Historical Introduction
| CLASS # | TOPICS | ASSIGNMENTS |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Politics and policy in contemporary Japan | |
| 2 | The "Modernization" of Japan | |
| 3 | From Taisho to Showa | |
| 4 | Transwar political history | |
| 5 | Japanese culture and society | |
| 6 | Japan incorporated [?] |
Politics
| CLASS # | TOPICS | ASSIGNMENTS |
|---|---|---|
| I. Party politics | ||
| 7 | The party system after 1993 | |
| 8 | The liberal democratic party | |
| 9 | The diet | |
| II. Electoral politics | ||
| 10 | The electoral system | |
| 11 | Voter mobilization and voting behavior | First undergraduate paper due |
| 12 | Midterm exam in class | |
| III. Civil society and interest group politics | ||
| 13 | Civil society | |
| 14 | Organized labor | |
| 15 | The Zaikai | |
| IV. Bureaucratic politics | ||
| 16 | The bureaucracy | First graduate paper due |
| 17 | The budget process | |
Public Policy
| CLASS # | TOPICS | ASSIGNMENTS |
|---|---|---|
| 18 | Social policy | |
| 19 | Defense and foreign policy | Second undergraduate paper due |
| 20 | Energy policy | |
| 21 | Science and technology process | |
| 22 | Industrial policy | |
| 23 | Japan in the Post-Cold War World | |
| 24 |
No Readings Debate: Change at Last? Or change at least? Students will be assigned to one of two teams: affirmative and negative on the general proposition,"Japan is changing." | Second graduate paper due |
| 25 | Undergraduate meeting |