Minor in Contemporary Asian Studies, Part 1: Introduction to Asian

COLLEGE OF HUMANITIES
Centre for Area and Cultural Studies CACS
Minor in Contemporary Asian Studies, Part 1:
Introduction to Asian Civilizations and Societies
Lecturers:
Hans Peter Hertig and Christine Lutringer, EPFL Centre for Area and Cultural
Studies (CACS)
With the participation of the teaching staff of the Master in Asian Studies (University of
Geneva – Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies)
Course schedule:
Spring semester 2011, 14 weekly sessions
Wednesdays 4:15 – 7:00 pm, Room MA A 330
Contact:
Christine Lutringer
CACS, CM1 617
Ph.: +41 21 693 02 34
Email: [email protected]
1. CONTENTS AND ORGANIZATION OF THE COURSE
Social and political change, but also economic growth, improvements in productivity and
the diffusion of technological innovations, can only be properly understood in their broader
context, including social organization, economic relations and political culture. The aim of
the first module of the EPFL Minor in Contemporary Asian Studies is to introduce the
students to the societies and civilizations of Asia and to provide some guidelines for
understanding contemporary processes and issues.
The course will concentrate on the internal dynamics within single nations or sub-regions
but it will also address, to some extent, cross-border exchanges and influences. Four
geographical areas will be covered, each one by one or two weekly sessions: the first
class will present and discuss the historical background/heritage as well as the main
social, institutional, political, economic, cultural and religious features. The second class
will explore one contemporary issue of particular relevance to the nation or the region
considered. Each class will be divided into a two-hour lecture and a one-hour discussion,
using also some reading material to be circulated in advance.
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2. COURSE OUTLINE
23 February
Concept and representations of Asia
Jean-Luc Maurer, Nicolas Zufferey
2 March
Japanese civilization and society: an introduction
Pierre Souyri
9 March
Japanese history textbooks controversies
Samuel Guex
16 March
Chinese civilization and society: an introduction
Nicolas Zufferey
23 March
Analizing social networking websites in China
Basile Zimmermann
30 March
Indian civilization and society: an introduction
Gilbert Etienne
6 April
Urban development and management in India
Isabelle Milbert
13 April
Discussion on student papers and oral presentations
Christine Lutringer
20 April
Southeast Asian civilizations and societies: an introduction
Jean-Luc Maurer
4 May
Agricultural and rural development in Southeast Asia
Christophe Gironde
11 May
Presentation of students’ papers
Christine Lutringer, Jean-Luc Maurer, Nicolas Zufferey
18 May
Presentation of students’ papers
Christine Lutringer, Jean-Luc Maurer
25 May
Presentation of students’ papers
Christine Lutringer, Nicolas Zufferey
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1 June
Round table and wrap-up
Christine Lutringer, Jean-Luc Maurer
3. REQUIREMENTS AND EVALUATION
Students are first expected to participate actively to the classes. Secondly, they will write
an essay of 6 to 7 pages (Time New Roman 12 pt, 1.5 line spacing, about 15,000-20,000
characters) on a topic related to the course, to be defined by mid-March in consultation
with the professors. The essays should be sent electronically by May 10th. They will be
presented during the three workshop sessions that will take place at the end of the
module.
The evaluation for the course is as follows:
 essay: 60%
 oral presentation: 40%
4. Selected references
1. Asia (general)
De Bary, Theodore (1988), East Asian Civilizations. A Dialogue in Five Stages, Harvard University
Press, Cambridge (Mass.) and London.
Delamotte, Guibourg and Godement, François (eds) (2007), Géopolitique de l’Asie, SEDES, Paris.
Etienne, Gilbert (2007), Chine – Inde : la grande compétition, Dunod, Paris.
Etienne, Gilbert (2009), Repenser le développement : messages d’Asie, Armand Colin, Paris.
Friedman, Thomas (2005), The World is Flat : A Brief History of the Twenty-First Century, Farrar,
Straus & Giroux, New York.
Gordon, Stewart (2008), When Asia Was the World, Da Capo Press, Philadelphia.
Jha, Prem Shankar (2010), Crouching Dragon, Hidden Tiger : Can China and India Dominate the
West ? Counterpoint, Berkeley.
Pelletier, Philippe (2009), Géopolitique de l’Asie, Nathan, Paris.
Sabouret, Jean-François (ed.) (2006), Les mondes asiatiques : recherches et enjeux, Les Indes
Savantes, Paris.
Stiftung, Bertelsmann (ed.) (2007), Asia Changing the World, Verlag Bertelsmann Stiftung,
Gütersloch.
