Monday, May 2, 2005
THE UNITED STATES, CHINA, JAPAN AND THEIR USES OF "SOFT POWER"

An examination of Japan's current diplomatic stance with respect to apologies for the nation's military aggression against China between 1931 (the invasion of Manchuria) and 1945 (when the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki brought an end to the Pacific War), particularly as mirrored in the nation’s junior high school textbooks dealing with the events occurring during the Pacific War, especially as they affected China and its citizens.

reading assignment:

Nye, Soft Power, Chapter Two: Sources of American Soft Power, pp. 33 - 72.

Wednesday, May 4, 2005
"SOFT POWER" AS FOREIGN POLICY ATTRIBUTE

A discussion of the Japanese quest for a permanent seat on the United Nation’s Security Council and China's "One China" policy towards Taiwan as seen from a "soft power" perspective.

reading assignment:

Nye, Soft Power, Chapter Five: Soft Power and American Foreign Policy, pp. 127 - 148.

Friday, May 6, 2005
DISCUSSION: "POWER" AND "AUTHORITY" IN EAST ASIA AND THE UNITED STATES

The Three Gorges Project (centering on the construction of a major dam on the Yangtze River in central China) and Koizumi Cabinet (representing the government of the current Prime Minister) visits to Yakusuni Shrine in Tokyo on the anniversary of Japan’s defeat in the Pacific War as "hot button" and "soft power" battle grounds in China and Japan in 2005

Monday, May 9, 2005 at 1:00 p.m.
FINAL HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENT DUE