Course Meeting Times
Lectures: 2 sessions / week, 1.5 hours / session
Prerequisites
There are no prerequisites for this course.
Objectives and Organization
The semester is divided into two parts. After a two-week general introduction to Japan and to the dominant approaches to the study of Japanese history, politics and society, we will begin exploring four aspects of Japanese politics:
- Party politics
- Electoral politics
- Interest group politics
- Bureaucratic politics
The second part of the semester focuses on public policy, divided into the following seven policy areas:
- Social policy
- Foreign policy
- Defense policy
- Energy policy
- Science and technology policy
- Industrial policy
- Trade policy
Requirements
Reading, attendance and participation are required of all students. Additional requirements are determined based on the level of the student, as follows:
Undergraduates
| ASSIGNMENTS |
|---|
| Paper (5-7 pages) on an issue chosen from weekly discussion topics |
| Book report (5-7 pages) on a book chosen from the list on the syllabus |
| Midterm |
| Final exam |
Special discussion sessions for undergraduates are also required.
Graduate Students
| ASSIGNMENTS |
|---|
| Classroom presentation |
| Synthetic paper (10-15 pages) on Japanese politics |
| Synthetic paper (10-15 pages) on public policy |
