Programme

This course focuses on the contemporary history of international relations in East Asia. Particular attention will be devoted to the positions occupied by Japan and China during the Cold War years, as well as to their interactions both with the other regional actors, the two Superpowers and Europe. The analysis of the factors generated by the bipolar order will facilitate the identification of continuity and discontinuity lines in the broader context of globalization.
A seminar will address the issue of the construction of the political identity in China through the Communist Party rhetoric in the post-Maoist period.

Core Documentation

The syllabus for attending students is the following:

1) Best, Hanhimaki, Maiolo, Schulze, Storia delle relazioni internazionali. Il mondo nel XX secolo e oltre, UTET 2014 (capitoli: 8, 9, 10, 12, 14 e 15).
2) O. Frattolillo, Il Giappone tra Est e Ovest, FrancoAngeli 2014.
3) F. Mazzei & V. Volpi, Asia al centro, EGEA 2014, second edition (capitoli: 2, 3, 4, 10 e 12).


The syllabus for non-attending students is the following:

1) Best, Hanhimaki, Maiolo, Schulze, Storia delle relazioni internazionali. Il mondo nel XX secolo e oltre, UTET 2014 (capitoli: 8, 9, 10, 12, 13, 14 e 15).
2) Frattolillo, Il Giappone tra Est e Ovest, FrancoAngeli 2014.
3) Mazzei, Volpi, Asia al centro, EGEA 2014, seconda edizione (per intero).
4) R. Lim, Geopolitics of East Asia, Routledge 2005 (come strumento di consultazione).
5) One of the following books (free choice):
- Frattolillo, Diplomacy in Japan-EU Relations, Routledge 2013;
- Frattolillo, Interwar Japan beyond the West, Cambridge SP 2012;
- Frattolillo, L’etica dell’interessere, Mimesis 2013.

Type of delivery of the course

The course involves the active participation of the students during the classes by their own work presentations (both oral and written) and periodic learning checks. During the COVID-19 emergency period, the exams will be carried out in accordance with the provisions of art.1 of the Rectoral Decree no. 703 of May 5, 2020.

Attendance

Before each lesson the signatures will be taken: the maximum number of hours that can be skipped without having to take the exam as not attended are 10. The attendance requires that students occasionally read essays during the classes are held so that they can actively participate in group discussions with classmates and the teacher.

Type of evaluation

The assessment of the students will take into account their performance throughout the course, through written and oral checks. The evaluation of the mid-course written test will make the arithmetic average along with the grade of the final test. This would make the final outcome of the course. Both tests will last approximately 2 hours and will aim to verify the level of effective understanding of the concepts and the students' ability to apply them in the various historical contexts. The tests will be divided into open-ended questions, multiple choice questions and keyword completion. The oral exam has a variable duration and aims at checking the understanding of the topics developed during the course. The student can be exempted from the oral exam if he succeeded at both the written tests. The oral assessment will be based on a few key-elements as follows: knowledge of the contents; synthesis and analysis skills; adequate language; critical judgment.