPLAN, Robert (2010), Monsoon, The Indian Ocean and the Future of American Power, New York: Random House.
KEMP, Geoffrey (2012), The East Moves West, India, China, and Asia’s Growing Presence in the Middle East, Washington, D. C.: Brookings Institution Press (Rev. Ed.)
ROY, Olivier (2009), The New Central Asia, Geopolitics and the Birth of Nations, London and New York: I. B. Tauris.

Teaching method

Theoretical and practical teaching with a lecture by the professor and based on the previously selected bibliography. Besides the discussion resulting from the readings the essays will be presented and debated in classes.
In the first classes selected bibliography for the whole semester will be presented
In class teaching.

Evaluation method

Evaluation consists in writing an individual essay (7500 words including notes and excluding bibliography) on one of the topics of the course and after approval by the professor. Essays can be written either in Portuguese or English and will be presented and discussed in class. The discussion of the readings and participation in classes will also be evaluated.
Essay: 60% Participation in classes: 20%; Essay presentation in class: 20%.

Subject matter

Nowadays it is very common to portrait the 21st century as the Asian or Pacific century. To understand and to critically reflect upon this perspective we opted to centre our course on three pillars: a characterization of the continent, an analysis of its five regions and the way India and China relate to the rest of the world.
Part I: The rise of Asia
I. The Asian continent and its heterogeneity
II. The post-1945 Asian dynamism: the political and economic affirmation
III. The main regions and its particular characteristics: East, Southeast, South, Central and Western
Part II: Asia and its regions
IV. Eastern Asia and the leadership of China
V. Southeast Asia and the search for an identity
VI. India and South Asia
VII. Central Asia and the challenges of a post-soviet world
VIII. The rediscovery of Western Asia
Parte: Asia and the World
IX. India and China and their relationships with Europe and the USA: a strategic analysis
X. The Asian or Pacific 21st century?