Internationella relationer i Östasien

This course introduces students to and deepens their understanding of three kinds of academic debates related to the international relations of Asia. The first debate revolves around issues related to the contemporary international politics, security and economy of Asia. Issues covered include, but are not limited to China’s rise and its implications, how to understand the Belt and Road Initiative and where Japan’s security policy is heading. The second type of debate concerns how Asian historical experiences has begun to inform the discipline of International Relations; a discipline that has increasingly come to be criticized as Euro-centric since its theories have to a disproportional degree been informed by European experiences. The third type of debate is based on a similar critique of the discipline’s Euro-centrism. It focuses on debates about how Asian philosophy and thinking can inform the discipline of International Relations. While the first half of the course introduces the students to these debates, the second half seeks to deepen their understanding of these same issues.