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2. Japan
Gordon, Andrew (2009), A Modern History of Japan. From Tokugawa Times to the Present, Oxford
University Press, Oxford and New York.
Kazuhiro Takii (2007), The Meiji Constitution. The Japanese Experience of the West and the
Shaping of the Modern State, International House of Japan, Tokyo.
Cooney, Kevin (2007), Japan’s Foreign Policy since 1945, Armonk, New York.
Meyer, Milton W. (1993), Japan : A Concise History, Littlefield Adams Paperbacks, Lanham.
Souyri, Pierre (2005), ‘Une modernité qui vient de loin’ in Sabouret, Jean-François (ed.), La
Dynamique du Japon, éditions Saint-Simon, Paris.
Souyri, Pierre (2010), Nouvelle Histoire du Japon, éditions Perrin, Paris.
Souyri, Pierre (forthcoming), Etre moderne sans être occidental. Aux origines du Japon
d'aujourd'hui, éditions Gallimard, Paris.
3. China
Ash, Robert, Shambaugh, David, Takagi, Seiichiro (eds) (2007), China Watching. Perspectives
from Europe, Japan and the United States, Routledge, London and New York.
Bergère, Marie-Claire (2000), La Chine de 1949 à nos jours, Armand Colin, Paris.
Fairbank, John K. (2006), China : A New History, The Belknap Press of Harvard University Press,
Cambridge (Mass.) and London.
Gifford, Rob (2007), China Road. A Journey into the Future of a Rising Power, Random House,
New York.
Mackerras, Colin (2001), The New Cambridge Handbook of Contemporary China, Cambridge
University Press, Cambridge.
Mitter, Rana (2008), Modern China : A Very Short Introduction, Oxford University Press, Oxford.
Peerenboom, Randall (2007), China Modernizes : Threat to the West or Model for the Rest ?
Oxford University Press, Oxford.
Walter, Xavier (2007), Petite histoire de la Chine, Eyrolles, Paris.
Wang, James C.F. (2002), Contemporary Chinese Politics : An Introduction, Prentice Hall, Upper
Saddle River (N.J.).
Yang Dali L. and Zhao Litao (eds) (2009), China’s Reforms at 30 : Challenges and Prospects,
World Scientific, London.
Zufferey, Nicolas (2008), Introduction à la pensée chinoise, Marabout, Paris.
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4. India
Asher, Catherine B. and Talbot Cynthia (2006), India before Europe, Cambridge University Press,
Cambridge and New York.
Balachandran, G. (ed.) (2003), India and the World Economy, Oxford University Presss, New
Delhi.
Bose, Sugata and Jalal Ayesha (2004), Modern South Asia : History, Culture, Political Economy,
Routledge, London and New York.
Fujita, Masahisa (ed.) (2008), Economic Integration in Asia and India, Palgrave, Basingstoke.
Guha, Ramachandra (2007), India after Gandhi : The History of the World’s Largest Democracy,
Macmillan, London.
Jaffrelot, Christophe (ed.) (2008), New Delhi et le monde. Une puissance émergente entre
realpolitik et soft power, Autrement, Paris.
Landy, Frédéric, Milbert Isabelle, et. al. (eds) (2010), Dictionnaire de l’Inde contemporaine, Armand
Colin, Paris, 2010.
Ludden, David (2002), India and South Asia : A Short History, Oneworld Publications, Oxford.
Rothermund, Dietmar (2008), India : The Rise of an Asian Giant, Yale University Press, New
Haven.
Tharoor, Shashi (1997), India : From Midnight to the Millenium, Arcade Publishing, New York.
5. Southeast Asia
Beeson, Mark (ed.) (2009), Contemporary Southeast Asia, Palgrave, Basingstoke.
Bruneau, Michel (2006), L’Asie d’entre Inde et Chine : logiques territoriales des Etats, Belin, Paris.
De Koninck (2005), L’Asie du Sud-Est, Armand Colin, Paris.
Gironde, Christophe et Maurer, Jean-Luc (eds) (2004), Le Vietnam à l'aube du XXIe siècle : bilan
et perspectives politiques, économiques et sociales, Karthala, Paris.
Murphy, Ann Marie and Welsh, Bridget (eds) (2008), Legacy of Engagement in Southeast Asia,
Institute of Southeast Asian Studies, Singapore.
Osborne, Milton (2010), Southeast Asia : An Introductory History, Allen & Unwin, Sydney.
Tarling, Nicholas (2010), Southeast Asia and the Great Powers, Routledge, London & New York.
Weatherbee, Donald E. (2005), International Relations in Southeast Asia. The Struggle for
Autonomy, Rowman and Littlefield Publishers, Lanham and New York.
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