International Studies

This course covers basic historical knowledge about the international relations of Asia since the 19th century. This module examines how a wide range of ideas and ideologies borne in Europe have shaped the norms, practices and institutions of Asia’s politics and international relations. It explores the resilient nature of local norms and culture in the changing dynamics of international relations, particularly in the age of globalization. 

This course investigates the institutional, legal, political, and economic aspects of the global city. It explores how a truly multinational but local-based political community could rise where, in a circular way, native roots, universalism, cultural diversity, and international links can coexist and support each other. It considers how cities have been the standpoint from which scholars investigate macro-phenomena and issues affecting society as a whole, and discusses how any change affecting the delicate urban ecosystem will therefore also have wider repercussions on how global governance itself is conceived.

This course offers an introduction to the academic study of international politics. It begins with a basic introduction to international relations theories, in order to provide the theoretical framework for understanding and debating global topics. The course then moves on to discussing main subjects in contemporary international relations by focusing on the interaction between state actors, non-state actors, and international institutions. It looks specifically at the role of small states like Norway in the international system and how they interact with international institutions and major powers. The final section of the course utilizes the empirical and analytical knowledge gathered to analyze important topics on the global agenda, like the future of globalization and geopolitical conflicts. The class encourages lively discussion, a goal easily met by the students' contribution of their opinions based on their diverse cultural and academic backgrounds.

This course focuses on issues, approaches, and analyses of existing research related to globalization in International Political Economy.

This course provides some insight into most of the major themes and issues on China and the Korean Peninsula. Topics include Nationalism and Political Cultures in China, The Korean War, China-DPRK Relations, ROK-China Relations: From Normalization to 2020, Korea between Ally and Partner: Trump, Xi, and Moon, US-China Rivalry and Sino-Korean Relations, THAAD and a New Normal in Relations between Seoul and Beijing, Implications of and Responses to the "Rise of China", and The Future of “The Rise of China” and the Korean Peninsula.

This course focuses on the representation of Hispanic culture in Japan.  The course widens knowledge of artistic, sociological and political issues  in Spain and Latin America. The course offers the opportunity not only to revisit familiar topics, such as the Spanish Inquisition, the Spanish Civil War, and flamenco, but also to gain new knowledge of little-known literary works, such as the Spanish versions of Romeo and Juliet, written by Shakespeare’s Spanish contemporary, Lope de Vega.

This course examines Korean development and capitalism from the political economy perspective, exploring how Korean capitalism emerged, what pathway it has taken, and how it will continue to evolve. This course covers various topics in the international and domestic political economy such as economic growth, culture and network, international investment and trade, democratization, globalization, the currency crisis in 1997 and the economic crash of 2008, institutional change and economic reform, restoring democracy in 2016-2017, global pandemic, social justice, and fairness. The main focus is on the roles and interests of governments, businesses, civil society, and foreign investors.

The course is designed to provide fundamental knowledge of International Relations (IR). This class would be an essential pre-requirement for other advanced IR courses. For instance, the course covers key concepts like the three-isms in IR theory and strategic interactions, to enable understanding and analysis of international relations. The course also provides an overview of basic international history and background information to comprehend ongoing international conflicts and cooperation.

Thomas Friedman predicted in his famous book “The World is Flat” that the advancement of IT would blur the borders and boundaries on this planet so everyone in the world, wherever they are and whatever they do, would be locked into the global supply chain and therefore the global competition, whether they like it or not.

His prediction seems accurate in that now everyone is a part of a so-called globalized economy. Business processes are being standardized across borders, and people have begun to speak a common language, i.e., English. The world would be a much more homogeneous place if globalization continued at this pace.
 

But are we really living in such a monotonous world? Despite globalization, our life, both professional and private, is full of surprises, discoveries, misunderstandings, and even conflicts, arising from cultural differences worldwide. This is partly because globalization has brought in more participants than ever to the world arena, and each participant behaves upon the values of their own home culture. Indeed, there are a variety of cultures in play in this seemingly globalized world.
 

This course tries to address the issue of globalization in two aspects: 1) English as a Lingua Franca, and 2) cultural diversity. The first half of the course examines how the business world is linked by the global common language, i.e., English, from a standpoint slightly different to the traditional one. In the second half, the course explores the world as a culturally diverse place, that will hardly cease to exist in the coming future.

This seminar provides students with an introduction to the study of contemporary Chinese political economy. The early sessions of the course will place China’s economic development in global historical context before examining the characteristics of the Maoist command economy as well as reformers’ approach to marketization after 1978. Later sessions will focus on current issues relating to the state’s efforts to establish a sustainable, equitable and innovative economy. The final sessions examine China’s role in an increasingly turbulent global economy. Working closely with the instructor, students will write a research paper on a topic related to the contemporary Chinese political economy.