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DEGREE REGULATIONS & PROGRAMMES OF STUDY 2022/2023

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DRPS : Course Catalogue : School of Literatures, Languages and Cultures : Asian Studies

Postgraduate Course: Korean Politics and International Relations: History and Contemporary Issues (ASST11092)

Course Outline
SchoolSchool of Literatures, Languages and Cultures CollegeCollege of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences
Credit level (Normal year taken)SCQF Level 11 (Postgraduate) AvailabilityAvailable to all students
SCQF Credits20 ECTS Credits10
SummaryThe aim of this course is to introduce students to politics and international relations of Korea and East Asia.
The course is divided in two parts. The first provides an overview to the region. An
overview of Korea and East Asia during the 20th and early 21st centuries is provided: Attention is
paid to state formation, regime types, party systems, democratization, political culture, and political economy. The second
part covers developments in the international politics of East Asia since the end of the
Cold War. Here the interplay between external and regional powers is analyzed,
alongside the foreign policies of the main actors in the region. Special attention is also
given to trends in Asian regionalism (politics, security, economy), soft power, global cities and globalisation.
Course description 1. Introduction: State formation
2. regime types
3. party systems
4. Political Economy - From the Developmental state to Globalization
5. Social movement and Activism 3.0
6. Global Cities in East Asia
7. Soft Power
8. Debate
9. Regionalism- ASEAN
10. Comparative research in East Asia
11. Wrap ups
Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
Pre-requisites Co-requisites
Prohibited Combinations Other requirements None
Information for Visiting Students
Pre-requisitesNone
High Demand Course? Yes
Course Delivery Information
Not being delivered
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
  1. Provide an introduction to the domestic and international politics of Korea and East Asia
  2. Comprehend the cultural, historical and theoretical contexts of historical and contemporary developments on the Korean Peninsula
  3. Formulate research questions and critically assess source material
  4. Have developed a conceptual and methodological tool kit that will assist with completing the MSc dissertations in International Relations and Political Science
  5. Discuss the main conflictual dynamics in the region
Reading List
Suh, J. J., Katzenstein, P. J., and Carlson, A., eds., 2004, Rethinking Security in East Asia : Identity, Power, and Efficiency. Stanford, Calif.: Stanford University Press.
Kim, Y. Ed.(2018). Korea's quest for economic democratization: Globalization, polarization, and contention. Cham: Palgrave.
Kim, Y. (2011). The Politics of Coalition in Korea: Between Institutions and Culture.
London: Routledge.
Kim, B and Vogel, E (eds). (2011) The Park Chung Hee Era: The Transformation of
South Korea. Cambridge: Harvard University Press.
You, J-S (2015) Democracy, Inequality and Corruption: Korea, Taiwan and the
Philippines Compared. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Armstrong, Charles K., Tyranny of the weak : North Korea and the world, 1950-1992, Ithaca : Cornell University Press, 2013.
T. J. Pembel (ed.), The Economy-Security Nexus in Northeast Asia, New York: Routledge, 2012.
Kim, Samuel S., The two Koreas and the Great Powers, Cambridge ; New York : Cambridge University Press, 2006.
Charles K. Armstrong (ed.), Korean Society: Civil Society, Democracy and the State, 2nd ed., Abingdon, Oxon: Routledge, 2006.
Haggard, S ; Herman, L ; Ryu, J, Political Change in North Korea Mapping the Succession. Asian Survey, 2014 Jul-Aug, Vol.54(4), pp.773-800
Mochizuki, M and Porter, S. (2013) Japan under Abe: toward Moderation or Nationalism?, The Washington Quarterly, 36(4): 25-41.
Wang, Zhengxu ; Zeng, Jinghan, Xi Jinping: the game changer of Chinese elite politics? Contemporary Politics, 01 October 2016, Vol.22(4), p.469-486.
Ding, Yijiang, Consolidation of the PRC¿s Leadership Succession System from Hu Jintao to Xi Jinping. China Report, 2015, Vol.51(1), pp.49-65
Gill, Bates, China¿s future under Xi Jinping: challenges ahead. Political Science, 02 January 2017, Vol.69(1), p.1-15.
Wang, Zhengxu ; Vangeli, Anastas The Rules and Norms of Leadership Succession in China: From Deng Xiaoping to Xi Jinping and Beyond. The China Journal, Jul 2016, Vol.76, p.24
Choi, Yong Sub, North Korea's hegemonic rule and its collapse. Pacific Review, 2017, Vol.30(5), p.783-800.
Additional Information
Graduate Attributes and Skills *Think critically and produce Masters-level work under pressure
*Work independently, seeking relevant advice and support when neccessary
*Understand, interpret, and use scholarly resources
*Gain global perspectives on the subject
Special Arrangements Jointly taught with UG
Additional Class Delivery Information Jointly taught with UG
KeywordsKPaIR,politics,international relations,globalization,soft power,party systems,political economy
Contacts
Course organiserDr Youngmi Kim
Tel: (0131 6)51 1363
Email: youngmi.kim@ed.ac.uk
Course secretaryMiss Charlotte McLean
Tel: (0131 6)50 4114
Email: cmclean9@exseed.ed.ac.uk
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