Japan and Europe

2Grade

2.00Credits

Have work experience

semester not specified

Gergely Kiss-Csapo

ENGLISH

プレゼンテーションは常に英語で行われる。

Togane Campus

Comparative Studies: Japan and Europe

Course Description: This course provides an in-depth exploration of the historical, geopolitical, and economic similarities and differences between Japan and Europe. In spite of their distinct cultures and geographical locations, both regions have shared historical experiences and face common challenges in the contemporary world. Through a comparative lens, students will gain insights into the interconnectedness of global history.The course will mainly use document and source analysis, especially primary sources. This will help students dive deep into the material, improving their critical thinking and analytical skills.

Aims:
1. Help students understand how Japan and Europe are connected historically and today, showing them the big picture of global relationships.
2. Teach students to think critically and look at things from different perspectives, so they can understand complex international issues.
3. Encourage students to ask questions and explore topics that interest them, so they can learn more about the world around them.
4. Give students the tools to understand how Japan and Europe's relationship affects global issues like trade and culture.
5. Create a welcoming environment where students feel comfortable sharing ideas and learning from each other.

Learning Outcomes:
1. Understand the different features of Europe's geography, like its landscapes and natural resources, and how they shape historical and modern developments.
2. Recognize important events and changes in Japan and Europe's histories, comparing their political systems, economies, and societies.
3. Explore how Japan and Europe have influenced each other over time, seeing how their interactions have impacted both regions.
4. Investigate today's relationships between Japan and the European Union (EU), looking at how they work together in areas like trade and culture.

Methods:
Reading, processing and evaluating primary and secondary historical sources.
Study of contemporary documents.
Viewing and evaluating visual (pictorial, moving image) sources.

The course is divided into three parts:

Part 1: Regional Geography of Europe
In this introductory section, students will examine the diverse geographical features of Europe, including its landscapes, climates, and natural resources. Understanding the regional geography of Europe serves as a foundation for comparative regional studies, allowing students to contextualize historical and contemporary developments.

Part 2: Comparative History of Japan and Europe
This section deals with the historical narratives of Japan and Europe by exploring key events and cultural movements. Through a side-by-side analysis, students will identify similarities and differences in political systems, economic structures, and social dynamics. Special attention will be paid to how interactions between Japan and Europe have influenced each other throughout history.

Part 3: Contemporary Relations of Japan and the EU
The final part of the course focuses on the contemporary relations between Japan and the European Union (EU). Students will examine diplomatic, economic, and cultural ties between the two regions, considering issues such as trade agreements, security partnerships, and cultural exchanges.

Part 1
Regional Geography, Geopolitics and Economy

1. Regional Geography of Europe
What are the 7 regions of Europe? Europe can be divided into seven regions based on geography, history, religion and culture. Europe’s geography and the significance of rivers.

Recommended reading:
Tim Marshall: Prisoners of Geography (Europe)

Preview (online work): preliminary materials uploaded for students: PowerPoint, topography (learning), text (reading), music link (listening).
Before each session, you will be given some content to work with a short text, a film clip, and a document.

Summary (online work): topography (practice), PowerPoint and own notes (learning), text (learning), video link (watching and understanding). At the beginning and end of each session, you can expect online quizzes.

2. Geopolitical Divisions of Europe

European Union (EU): A political and economic union of 27 European countries, promoting economic cooperation, free trade, and common policies.
Schengen Area: A zone of 26 European countries that have abolished passport and other types of border control at their mutual borders, allowing for free movement of people.

Non-EU European Countries: Countries like Norway, Switzerland, Iceland, and others, which are not part of the EU but may have agreements for trade and cooperation.

Key concepts:
EU, Schengen-zone, Euro-zone

Recommended reading:
Tim Marshall: Prisoners of Geography (Europe)

Preview (online work): preliminary materials uploaded for students: PowerPoint, topography (learning), text (reading), music link (listening).
Before each session, you will be given some content to work with a short text, a film clip, and a document.

Summary (online work): topography (practice), PowerPoint and own notes (learning), text (learning), video link (watching and understanding). At the beginning and end of each session, you can expect online quizzes.

