6 ECTS credits
158 h study time

Offer 1 with catalog number 6023315ENR for all students in the 1st and 2nd semester at a (E) Master - advanced level.

Semester
1st and 2nd semester
Enrollment based on exam contract
Impossible
Grading method
Grading (scale from 0 to 20)
Can retake in second session
Yes
Taught in
English
Faculty
Faculty of Social Sciences & SolvayBusinessSchool
Department
Political Science
Educational team
Maaike Verbruggen
Luis Simon Navarro (course titular)
Activities and contact hours

20 contact hours Lecture
138 contact hours Independent or External Form of Study
Course Content

The course shall follow an intensive, executive-like format, and combine traditional academic lectures with interactive discussions with experts and policy-makers.

The course will seek to a) provide students with the necessary background to understand the basics of Japan’s contemporary history, institutions and foreign policy structures and priorities; while at the same time b) remain flexible enough to tailor lectures and seminars to an evolving international landscape. To that end, the course will be divided into three separate modules of two days each, which will take place in November, March and May respectively. 

The first module will be devoted to understanding the historical, institutional and strategic context that defines Japan’s foreign and security policy. It will be more fixed in character, in that its content will be subject to minor or no variation from one year to another. 

The second module will focus on Japan’s contribution to regional security (i.e. in the Indo-Pacific). It will focus on Japan’s evolving vision of a ‘free and open Indo-Pacific’, and explore the evolution of Japan’s relations with key partners in the region. This second module will feature greater variation, with a view to taking stock of a dynamic geostrategic environment and an evolving policy agenda in Japan and other relevant countries.  It will also accommodate special sessions (ie by way of expert roundtables and panel discussions) devoted to addressing relevant and timely challenges.

The third and final module will be devoted to Japan’s global contribution to global security and Japan’s relations with Europe, paying particular attention to the EU and NATO. This will be more dynamic, with a view to reflecting the evolving agenda in EU-Japan and NATO-Japan relations. It will also pay particular attention to interaction with those policy-makers responsible for setting out the agenda of Europe-Japan relations. 

Additional info

A number of required readings will be provided ahead of each module. Students will receive reading packages consisting, for example, of news articles, academic papers and book chapters.

Teaching Methods

Lecture: collective contact-dependent moments during which the lecturer engages with learning materials

Seminar, Exercises or Practicals (Practical): collective or individual contact-dependent moments during which the students are guided to actively engage with learning materials

Independent or External Form of Study (Self): independent study

This description of the teaching methods is indicative, in order to assess the expected study load.

Lecture: 20 hours

  • Module 1: 90 minutes x 4 lectures (360 minutes), 30 minutes x 4 seminars (120 minutes)
  • Module 2: 60 minutes x 5 lectures (300 minutes), expert roundtable 90 minutes
  • Module 3: 60 minutes x 2 lectures (120 minutes), 1 hour 45 mins x 2 panel events (3 hours 30 minutes) 

Self: 138 hours

  • Preparation course: 7 hours per lecture for 77 hours in total (11 lectures x 7 hours) + 3 hours per expert roundtable & panel events for 9 hours in total (3 x 3 hours)
  • Preparation assessment and evaluation (policy brief, essay): 52 hours
Learning Outcomes

General Competences

By the end of this course, the students will be able to:

  • understand the basics of Japan’s contemporary history, institutions and foreign policy structures and priorities;
  • understand the historical, institutional and strategic context that defines Japan’s foreign and security policy;
  • analyse Japan’s contribution to regional security, particularly in the Indo-Pacific. Students will be able to understand  Japan’s evolving vision of a free and open Indo-Pacific, including its drivers and limitation, and explore the evolution of Japan’s relations with key partners in the region, taking stock of a dynamic geostrategic environment and an evolving policy agenda in Japan and other relevant countries;
  • analyse Japan’s contribution to global security and Japan’s relations with Europe, particularly with respect to the EU and NATO, taking stock of the evolving agenda in EU-Japan and NATO-Japan relations;
  • deepen their knowledge through tailored lectures and seminars taking into account an evolving international landscape.

Grading

The final grade is composed based on the following categories:
Written Exam determines 100% of the final mark.

Within the Written Exam category, the following assignments need to be completed:

  • Policy Brief with a relative weight of 30 which comprises 30% of the final mark.
  • Essay with a relative weight of 70 which comprises 70% of the final mark.

Additional info regarding evaluation

By way of assessment, participants will be asked to write a short policy brief of 1500 words (30%) and an essay up to 3000 words (70%).

Allowed unsatisfactory mark
The supplementary Teaching and Examination Regulations of your faculty stipulate whether an allowed unsatisfactory mark for this programme unit is permitted.

Academic context

This offer is part of the following study plans:
Master of Political Science: Democracy and Leadership (only offered in Dutch)