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Focus 1+2: Politics and political thought in modern Japan

Vak
2008-2009

The course is designed for second year students of Japanese studies. It gives an overall view on the amazing life and manifold branching out of modern political ideas and concepts in Japan from Meiji period through the 40s (when intellectuals raised the call for an “overcoming of modernity”) and up to the present day.
We will cover the evolution of ideas and modes of thought such as liberalism, socialism, Asianism, anarchism, nationalism, and Marxism. We will also examine the exciting competition between these ideas and concepts, and witness their fate in the political and social arena. To prevent us from embarking on a balloon ride into the thin air of mere abstraction, we will approach all “Isms” and concepts through translations of exemplary writings of more or less influential political thinkers and intellectuals, who may represent main currents of thought in modern Japan.The purpose of the course is to provide basic knowledge, which can serve as a starting point for further studies in intellectual and political history, but is by no means of merely academic interest: It is a conditio sine qua non for any deeper understanding of the intellectual and political life in post-war Japan as well.

Rooster

Tuesday. 11-13.00

See: rooster

Onderwijsvorm

werkcollege

A la Carte- en Contractonderwijs

Belangstellenden die deze cursus in het kader van A la carte onderwijs willen volgen (zonder tentamen), vinden hier meer informatie over kosten, inschrijving, voorwaarden etc.

Belangstellenden die deze cursus in het kader van Contractonderwijs willen volgen (met tentamen), vinden hier meer informatie over kosten, inschrijving, voorwaarden etc.

Leerdoelen

In addition to developing a theoretically informed perspective on politics and political thought in modern Japan, the course will also provide guidance on academic writing and research, and the presentation of ideas and arguments in oral and written form.

Literatuur

Please purchase your own copy of:
Sources of Japanese Tradition: Volume 2, 1600 to 2000 (Second Edition), Ed. Wm. Theodore de Bary, Carol Gluck, and Arthur E. Tiedemann, New York: Columbia University Press 2005.
Cloth, 1448 pages, ISBN: 978-0-231-12984-8. http://www.cup.columbia.edu/book/978-0-231-12984-8/sources-of-japanese-tradition
All other mandatory readings and some further readings will either be placed on the reserve shelves of the TCJK-Library in the Arsenaal (please ask the librarian for access) or can be downloaded by you from full-text online databases (via the UB catalogus U-CAT).

Toetsing

Participation element (attendance, participation and weekly exercises) (30%)
Analytical element (analytical paper 1,000-1,500 words) (20%)
Research element (paper 2,000-2,500 words) (30%)Summative element (20%)

Informatie

t.weber@hum.leidenuniv.nl
Dit vak kan als onderdeel van het keuzepakket Japanse studies gevolgd worden.
Aanmeld- en inschrijfprocedure colleges en tentamens:
www.hum.leidenuniv.nl/japans/studenten/aanmeldingsprocedure.jsp

Blackboard/webpagina

Blackboard plays an essential part in this course. All important information about the course, including the syllabus, course requirements, and other information, except for the course readings, will be available on the course website. Internet access is therefore essential in order to complete this course.