3. Why does Japan need Europe? Why does Europe need Japan? (Economic ties)
Guest speaker: Adam Osztovits (former Partner, CEE Strategy & Transformation Leader at Price Waterhouse Coopers, columnist at Forbes Hungary)

Why Japan needs Europe?
Why Europe needs Japan?

Preview (online work): preliminary materials uploaded for students: PowerPoint, topography (learning), text (reading), music link (listening).
Before each session, you will be given some content to work with a short text, a film clip, and a document.

Summary (online work): topography (practice), PowerPoint and own notes (learning), text (learning), video link (watching and understanding). At the beginning and end of each session, you can expect online quizzes.

4. How economic inequality harms societies? Comparative analysis of Japan and the EU

A naïve view: Inequality only matters if it creates poverty or if income differences seem unfair.
A more accurate view: Inequality brings out features of our evolved psychology to do with dominance and subordination, superiority and inferiority, which affect how we treat each other.

Inequality increases status competition and status insecurity. It increases anxieties about self-worth, and intensifies worries about how we are seen and judged – whether as attractive or unattractive, interesting or boring etc.

Analysing how economic inequality harms societies through a comparative lens between Japan and the European Union (EU) can offer valuable insights into the multifaceted impacts of inequality on various aspects of society.

Comparative Overview of  Historical Context of Inequality / Inequality on Economic Growth / Social Cohesion and Inequality / Education and Inequality / Health and Inequality

Methods:
Analysis of graphs and charts, reflection on statistical data, discussion,

Preview (online work): preliminary materials uploaded for students: PowerPoint, topography (learning), text (reading), music link (listening).
Before each session, you will be given some content to work with a short text, a film clip, and a document.

Summary (online work): topography (practice), PowerPoint and own notes (learning), text (learning), video link (watching and understanding). At the beginning and end of each session, you can expect online quizzes.

5. Regional Geography of Europe, inequalities; trade and industry

Economic Inequalities:
North-South Divide: There is a significant economic gap between Northern and Southern European countries. Northern countries tend to have higher GDP per capita, stronger economies, and higher standards of living compared to Southern countries, which often face challenges like unemployment, debt, and lower productivity.

East-West Divide: The division between Eastern and Western Europe persists, although it has diminished since the fall of communism. Eastern European countries generally have lower GDP per capita and less developed infrastructure compared to their Western counterparts.

Urban-Rural Divide: Within countries, there are often disparities between urban and rural areas. Urban centers, particularly capital cities and major metropolitan areas, tend to have higher levels of economic activity, employment opportunities, and infrastructure development compared to rural regions.

Preview (online work): preliminary materials uploaded for students: PowerPoint, topography (learning), text (reading), music link (listening).
Before each session, you will be given some content to work with a short text, a film clip, and a document.

Summary (online work): topography (practice), PowerPoint and own notes (learning), text (learning), video link (watching and understanding). At the beginning and end of each session, you can expect online quizzes.

6. Review of the first 5 sessions
Quiz No1. (topography)

Compare and Contrast - Europe and Japan from 1000-1500
Were military revolutions in 16th-century Europe and Japan primarily caused by the introduction of gunpowder weapons, or were previous governmental changes the decisive factor?

Preview (online work): preliminary materials uploaded for students: PowerPoint, topography (learning), text (reading), music link (listening).
Before each session, you will be given some content to work with a short text, a film clip, and a document.

Preparing for poster presentations and for the "Expert group" tasks.

Summary (online work): topography (practice), PowerPoint and own notes (learning), text (learning), video link (watching and understanding). At the beginning and end of each session, you can expect online quizzes.

Part 2 - Historical and Cultural ties

7. Japan's encounter with Europe, 1573 – 1853
Portuguese arrival, Christian Persecutions and Isolation, Dutch Trade, Arrival of Commodore Perry

Preview (online work): preliminary materials uploaded for students: PowerPoint, topography (learning), text (reading), music link (listening).
Before each session, you will be given some content to work with a short text, a film clip, and a document.

Preparing for poster presentations and for the "Expert group" tasks.

Summary (online work): topography (practice), PowerPoint and own notes (learning), text (learning), video link (watching and understanding). At the beginning and end of each session, you can expect online quizzes.

