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PLS 352

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China Chronology
Chinese Glossary
Japanese Glossary
Indonesian Glossary

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PLS 352 
Government and Politics of Asia
Saint Martin’s University
Course Syllabus

PURPOSE OF THE COURSE

The purpose of this course is to introduce students to the government and politics of China, Japan, and Indonesia.  The course will briefly examine the historical background that has shaped these countries.  It will analyze the influence of imperialism, reform, modernization and revolution in China and Japan and the impact of Dutch colonialism and the Japanese occupation on the independence movement in Indonesia.  The course will trace the rise of the Chinese Communist Party and rise of the military in Japan in the 1930’s.  We will examine the influence of political culture and political values on the functioning of these systems.  We will also discuss the nature of political structures of China, Japan and Indonesia, the role of the Communist Party in China, and the transformation of Chinese politics since the rise of Deng Xiaoping.  Finally, we will examine the functioning of party and state institutions in China, the functioning of political parties and elections in Japan and Indonesia, and the role of the military on Indonesian political life.

An understanding the processes of political change is crucial to an examination of these political system.  In this regard, we will examine the Cultural Revolution in China, the historic dominance of the Liberal Democratic Party in Japan and the emergence of the Democratic Party of Japan, and the impact of the GESTAPU (the September 30th Movement) and the Reformasi Movement in Indonesia.   The course will explain the process of economic development and modernization in these countries with particular attention devoted to an explanation of economic reform in China under Deng Xiaoping, Jiang Zemin and Hu Jintao, the post-war Japanese economic miracle and its decline over the last decade and the rise and fall of the Indonesian economic miracle in the recent past.

The course will conclude by examining a range of social and demographic problems in these countries.  It will attempt to explain the foreign policy orientation of China with particular emphasis on the integration of Hong Kong and Macau into the Chinese political system, China’s relationship with Taiwan and Tibet, and China’s relationship with the US, USSR and the rest of Asia.  The US-Japanese Security Treaty, problems of US-Japanese foreign trade, and other issues will be explored.  The fundamentals of Indonesia’s foreign relations with the US, China, and Southeast Asia will also be covered.