Political Economy of East Asia: Past and Present Min Shu Spring Term 2025 School of International Liberal Studies Waseda University The materials contained in this webpage are intended for teaching purpose ONLY. Pls do NOT quote, link or redistribute without the consent of the course instructor. updated on 23 April 2025 Overview / Lecture Notes / Contact / Links Overview East Asia is one of most dynamic regions in today’s world. The region stands at the forefront of the current debates on economic development, global value chains, and emerging economies. It also plays an indispensable part in the future of technological innovation, trade liberalization and politico-economic regionalism. Of equal importance is the long and rich history of East Asia as an interactive region in both economic and political terms. The ancient silk road, the hierarchical tributary system, and the transnational flow of money and peoples all offer unique and yet generalizable cases in international political economy. This advanced course examines the political economy of East Asia. It treats East Asia is as a politico-economic space beyond the boundaries of individual countries, and pays equal attention to the past and the present. The course covers a wide range of topics, including the silk road, the tributary system, the circulation of money, the political economy of colonialism, migration and diaspora, the adoption of modern state system, the developmental state, regional production networks, East Asian regionalism, and the rise of China. Students are required to attend the lectures, participate in group work, and conduct in-class presentations and discussions. Towards the end of term, every participant is required to write a term paper focusing on one of the topics covered by the course.     Top Lecture Notes Syllabus  Introduction: East Asia as a Region  The Silk Roads: From Trade Routes to Development Finance  Contact Email: min.shu(at)waseda.jp Office Hours: lunchtime on Tuesday and Thursday (appointment required!) Office: Rm. 1455, Building 11 of the Waseda Campus Tel: 03-3208-8499     Top Links Under construction     Top