8. The Japanese colonial empire (1895-1930)

Forming a nation-state with a strong sense of nationalism followed the pattern seen in Europe, but it was constructed upon Japanese cultural traditions. The Japanese cultural movement for building a nation is more like the national awakening movements in Central Europe than the nationalism in Western Europe, which was linked to modernization.

Preview (online work): preliminary materials uploaded for students: PowerPoint, topography (learning), text (reading), music link (listening).
Before each session, you will be given some content to work with a short text, a film clip, and a document.

Preparing for poster presentations and for the "Expert group" tasks.

Summary (online work): topography (practice), PowerPoint and own notes (learning), text (learning), video link (watching and understanding). At the beginning and end of each session, you can expect online quizzes.

9. The Japanese Colonial Empire (1895-1930)

Similarities or connections between historical trends observed in Europe and the expansion and administration of the Japanese colonial empire: parallels in colonial strategies, economic exploitation, cultural assimilation policies and geopolitical ambitions.

Preview (online work): preliminary materials uploaded for students: PowerPoint, topography (learning), text (reading), music link (listening).
Before each session, you will be given some content to work with a short text, a film clip, and a document.

Preparing for poster presentations and for the "Expert group" tasks.

Summary (online work): topography (practice), PowerPoint and own notes (learning), text (learning), video link (watching and understanding). At the beginning and end of each session, you can expect online quizzes.

10. Imperial Japan (1894-1945)
What are similarities and differences between European imperialism and Japanese imperialism? Expansion and colonization, Pacific War and Defeat

Concepts:
Anglo-Japanese Alliance; Russo-Japanese War; Annexation of Korea; World War I; Manchurian Incident, Second Sino-Japanese War; Tripartite Pact (1940).
Attack on Pearl Harbor

Preview (online work): preliminary materials uploaded for students: PowerPoint, topography (learning), text (reading), music link (listening).
Before each session, you will be given some content to work with a short text, a film clip, and a document.

Preparing for poster presentations and for the "Expert group" tasks.

Summary (online work): topography (practice), PowerPoint and own notes (learning), text (learning), video link (watching and understanding). At the beginning and end of each session, you can expect online quizzes.

11. Post war: 2nd half of the 20th century

While the contexts and specific challenges differed, the post-war reconstruction efforts in Japan and Europe shared common goals, strategies, and approaches aimed at rebuilding societies devastated by conflict and laying the foundation for stability and prosperity.

Preview (online work): preliminary materials uploaded for students: PowerPoint, topography (learning), text (reading), music link (listening).
Before each session, you will be given some content to work with a short text, a film clip, and a document.

Preparing for poster presentations and for the "Expert group" tasks.

Summary (online work): topography (practice), PowerPoint and own notes (learning), text (learning), video link (watching and understanding). At the beginning and end of each session, you can expect online quizzes.

Part 3 - Contemporary EU and Japanese relations

12. Progress reports on research tasks. The EU and Japan (Introduction)

Preview (online work): preliminary materials uploaded for students: PowerPoint, topography (learning), text (reading), music link (listening).
Before each session, you will be given some content to work with a short text, a film clip, and a document.

Preparing for poster presentations and for the "Expert group" tasks.

Summary (online work): topography (practice), PowerPoint and own notes (learning), text (learning), video link (watching and understanding). At the beginning and end of each session, you can expect online quizzes.

13. Contemporary political relations between Japan and Europe.

Poster presentations (Culture, memory, and soft power: a comparison Europe-Japan.)

This session focuses on an overview of the relationship between Japan and the European Union (EU), focusing on political and security aspects. It also examines the evolution of this relationship in the post-Cold War era.

Preparing for poster presentations.

Summary (online work): topography (practice), PowerPoint and own notes (learning), text (learning), video link (watching and understanding). At the beginning and end of each session, you can expect online quizzes.

14. Contemporary political relations between Japan and Europe.

Poster presentations (Culture, memory and soft power: a comparison Europe-Japan.)
The operational dynamics of EU-Japan relations through an interregional perspective.
The EU and Japan in the Process of Building Creative / Progressive Cultural Relations

Preparing for poster presentations.

Summarising the lessons learned, synthesising the experiences, discussing and evaluating the poster presentations.

