Friday, January 21, 2005
APPROACHES TO THE CONCEPTS OF "POWER" AND "AUTHORITY" - DISTINGUISHING AND DEFINING THE "NONWESTERN" 
  
How and why did the concept of the "nonwestern" emerge? What can the term itself help us understand about ourselves as "westerners" and the assumptions we make with regard to our approach to the rest of the world?

suggested web assignment:

• You might want to begin an exploration of contemporary Japanese life and culture as perceived through an "outsider's" eye by reading through An Introduction to Japan, an illustrated lecture used by Dr. Makela in courses at CSU dealing with Japanese history. An impressionistic Westerner's view of contemporary Japanese life can be found as well in a series of travel reports filed by Dr. Makela during various visits to Japan dating back to 1999.
  
  As you view this material, consider the point of view manifest in the choice of subject matter, the visual illustrations thereof and the assumptions made about the intended audience for these various presentations.

MAP ASSIGNMENT DUE

Monday, January 24, 2005
APPROACHES TO THE CONCEPTS OF "POWER" AND "AUTHORITY" - THE INFLUENCE OF MODERNIZATION THEORY 
  
Is there a meaningful difference between "western" and "modern"? How does this distinction relate to our assumption of the "nonwest" as "third world" and/or "traditional"? How has the general acceptance of the West's pattern of development as "normal" influence our views of the nonwestern world?

reading assignment (to be completed BEFORE coming to class):

[click on any listing below to be taken to the reading itself on Electronic Course Reserve; you will need to have Adobe Acrobat Reader software on your computer to view this material -- if you don't yet have this program on your machine, click on the underlined words above to take you to the Adobe homepage from which you can download the needed files. We recommend that in most cases you print out a copy of each reading for your own personal use (using the Acrobat Reader's PRINT function). If you find this process too slow or cumbersome from your home computer, you can access reading assignments from any CSU computer and print out copies for use eslewhere.]

• Howard Wiarda, Non-Western Theories of Development, pp vii-viii. AND
• John Kautsky, The Political Consequences of Modernization, pp. 15-17 OR
• Marion J. Levy, Modernization and the Structure of Societies, pp. 89-92 AND
• Kautsky, The Political Consequences of Modernization, pp. 49-59 (scroll through the first few pages of the document -- which covers the pages assigned above -- to get to the section assigned here).

WRITTEN RESPONSES TO QUESTIONS ON ASSIGNED READING DUE

Wednesday, January 26, 2005
EXPLORING THE CONCEPT OF THE "NONWESTERN" AS CULTURAL IDENTITY
  
An examination of the interactions between Gemeinschaft and Gesellschaft and ways in which these terms impact the notion of "nonwestern" culture.

• View Osaka 2001: at the Dawn of a New Millennium
  [As suggested in the Introduction, be sure to print out and complete the first part of the survey BEFORE beginning to explore the various portions of the web site.]
  
  These images (like those in the web sites suggested for review on Friday, January 21, 2005) are meant to provide a visual introduction to one of the two major cultures under consideration in the course. The images in this specific case are accompanied by questions and comments meant to stimulate your thinking about some of the concepts and approaches being discussed in class as well through reference to “real world” examples of these ideas in action.
  
  As you examine (or re-examine) these sets of photographs, for example, think particularly about how they might be changing your preconceptions about the “nonwestern world” in general or your ideas about Japan in particular.
  
  You also might want to review some basic facts about Japan by again reading through An Introduction to Japan, an illustrated lecture used in courses at CSU dealing with Japanese history.
  
  As also suggested earlier, a more up-to-the-minute impressionistic view of contemporary Japanese life can be found in a series of travel reports direct from the scene filed beginning in 1999 by Dr. Makela during annual visits to this island nation.

Friday, January 28, 2005
POWER AND AUTHORITY: A CULTURAL MODEL

This class introduces a cultural model of power and authority in the study of Chinese power, authority, and legitimacy. It examines how culture evolves from historical experience, foreign influence and indigenous factors, and how culture shapes power and authority.

Monday, January 31, 2005
DISTINGUISHING “SOFT” POWER FROM “HARD” POWER

Shannon Quinn, “KSG Dean Joseph Nye Advocates the Use of ‘Soft Power”, News and Perspectives from the Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University, April 4, 2002.

Joseph S. Nye, “The Power We Must Not Squander”, News and Perspectives from the Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University, January 3, 2000.

Jack Snyder, “Moral Overstretch: Provoking Resistance to the American Hegemonic Order?”, FATHOM: the Source for Online Learning, Columbia University, 2001.
OR
Joseph Nye, “Soft Power in the Information Age”, IPI World Congress 2000, Boston, May 2, 2000.
OR
Max Frankel, “The Paradox of American Power: Sound of One Saber Rattling”, The New York Times, May 26, 2002.

Wednesday, February 2, 2005
LOOKING AT ISSUES OF "SOFT POWER" IN THE NONWESTERN WORLD

reading assignment:

• Joseph S. Nye, Jr., Soft Power: The Means to Success in World Politics [hereafter "Nye, Soft Power"] (New York: Public Affairs, 2004), Chapter Three: Other Soft Power, pp. 73 - 98.

Friday, February 4, 2005
LOOKING AT ISSUES OF POWER AND AUTHORITY IN JAPAN: "THE EMPEROR'S NEW CLOTHES"

A case study drawn from the Meiji era (1868 - 1912) in Japanese history focusing on the "real life' application of concepts discussed to this point in the course to the definition of imperial authority and power in late nineteenth century Japan.

reading assignment:

• "Introduction" and "Chapter One" from T. Fujitani's Splendid Monarchy: Power and Pagentry in Modern Japan, pp. 1 - 18.

WRITTEN OBSERVATIONS ON ASSIGNED READING DUE