Assessment:
• 20% - Class participation
• 30% - Topography and main terms quiz
• 50% - Poster presentation in groups (plus literature review)

ASSESSMENT SCALE (Topographic midterm test)
S – Excellent (90%-100%)
A – Very good (80%-89%)
B – Good (66%-79%)
C – Pass (41%-65%)
F – Fail (0-40%)

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Choose a topic that you are interested in, narrow it down and find 6-8 relevant sources to create a literature review poster in groups of 3.

Each poster will include about 500-600 words of text and 3-5 images (figures, tables, diagrams, etc.).
For a literature review poster, you need to provide full references for all materials cited in your poster.
Within this word count, you need to explain why the topic you chose is important to explore, explain your search process, explain the selection process, identify trends in the literature, and provide critical analysis and insight into your topic.

Suggested topics:
1. Portuguese trade in the 16th century
2. Dutch trade
3. Catholicism in Japan
4. The English East India Company and Japan
5. Japan and Central Eastern Europe (1945-1990)
6. Japan and Germany in the second half of the 20th century
7. Japan and EU relations (2000-2024)

This is how to create a poster presentation: https://library.leeds.ac.uk/info/1401/academic-skills/196/presentations-posters/3
Templates:  https://www.canva.com/posters/templates/research/

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Optional coursework during the term of the course.

On this website you will find some very interesting quiz questions:
https://upgrader.gapminder.org/tg/europe

Each of the quiz questions is about a European country. There are many misconceptions about these countries. The aim of the exercise is to dispel these misconceptions.
If you complete at least 20 of these quiz questions correctly, and present a personalised certificate for correct completion, you will receive a mark one better for your course assessment.
Don't leave this task to the last day! Try to do a few quiz questions each week. GAPMINDER Foundation will automatically email you a personalised certificate in PDF format for correct completion.
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Note: The course outline and assessment methods may be slightly modified at the instructor's discretion.
Concerning homework assignments, students shall receive written feedback with a percentage-based assessment.

Concerning poster presentation homework assignments, students shall receive written feedback with a percentage-based assessment.

Note:
The course outline and assessment methods may be slightly modified at the instructor's discretion.

Prisoners of Geography

MARSHALL, Tim

Elliott & Thompson Limited

1783961414

2015

A concise history of Japan

WALKER, Brett L.

Cambridge University Press

978-0-521-17872-3

2015

Joy Hendry: Japanese perceptions of Europe: Models for culture and diplomacy?  https://doi.org/10.1080/09592299408405950

VANDEWALLE, Laurence: IN-DEPTH ANALYSIS; The increasing role of the EU's culture, education and science diplomacy in AsiaAuthors. https://www.europarl.europa.eu/RegData/etudes/IDAN/2015/549050/EXPO_IDA(2015)549050_EN.pdf

GIERAT-Bieroń, Bożena: The EU and Japan in the Process of Building Creative/Progressive Cultural Relations. (Studies in European Affairs, 4/2021) https://journalse.com/the-eu-and-japan-in-the-process-of-building-creative-progressive-cultural-relations/

Shigekazu Kusune: The relationship between Japan and the EU (2016)  https://www.jstage.jst.go.jp/article/jgtr/1/2/1_101/_pdf

Before each lesson, students must read concise historical texts to familiarise themselves with essential concepts, thus freeing up valuable classroom time to delve deeper into the subject's key themes and intricacies. These assigned readings will be available on the course website, usually released on a weekly basis.

INSTRUCTOR: Gergely KISS-CSAPÓ
gergoe@jiu.ac.jp
Office: H-416

classroom G-304

CLASSES:
Tuesday in class 4.   15:20 - 17:05
Friday in class 2.      11:00 - 12:45

I will be available to speak with you every Tuesday and Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 14:00 p.m., as well as before and after each lecture.
If you cannot meet me during my designated office hours, I will make every effort to arrange a meeting with you as soon as possible on a different day.

RELATED PAGES

https://www.visegradgroup.eu/
https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat
https://online.seterra.com/  
https://kahoot.com/
https://www.purposegames.com/
https://ted.com/
https://www.visualcapitalist.com/
https://upgrader.gapminder.org/tg/europe

Reading materials, documentaries, and additional resources will be provided throughout the course to supplement lectures and facilitate discussions.